PIF sold Newcastle’s next Gazza cheap, now he’s better than Bruno

Ahead of the Premier League’s return this weekend, Newcastle United supporters are once again excited about the future. Let’s put it this way, it’s been a long time since the dreary Alexander Isak saga played out in the northeast.

The Magpies made it back-to-back wins before the international break, beating Royale Union Saint-Gilloise 4-0 in Brussels in the Champions League, before beating Nottingham Forest 2-0 at St James’ last Sunday; Bruno Guimarães and Nick Wolte were the scorers.

Next, Eddie Howe’s side face Brighton & Hove Albion in Sussex on Saturday, before one Jose Mourinho brings his Benfica side to Tyneside the following Tuesday.

The Magpies undeniably have a solid squad, but would this team be even better if they had retained the talent that is now giving skipper Bruno Guimarães a hard time?

The importance of Bruno Guimarães for Newcastle

In the era of Saudi ownership, Newcastle United have truly had two marquee players.

One of them is better known on Tyneside as He Who Must Not Be Named, having gone on strike over the summer to force a move to Liverpool.

Thus, Isak’s actions only increased the Geordies’ love for Guimarães.

Since arriving from Olympique Lyonnais for around £34million in January 2022, the Brazilian has racked up 163 appearances in the black and white stripes, scoring 24 goals and registering 27 assists.

He was instrumental in Newcastle qualifying for the Champions League twice, as well as winning the EFL Cup last season, their first major domestic trophy for 70 years.

Speaking on BBC 5 Live, Nigel Reo-Coker claims that, alongside Sandro Tonalo and Joelinton, Newcastle currently have the best midfield trio in the Premier League, with Guimarães at the heart of it.

However, would this department of Howe’s team be even more formidable if they hadn’t been forced to sell a local star?

When Newcastle were forced to sell their new Gazza

In the summer of 2024, Premier League clubs at risk of breaching the PSR found a loophole of trading players at massively inflated rates between themselves.

Chelsea, Aston Villa, Everton, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle have all been involved in such moves, but the Magpies may have proven to be the biggest victims in the long run.

They were forced to sell Yankuba Minteh to Brighton for just £30 million, while a swap deal, of sorts, was agreed with Forest.

They paid £20 million for goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos, who played just 45 minutes for the club, while Elliot Anderson moved to the East Midlands for £35 million.

Considering the Greek goalkeeper has proven to be a liability more than anything else, currently on loan at Sevilla, Anderson was sold to Forest for just £15 million, which now appears to be a bargain.

His form at the City Ground led Martin Keown to describe him as a “nailed” starter for England at next summer’s World Cup, with Peter Crouch adding that he is “a much better player than he gets credit for”.

Anderson has started each of England’s last three matches, and is set to continue that streak in Latvia on Tuesday, having also started all 33 of Forest’s Premier League and Europa League matches since the start of December.

This underlines how he has become one of the first names on the teamsheet for Nuno Espírito Santo and now Ange Postecoglou, as well as Thomas Tuchel, but how do his stats compare to those of Guimarães last season?

As the table shows, Anderson and Guimarães’ stats in the Premier League last season were actually very similar across the board.

While the Brazilian has scored more goals and has better passing figures, the England international comes out on top for the majority of out-of-possession statistics, including duels, tackles, clearances and ball recoveries.

His form has seen an exponential rise in valuation, with Football Transfers estimating his current market value to be around £47 million, more than three times the £15 million Forest paid for him.

Born in Whitley Bay, Anderson could have been Newcastle’s next Geordie sensation had he not been sold, compared to another by Craig Hope who, speaking on talkSPORT, claimed “there’s something of Paul Gascoigne about him”.

Gazza himself came through Newcastle’s academy before being sold to Tottenham in 1988, and is widely regarded as one of the most talented English players of all time, a key figure when the Three Lions reached the semi-finals of Italy 1990 and Euro 1996.

Given his form for club and country, Anderson could do something similar in North America next summer and, given the 22-year-old’s rapid development, Newcastle must regret selling him, because imagine how good they would be with him and Guimarães running the middle of the park.