Newcastle United are yet to see the best of Anthony Elanga, but Eddie Howe has been pleased with his performances.
Newcastle United’s summer recruitment has been something of a mixed bag so far.
In fairness, the highs have been very high; Nick Woltemade is making an instant impact up front, and Malick Thiaw has been exceptional in defence.
Yoane Wissa has suffered injury frustration, and the same goes for Jacob Ramsey, while Aaron Ramsdale remains Nick Pope’s backup.
Then there is Anthony Elanga, who promised so much after his arrival from Nottingham Forest but has yet to live up to the billing.
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Eddie Howe on Anthony Elanga’s Newcastle United impact
Newcastle forked out £55million to sign Elanga after he enjoyed two brilliant seasons at Nottingham Forest.
The Swede was a constant menace in Forest’s attack, with his blistering pace causing mayhem on the break.
Elanga impressed against Union Saint-Gilloise in midweek, but Newcastle fans are yet to really see the best of him.
Elanga started against Forest on Sunday afternoon and wasn’t really able to make the kind of impact he would have wanted.
Magpies boss Eddie Howe has now been asked about Elanga’s start to life at St James’ Park amid some disappointment from supporters.
Howe has told The Chronicle that he feels Elanga has actually made a ‘good start’ to life at Newcastle and has been a ‘threat’ against opposing defences.
Howe thinks that Elanga may actually be helping Newcastle in ways people ‘don’t really realise yet’, and believes that the best is still to come for the winger.
“I think it’s been a good start for him,” said Howe.
“He’s different to players we’ve had in that position previously. When someone plays the role differently, you have to get used to how they play it.
“He’s a threat. Every opposition team we’ve played against will have felt his threat in the game. In some respects, that helps us in other ways, and maybe ways we don’t really realise yet.”
“He can get better and improve, which is no surprise because there’s so much more to come. I’m very pleased with how he’s interacting with his teammates, how he’s helping the team. I see the best yet to come,” he added.
Jacob Murphy knocking on the Newcastle United door
Nobody can really blame Howe for giving Elanga a chance to shine against Forest.
Elanga enjoyed a strong outing against Union Saint-Gilloise, and unleashing him against former club Forest made perfect sense.
Whether Elanga has done enough to keep his place remains to be seen, though, especially with Jacob Murphy breathing down his neck.
Murphy may not be the flashy, big-money new addition, but he has proven himself to be a solid contributor for Newcastle.
The 30-year-old racked up eight goals and 12 assists in the Premier League last season and will offer great competition for Elanga.
Howe may be minded to chop and change Elanga and Murphy moving forward, but he will hope to see his summer addition build up some momentum sooner rather than later.
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