Newcastle United legend backs Anthony Elanga to be a big hit but outlines what he must do first
Newcastle United forked out £55 million to make Anthony Elanga their first summer signing, but the Swedish international has yet to start to repay that fee.
While Nick Woltemade and Malick Thiaw are already proving to be worth every penny of their summer transfer fees, Anthony Elanga can't eke out Jacob Murphy from the starting XI as he has squandered every opportunity he has been given.
It seems to be taking the 23-year-old a bit longer to adapt to how Newcastle United plays than anyone had expected.
When he signed, Eddie Howe praised his work rate and determination, but it still seems he's not quite managed to get to grips with the huge shift in play style under Howe.
Chris Waddle feels Anthony Elanga will come good for Newcastle
Former Newcastle United midfielder, Chris Waddle, told She Kicks that he believes once Elanga gets used to the high-pressure football Eddie Howe plays he'll become a huge asset to the team.
"He’s not got a run in the team yet really, has he? Jacob Murphy won the shirt back, when everyone assumed he was going to be down the pecking order below Elanga.
"At Nottingham Forest, they played counter-attacking football. They didn’t go pressing high up, and Forest instead were well-drilled, organised and compact. They would hit teams on the break with pace, and they had that with Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
"With Newcastle under Eddie Howe, it’s not about dropping off. It’s about going up high and getting the ball back. Maybe that style of play has caught Anthony out a bit. He needs to go and chase down full-backs, and that’s a constant requirement. When you have the ball, you push forward quickly.
"Perhaps Elanga has been used to a slower game at Forest, and then there’s also the fact he’s had to move to the North East. He might have been in a hotel for the first months, he could be taking time to settle. You don’t know how he’s been able to adjust and he might have mentally had to take some time to adjust. Maybe his confidence has been hit a little.
"He’s not hit the ground running, Murphy has the shirt back and impressed down the right-hand side when he played, which is what Howe wants. Until Elanga can do that for Eddie, he’s going to have to sit it out."
Counter-attacking: The way forward for Newcastle?
Newcastle could actually be lethal if they played counter-attacking football with the devastating pace Elanga and Anthony Gordon can provide down the wings, especially when Yoane Wissa is fit and running through the middle.
It probably wouldn't work with Nick Woltemade, as running off the shoulder of defenders simply isn't his style.
However, we don't see a world in which Eddie Howe is happy for Newcastle to play counter-attacking rather than being the team piling on the pressure, and to be honest, we're not sure we'd want that either.
