Simon Jordan sends warning to Nottingham Forest as costly Anthony Elanga mistake must be avoided

The sale of Anthony Elanga will have stung Nottingham Forest, but Simon Jordan is more concerned about where the club goes next in the transfer market.

Newcastle United have reportedly paid a £55m upfront fee for Elanga, with a potential to reach £60m with add-ons, but it is suggested that Newcastle may never pay the Elanga add-ons even if he stars for them.

The sale of Anthony Elanga will have stung Nottingham Forest, but Simon Jordan is more concerned about where the club goes next in the transfer market.

Forest fans have mixed feelings about losing Elanga, with his impact on Nuno Espírito Santo’s side last season being weighed up against the huge profit made from the transfer fee.

The profit could see Forest make a move for Johan Bakayoko, but Jordan is wary of the potential cost of selling and replacing players in a successful squad.

Simon Jordan raises concerns about Nottingham Forest replacing Anthony Elanga

Forest already wanted two wingers before losing Elanga, so there will be targets in place for Edu to explore as immediate replacements for the right wing role.

However, speaking to talkSPORT, Jordan raised doubts about the process of buying and selling top stars, adding a level of sympathy for Forest about seeing key cogs in Nuno’s squad being prised away.

He said: “I feel a bit sorry for Nottingham Forest, because the rewards of Nottingham Forest are that they’re going to get cherry-picked by sides that are perhaps in a slightly better position than they are.

“Whilst they get a big profit on the player, it’s only good if you’re going to reinvest it back into the playing squad. If you suddenly make yourself worse and you fall five places down the league, you haven’t made so much profit.”

Jordan’s point about falling down the league is particularly relevant to Forest as Elanga and the squad’s brilliant season led to European qualification, so if his replacement isn’t able to help the club qualify once again, the profit made on the sale may not feel as lucrative.

Therefore, Edu and the recruitment staff will be under intense pressure to use the Elanga money wisely, with options flying around already.

Edu must get the Anthony Elanga replacement right

Forest fans were excited about the Bakayoko links as the Belgian boasts very similar attributes to Elanga, as well as a better goalscoring record.

It makes sense that Espírito Santo would want a similar profile to the Swede, but there’s never a guarantee that Elanga’s remarkable season could be replaced, even by himself.

Elanga himself went through spells of ineffectiveness towards the end of last season, so finding consistency in a signing similar to Elanga might be a task that the £55m cannot even solve.

Very few wingers in world football are able to produce consistently, so finding an Elanga replica will be a monumental task for Edu, to the point where spending on a couple of attackers who could replace Elanga’s numbers between them might end up being the best solution.

Nottingham Forest in pole position to sign £22m winger after goal at Club World Cup

Nottingham Forest are going to be busy trying to do a deal for a forward or two in the coming weeks.

Anthony Elanga is being sold to Newcastle and that leaves Forest desperately short in the final third of the pitch when it comes to explosive pace.

In short, it’s a shame that Elanga is leaving and that Forest have decided it’s in their best interests to cash in on such an important player.

Ramon Sosa is also leaving Forest for Palmeiras and when it comes to the attacking options, Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad is looking light.

Igor Jesus has checked in from Botafogo and now, it would appear as though the recruitment team are working overtime to get new players to the club.

• READ MORE: Nottingham Forest should target Chelsea player this summer

Nottingham Forest want Pepe

Forest are going to get linked with a host of wingers now and perhaps these things should be taken with a sizeable helping of salt.

According to ESPN, it’s believed that Forest are now in pole position to bring Pepe to the City Ground, with a price of £22 million set for his services.

Pepe scored at the recent Club World Cup but has found things rough in the Portuguese top-flight with Porto, scoring six goals and claiming four assists from 45 appearances last season.

As a right-winger, naturally, the consensus will be that he can replace Elanga, but his addition to the ranks would be largely underwhelming.

In 192 appearances for Porto, he’s scored 25 times and registered 30 assists, while the player can also operate on the left-hand side.

Forest need to think big with Elanga replacement

It’s quite hard to imagine a counter-attacking Forest team playing without Elanga, such has been his importance in that particular system.

With that in mind, he’s not going to be easy to replace and signing a 28-year-old player who hasn’t really set any league alight that he’s played in will hardly appease the fan base.

Pepe is a Brazilian and perhaps given the contingent of players from that country already at Forest, this is an easy link to create in the wake of Elanga departing.

Johan Bakayoko remains a Forest target and a player with an abundance of potential, such as him would be far more exciting than a link to Porto star Pepe.