Newcastle sold a perfect midfielder for £10m

As every week passes by, this summer transfer window is becoming a hugely important one for Newcastle United in their hunt for sustained success.

Eddie Howe’s side knew they were going to lose key members of the squad after finishing 12th in the Premier League last term – but the issues are becoming far bigger than first imagined.

Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon have already left to join Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona respectively, whilst captain Bruno Guimarães has stated his desire to depart Tyneside.

As a result, the hierarchy desperately need to work tirelessly in the summer transfer window to avoid losing any more key talents, but also add needed quality into depleted areas of the squad.

Improving the midfield department is set to be the club’s number one priority, but it could have looked a whole lot different had things worked out for one player at St James’ Park.

How Anderson and Manzambi have performed at the World Cup

Boyhood Newcastle fan Elliot Anderson is a player who once appeared to have a huge future on Tyneside, but the club’s PSR issues back in 2024 saw the hierarchy cash in on his signature.

He’s since developed at Nottingham Forest and transformed into a £116m star after his recent move to Manchester City – leading to a stellar World Cup campaign with England.

The 23-year-old has completed the most successful passes of any player in Thomas Tuchel’s squad, whilst completing 100% of his attempted dribbles – no other player has achieved such a feat to date.

Anderson has also made huge waves in the final third – subsequently registering an assist for Jude Bellingham against Croatia and leaving the Magpies faithful thinking about what could have been.

However, it appears as though Howe’s men will be signing Swiss international Johan Manzambi to bolster the midfield department – a player who has also caught the eye at the World Cup.

The 20-year-old, who was set to cost a reported £52m before he opted to join Aston Villa instead, registered three goals and two assists in just 200 minutes of action – resulting in a goal contribution every 50 minutes he played.

Like Anderson, the youngster has thrived with the ball at his feet, as seen by his remarkable tallies of 2.3 successful dribbles completed and 1.4 chances created per 90.

Even without the ball, Manzambi has been extremely dominant, winning 4.1 ground duels and making 2.3 ball recoveries per 90 as Switzerland made it to the quarter-final stage.

Newcastle sold a perfect midfielder for just £10m

Seeing Anderson star on an international stage is a great sight to see for all Newcastle supporters, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that they wish he featured more for his boyhood side.

The PSR punishment robbed the Magpies faithful of seeing one of their own become a key senior squad member – not to mention missing out on a whole heap of cash given his recent transfer.

However, he’s not the only player who’s appeared to have slipped through their net prematurely, as fellow midfielder Mikel Merino is another who was offloaded before his peak.

The Spaniard only managed to rack up 25 appearances for the Magpies, before being offloaded to return to his homeland and join Real Sociedad for around £10m.

His spell on Tyneside was certainly one that failed to live up to expectations, but his progression away from the club has certainly made it a decision that has come back to bite them.

The 29-year-old currently plies his trade for fellow English outfit Arsenal, subsequently cementing himself as one of the Gunners’ key performers in recent years.

He’s already made 78 appearances in his two years at the Emirates, even operating as a makeshift centre-forward at times since his transfer in the summer of 2024.

Despite his injury struggles over recent months, Merino was included in Spain’s squad for the World Cup – a decision that’s proved to be a masterstroke from Luis de la Fuente.

He’s featured in six matches – only one of which from a starting role – but he has netted two goals in his last two substitute appearances against Portugal and Belgium.

Both of his strikes proved to be the winner, subsequently allowing Spain to set up a semi-final clash with France and keep their hopes of winning the competition alive.

Merino has become known for his clutch moments – as seen in recent matches – something which Newcastle could undoubtedly do with after Tonali and Gordon’s departures.

Away from his goalscoring record, the Spaniard has also managed to create a staggering 2.7 chances created this tournament – a figure which Anderson and Manzambi have struggled to match.

Without the ball, the 29-year-old has also had a huge impact, subsequently making 2.1 interceptions and winning 6.6 ground duels per 90 – once again outperforming the aforementioned duo.

The addition of Manzambi would have injected some much needed optimism back into the fanbase after yet another summer of struggle off the pitch on Tyneside.

However, the Magpies would now find themselves in a far better position had they kept hold of Merino and not sold him back to Spain during the summer window eight years ago.