Stats Breakdown: Anthony Elanga compared to Forest Attackers

What will Anthony Elanga bring to Nottingham Forest?

Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of Sweden forward Anthony Elanga from Manchester United on a five-year deal. The 21-year-old has left his childhood club, with Forest reportedly paying United an estimated fee of £15m for his services.

Elanga had been with Manchester United since the age of 12 and worked his way up in the club’s academy and into the first team during the 2021/22 season under interim manager Ralf Ragnick. During his time with the club, the Swedish international made 55 appearances but found chances under Erik ten Hag hard to come by.

As the Premier League season draws closer, bettingexpert, with the help of statistical experts at OPTA, has analysed the performance data of Elanga from the previous season in comparison to his new Nottingham Forest attacking teammates. Due to his lack of playing time last season, we were also able to gather his data from the 2021/22 season and combine it with the 22/23 season to gain a more holistic view of what the Swede could bring to the City Ground next season.

In this article:

• “Playing Time: Elanga’s Playing Time Compared to Teammates Since Breakthrough”
• “Goal Scoring Prospects: Elanga’s Potential Impact on Nottingham Forest’s Attack”
• “Assist Stats Comparison: Elanga’s Impact Despite Limited Playing Time”
• “Dynamic Winger: Elanga’s Dribbling and Foul-Winning Abilities Compared to Teammates”

“Player Progression: Elanga’s Playing Time Compared to Teammates Since Breakthrough”

Since breaking through at Old Trafford under German interim manager Ralf Ragnick, Elanga has made 39 appearances, of which 21 were in the starting lineup. Last season would have been a massive disappointment for him, considering his breakthrough the season before. In total, he accumulated just 1792 minutes. In comparison, Morgan Gibbs-White played 3158 minutes, Brennan Johnson played 2940 minutes, and Emmanuel Dennis played 715 minutes, all surpassing Elanga’s output.

“Goal Scoring Prospects: Elanga’s Potential Impact on Nottingham Forest’s Attack”

One aspect Nottingham Forest and Steve Cooper will be eager to improve to ensure Championship football is not a prospect they’ll face following next season is the number of goals scored next season. Through Johnson (8), Gibbs-White (5), and Dennis (2), Forest scored 14 goals. Elanga didn’t find the net last season but managed to score 3 in the 21/22 season. The hope will be that more game time in Nottingham will enable Elanga to improve his output in front of goal.

Despite his lack of appearances last season, Elanga managed 2.1 total shots per game. Only Dennis managed more, with 2.6 per 90 minutes, showing that the Swedish forward isn’t shy when it comes to trying to score. However, with an expected goal value of 0.15 and a total goals scored of 0, he will have a lot of work to do next season to become a more significant goal threat for his new side.

“Assist Stats Comparison: Elanga’s Impact Despite Limited Playing Time”

The same can be said with assists for Elanga. He managed just 1 assist during the entirety of the season, while the season before saw him pick up 3. Only Gibbs White’s 8 assists outshone Elanga last season.

Interestingly, Elanga scores impressively in terms of chances created (1.3) and chances created from open play (1.3) despite his lack of playing time last season. Only Gibbs-White (1.9) surpassed Elanga in chances created despite his lack of playing time last season.

Furthermore, Elanga had an expected assists score of 0.21, which surpasses that of Johnson, Dennis, and Gibbs-White. Expected assists (xA) measure the likelihood that a completed pass will become a goal assist. It considers several factors, including the type of pass, end-point, and length of pass. His assists per 90 minutes were also at 0.21. However, both Dennis, with 0.25 and Gibbs White, with 0.23, outperformed Elanga in this department.

“Dynamic Winger: Elanga’s Dribbling and Foul-Winning Abilities Compared to Teammates”

Through his direct approach play and impressive athleticism, Elanga is a winger who likes to attack his defender, and it shows in his 3.2 attempted dribbles per 90. However, he only completed 1.3 of those attempted dribbles per 90 last season in the minimal game time he got. Both Dennis’ 2.6 completed dribbles, and Gibbs-White, with 1.5 completed dribbles, outperformed Elanga last season. Interestingly, Elanga won 1.5 fouls per 90, which was only surpassed by fellow winger Dennis.

Summary

Anthony Elanga’s move to Nottingham Forest will provide the winger with a fresh start and an opportunity to truly develop, especially under the guidance of Steve Cooper. Elanga has shown a lot of promise but was restricted by the game time he was afforded at Old Trafford, alongside the high expectations of a Manchester United player.

Despite his lack of playing time last season, statistically, he impressed in terms of total shots, chances created, chances created from open play, expected assists, dribbles attempted, and fouls won. The hope will be that he can put his skill set on full display next season.

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