Minus Zian Flemming’s late penalty for Burnley at St James’ Park, Newcastle United’s 2-1 win over the relegation-threatened Clarets on Saturday was rather straightforward.
Scott Parker’s men never gave in, but after Anthony Gordon stroked home his fourth penalty of the season, there was a sense of inevitability that the Magpies were going to secure a sixth Premier League victory of the campaign, especially as the away side had to play all of the second half with just ten men.
It was far from vintage, but Newcastle will be pleased that they now enter into the upcoming Tyne-Wear Derby with a confidence-boosting win under their belt.
Then, it’s a tough encounter with Chelsea in league action, before more and more clashes come their way across the bumper Christmas period.
Before you know it, Eddie Howe’s men will be concerning themselves with matters in the January transfer window, as plenty of new signings are tipped to move to Tyneside.
Newcastle's transfer latest
Away from any new arrivals, though, Yoane Wissa lining up for Howe and Co against Burnley would have felt like a fresh signing in itself, as the injury-plagued striker finally pulled on Toon black and white, after exiting Brentford in the summer.
Still, even with Wissa’s return, Newcastle have been credited as being interested in the services of Bees goal machine Igor Thiago, as Keith Andrews fears another Magpies swoop could be forthcoming.
Of course, there is also constant talk bubbling away that Elliot Anderson might well seal a Tyneside return from Nottingham Forest.
Yet, with a ludicrous £100m price tag above the England international’s head, Newcastle might well be better placed to seek out cheaper alternatives, as Hungarian sensation Alex Tóth is allegedly catching the Premier League side’s eye.
Already garnering a lot of hype in his native country for Robbie Keane’s Ferencváros TC, Football Insider has now revealed that a £13m bid could be accepted down the line for the 20-year-old’s services, with Newcastle and Bundesliga clubs eyeing up the emerging talent.
Newcastle could be tempted to land such a promising midfield gem if he is available at such a cut-price fee, with the lingering disappointment of letting Anderson go prematurely, softened somewhat by the Budapest-born star’s arrival.
How Toth could be Anderson 2.0
Newcastle must still have restless nights about the decision to sell Anderson to Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2024, after the homegrown Toon prodigy had made 55 promising appearances in the first team ranks.
He was only just getting started at St James’ Park, though, with hindsight on side, as the 23-year-old is now a regular in Thomas Tuchel’s England set-up, and for good reason.
He’s made a mind-blowing 8.4 ball recoveries per game this season in Premier League action, and won 7.8 duels per match, gifting him the label of being an “elite” performer at the very top by analyst and social media personality Statman Dave.
Likewise, journalist Bence Bocsak has tipped the Ferencváros number 64 to go to “the top” too, with a new Anderson-style project potentially on Newcastle’s hands if they land Tóth this January.
Games played
17
12
Goals scored
2
1
Assists
7
1
Touches*
65.9
54.5
Accurate passes*
37.6 (84%)
32.8 (87%)
Big chances created
8
4
Ball recoveries*
4.2
2.0
Total duels won*
4.8
4.0
Winning four duels per fixture his season in Fizz Liga action, Tóth isn’t a million miles off the high-octane approach Anderson is known for. He even regularly lines up for Hungary, alongside Liverpool faces Milos Kerkez and Dominik Szoboszlai, off the back of these well-drilled showings, with three ground duels successfully won against the Republic of Ireland, just last month.
But, as per analyst page Football Wonderkids, it’s also his well-rounded ability to chip in with goals and assists and tidily play the ball about the pitch that makes him a “special talent” worthy of a Premier League switch, with a standout 11 goal contributions tallied up across his last two league seasons. Like Anderson, therefore, he’s got a goal involvement from the middle of the park in him too.
This has further led to the aforementioned Bocsak hailing the £13m asset as a “modern day midfielder” who is capable of everything, much like Anderson, who has three goals and seven assists for the Tricky Trees in total, yet is also known as a “warrior” for his defensive grit by Como scout Ben Mattinson.
Of course, if Tóth were to make the move to England, he wouldn’t become an Anderson-like talent overnight in his new, intimidating surroundings.
But, for just £13m, it’s surely worth the gamble that he could morph into Newcastle’s second coming of their departed midfielder in time.
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