The next Anderson: Newcastle make “superb” £52m star a top target
Eddie Howe will hope his up-and-down Newcastle United side can now go on a winning run in the Premier League.
Indeed, the Toon have recently collected two straight victories in the punishing division against Burnley and Crystal Palace, with the 2-0 win over the Eagles labelled as a “victory for willpower” by journalist Luke Edwards, as the Magpies had to keep grinding away to clinch three points.
Still, this season has seen Newcastle’s Jekyll and Hyde tendencies come to the forefront regularly, as Howe hunts down some January reinforcements to ensure his team continues to look up the standings, as opposed to down.
Newcastle make £52m star a top target
Amazingly, Newcastle’s clean sheet against Palace was the first time the Toon had kept a clean sheet in 12 games, as Howe potentially looks to add in some more defensive bodies to his camp this month.
The leaky Magpies have been regularly linked with a move for rising Toulouse star Dayann Methalie in the left-back spot, while further rumours have also tipped them to make an £8m swoop for versatile Celta Vigo defender Óscar Mingueza.
Moreover, Newcastle’s ongoing interest in AZ Alkmaar midfield sensation Kees Smit shows no signs of dying down, with The Athletic stating that the Dutchman has now been made a top target for Howe and Co.
The report does further clarify that a bid for Smit, who is valued around the £52m mark, will likely depend on Joe Willock departing the building in January, as Newcastle also go about offloading some personnel across the chaotic month.
With Howe working his magic this season on the likes of Lewis Miley, Newcastle will see this as an opportunity to land another very exciting talent for the future, with the 19-year-old potentially going down as the Magpies’ next Elliot Anderson.
How Smit could become Newcastle's next Anderson
Newcastle very much dropped the ball when they lost Anderson for a measly £35m in July of 2024.
The full-blooded Englishman is now a £100m-rated performer for Nottingham Forest, and is on the extensive shopping list of Manchester City this month.
With a jaw-dropping 8.3 ball recoveries this season per Premier League contest, on top of winning 7.7 duels per game, Anderson would completely transform their midfield ranks, which are in dire need of some reinvention, owing to Sandro Tonali and Joelinton consistently falling short of their best.
Smit’s league numbers for AZ
Stat (* = per 90 mins)
24/25
25/26
Games played
18
14
Goals scored
0
2
Assists
0
2
Touches*
38.8
62.7
Accurate passes*
23.3 (85%)
42.7 (89%)
Key passes*
1.3
1.8
Big chances created
3
3
Ball recoveries*
3.3
5.7
Total duels won*
2.9
3.3
Stats by Sofascore
It doesn’t look feasible, unfortunately, that Anderson will be dramatically returning to St James’ Park anytime soon, with Smit perhaps considered the next best thing, based on the table above.
While he does fall short of Anderson in his own ball recovery numbers and duels won tally, it’s clear that the 19-year-old has come on leaps and bounds in such a short space of time in the Eredivisie, as he potentially explodes into life even more in the Premier League, with most of his numbers improving this season for AZ, after a breakout offering during the 2024/25 campaign.
He will be very much a work in progress, but Anderson didn’t sensationally become an £100m-level talent over-night, as Newcastle are all too aware, with Smit’s ability to fire home a blistering rocket such as this strike for the Netherlands U20s further backing up claims that he is a “superb” asset for his age, as he was labelled by a Premier League scout via TeamTALK.
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Newcastle will also feel less reliant on Bruno Guimaraes to deliver the goods if Smit can put away some audacious strikes for Howe’s men, with the teenager already dubbed a “difference maker” for his Dutch outfit by analyst and content creator Spencer Mossman.
Landing Smit and turning him into a top-flight-ready performer will finally soften the ongoing blow of Anderson leaving St James’ Park prematurely, with the Forest number eight getting ready for another next big step with Pep Guardiola’s men, away from embarking on a surprising reunion on Tyneside.
Snapping up the much-talked-about Dutchman will also see Howe refresh his ranks for the better, as 2026 goes down as being a potentially positive year for his inconsistent side.
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