UK media sources today claim Manchester United’s Anthony Elanga has decided against a potential move to Everton and will now join Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest.
Elanga is one of a number of players who have repeatedly been linked with a move to Merseyside, both before and now during, this current transfer window.
Everton seemed close to a deal for the Swedish attacker in January before it fell through as United manager Erik ten Hag decided to keep him for the remainder of the season.
Now though he has fallen victim to the Dutchman’s clearing out at Old Trafford and so the Blues were apparently ready to revive a move for him in this window.
The 21-year-old became one of an ever-growing and expanding list of forwards alledgedly on Sean Dyche’s transfer wishlist.
Well if he was, he certainly isn’t any longer if this story in the Daily Mail is accurate and Elanga has decided to go to the Midlands and the City Ground instead of Goodison Park.
While not wishing to seem disrespectful to Forest, it is a sign of the times that a newly promoted club can once again beat off the attentions of one of the English game’s originals and aristocrats.
We saw this in January, when despite endless, increasingly feversish and ludicrous links to just about any and every striker around, uniquely among top flight clubs, Everton failed to sign a single new player before the deadline closed on the 31st.
And, several of these alledged targets ended choosing other Premier League rivals.
In truth, Elanga didn’t really look the best option for the Toffees. Certainly, he isn’t the proven goalscorer that Arnaut Danjuma is, having only managed two strikes in twenty-nine appearances overall in the last campaign.
While we wait for final, offical confirmation that Danjuma is an Everton player and hasn’t decided to go somewhere else last minute, the search continues for other forwards who can hopefully make a positive difference to the Blues woeful goal scoring.