PIF sold Newcastle’s next Gazza on the 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 a long time since the dreary Alexander Isak saga played out in the north east.

The Magpies enjoyed back-to-back victories prior to the international break, hammering 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 Woltemade the scorers.

Next up, Eddie Howe’s team take on Brighton & Hove Albion in Sussex on Saturday, before a certain José Mourinho will bring his Benfica team to Tyneside the following Tuesday.

The Magpies undeniably boast a strong squad, but would this team be even better had they kept hold of talent who’s now giving the skipper, Bruno Guimarães, a run for his money?

Bruno Guimarães’ importance to Newcastle

In the Saudi ownership-era, Newcastle United have really had two marquee players.

One is better known on Tyneside as he who must not be named, after he went on strike over the summer to force through a move to Liverpool.

Thus, the actions of Isak has only served to increase the love Geordies have for Guimarães.

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

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

Speaking on BBC 5 Live, Nigel Reo-Coker asserts that, alongside Sandro Tonalo and Joelinton, Newcastle currently boast the best midfield trio in the Premier League, with Guimarães very much central to that.

However, would this department of Howe’s team be even more formidable had they not been forced to sell a homegrown star?

When Newcastle were forced to sell their new Gazza

Back in the summer of 2024, Premier League clubs in danger of breaching PSR found a loophole involving trading players at massively inflated fees between themselves.

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

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

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

Considering the Greek goalkeeper proved to be a burden more than anything else, currently on loan at Sevilla, essentially, Anderson was sold to Forest for just £15m, which now appears to be an absolute bargain.

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

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

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

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

While the Brazilian scored more goals and boasts better passing numbers, 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 increase in his valuation, with Football Transfers estimating that his current market value is around £47m, more than three times the £15m 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, asserted that “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 as the Three Lions reached the semi-finals of both Italia ’90 and Euro ’96.

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