Anthony Elanga made his Premier League debut for Newcastle United on Saturday, starting in a goalless draw against Aston Villa.
The 23-year-old became the Magpies’ first major signing in almost two years, with a deal in the region of £55million including add-ons confirmed in July.
Anthony Elanga was a major part of Newcastle United’s pre-season, scoring in his first start during a 3-2 defeat to Arsenal in Singapore.
Having started in a friendly against Atletico Madrid, Spanish media were wowed by Elanga, calling him a ‘nightmare’ for the La Liga side’s defenders to deal with. There was a lot of excitement when Elanga was announced. Newcastle have been missing a quality right-wing option, despite Jacob Murphy’s exceptional form last season.
Elanga started in Newcastle’s goalless draw against Aston Villa, and came agonisingly close to scoring on his debut just two minutes into the clash. With his first Premier League appearance in the books, Newcastle fans have taken to social media to share how they really felt about his debut.
- Who is Anthony Elanga? Newcastle United’s brand new £55m winger
Newcastle United fans hope there is more to come from Anthony Elanga
While he did not get his dream debut, Elanga also came close to registering his first assist of the season. Elanga fed Anthony Gordon through in the second half, and it looked as though the Englishman had broken through the backline before Ezri Konsa pulled him down and was subsequently shown a red card.
Elanga used his pace throughout, but struggled to beat his markers at times. While Eddie Howe said Elanga was ‘very good’ on his debut, Newcastle fans were less than favourable of the winger.
“As debuts go, this opening 30 minutes from Elanga has to be up there with the worst I’ve seen.” said one Newcastle fan, while another added: “It’s another player we have signed that is good when he’s got acres off space on the counter attack but will never have the required quality to break down the low block.”
This fan referred to former Newcastle winger Gabriel Obertan, saying: “Sorry, but he reminded me of Obertan, no final product, tangled up in his own feet, maybe was good for Forest, but we are a different team and demand different, could be flop of the season. The jury is well and truly out on him.”
“Didn’t impress today, head down, runs into players. He will get better….I hope,” said this disappointed Newcastle fan.
Another fan added: “Very poor, played one good pass for the sending off…. hopefully more to come from him.”
Finally, this Newcastle fan said: “He needs to improve on his final ball. He gets into a very good position using his dribbling and pace. High work rate too.”
- READ MORE – What Eddie Howe and the Newcastle players are already saying about ‘wild’ and ‘spicy’ Liverpool game
There is much more to come from Anthony Elanga at Newcastle United
While the Newcastle fans were quick to criticise him, there were a lot of positives to take from Elanga’s debut. His pace and dribbling ability are second to none, and fans must remember it was always going to be tough to score at Villa Park, a ground which Newcastle have struggled at over the years.
Elanga has a lot of time to grow and become a much better player at Newcastle, and he will no doubt thrive working under Eddie Howe. In his first interview with the club, Elanga cited working with Howe as one of the reasons why the move to Tyneside was so appealing.
It was reported that Elanga was so excited to join Newcastle after talks with Howe, with the pair agreeing on a scope for improvement once his move was confirmed.
The Villa game was just one of hopefully many games Elanga will have at Newcastle, so there is so much more time for the Swedish star to grow and become more used to Howe’s style of football.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
