Newcastle hardly spent their money wisely over the summer.
Granted Nick Woltemade has been a superb addition, his comical Tyne-Wear Derby own goal aside. Malick Thiaw has reinforced the backline, and then some. Conversely, Yoane Wissa and Anthony Elanga have struggled to match expectations. A knee injury has restricted the former to just three appearances.
In this article, we’ll cover:
The latter, meanwhile, has proven a flop so far. The Swede swapped the City Ground for St. James’ Park for a reported £55m over the summer. In theory, it was a move that suited player and club. Elanga is a direct, hard-working winger that should complement Harvey Barnes and Anthony Gordon.
Elanga’s early season struggles
In practise, he looks a far cry from the player that finished third for assists (11) in the Premier League last season. Elanga made just his seventh league start of the campaign in Sunday’s Tyne-Wear defeat. It was arguably his worst in a Newcastle shirt. Indeed, the 23-year-old was hooked on the hour mark, and deservedly so.
Elanga failed to complete a take on. He failed to create a chance. He failed to have a shot. The former Nottingham Forest man managed just 27 touches in another anonymous performance. “Elanga has been poor at Newcastle,” club legend Alan Sheared said recently. That’s one of the biggest understatements of the season so far.
BOYLE Sports offer: Bet £10 Get £40 in free bets
Not signed up to BOYLE Sports yet? Here's how to claim one of the best bookmaker welcome offers around...
- Sign up to BOYLE Sports using this link.
- Deposit a minimum of £10 (Excluding Skrill/Moneybookers, Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe or prepaid cards).
- Place a minimum bet of £10 or more at odds of EVS (2.0) or greater.
- Receive your £40 in free bets
18+ New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. T&Cs Apply
Ahead of the game against Sunderland, Elanga was named the fifth worst value signing of the summer according to the Squawka Value Index. In essence, Forest managed to take Newcastle to the cleaners over the summer.
There are concerns now over Elanga’s long-term standing at St. James’ Park. The former Manchester United trainee was expected to nail down the right wing spot, and prove an upgrade on Jacob Murphy. At the time of writing, though, Elanga has completed just four of his 23 attempted take-ons. Premier League centre-backs Trevoh Chalobah and Cristian Romero (both 5) have completed more.
What’s more, Elanga is yet to score a goal and has provided just one assist. The latter has come from just eight chances created. The summer signing has created multiple chances in a league game just twice this season.
Elanga hoping to follow Gordon’s example
Conversely, though, Gordon endured a difficult settling in period in his opening months under Eddie Howe. The former Everton man is now arguably England’s first choice left wing option ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Fans demanded an immediate return on the hefty outlay for Gordon in January 2023. Many questioned the decision to spend so much on a player whose attacking numbers were poor.
And yet, Howe turned Gordon into one of the more dangerous Premier League wingers. He’s the blueprint for Elanga, and an example on how he can turn his fortunes around. After all, a player doesn’t just endure such a downturn overnight. The issue, though, is that Elanga’s game differs from the style implemented by Howe.
Elanga caught the eye with Forest because he was able to stick high and wide. The Tricky Trees returned the third lowest possession average (40.7%) in the Premier League last season. Forest were set up to soak up pressure and capitalise upon the speed and directness of Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi to hit opponents on the counter. Forest scored the fifth most counter-attacking goals (7) in the 2024-25 Premier League campaign.
Change in style hasn’t helped summer signing
By comparison, Howe expects his wingers to be more involved in the build up play. Newcastle’s possession return of 51.6% is significantly higher than Forest last season. Players under Howe will naturally see more of the ball as a result. Unsurprisingly, while Elanga’s key attacking metrics are down, touches (53.1, up from 43.7) and passes per 90 (32, up from 22.7) have increased.
This points to a player who needs to adapt his game in order to live up to the billing with the Magpies. An immediate transition was always going to be far easier said than done, and a lack of offensive output serves to highlight the struggles that come with playing for a counter-attacking side compared to one that boasts a higher possession haul.
However, if Howe can turn Gordon from an inconsistent winger into one of the best in the country, then he is able to repeat the feat with Elanga. The early signs are far from positive. The dire Tyne-Wear showing was the bottom of the barrel for the Swede in his opening few months on Tyneside. Give it time, though, and Elanga may just enjoy an uptick in form in the same vain as Gordon did previously.
