Eddie Howe Sends Strong Message on £55m Star Anthony Elanga Ahead of Benfica Clash
Eddie Howe is convinced that Anthony Elanga is “going to be a great player” for Newcastle United, having “no doubt” that our £55m summer signing will come good in the long-term.
After stating on Saturday that the winger “is going to be a great player for this football club”, the boss was asked about the Swede’s early struggles since completing a big money move from Nottingham Forest.
Howe recently hinted that Elanga needed “a bit more time and extra support” and “something to happen positively to kick off”, but feels certain the 23-year-old has “all the attributes” to be a success on Tyneside.
Discussing Elanga when quizzed by the media on Monday afternoon, Howe said:
“Anthony is an outstanding player and I have no doubt in his long term qualities for the team.
“There is a settling in period and he is making adjustments but if you look at a highlights reel of his performances, he has put in some great crosses and we should have scored from them.”
Howe also touched on the lack of output from our wingers in general, with Gordon, Elanga, Murphy and Barnes managing just one assist (and no goals) between them across our eight league games so far:
“We have meetings with them (our wingers) all the time, individually, as a unit and we are constantly working on all phases of our game.
“There is an onus on the attacking players to contribute but sometimes the problem doesn’t always exist with what you are directly looking at.”
Howe is showing strong man management to talk up Elanga publicly while *some* Newcastle fans write him off online.
He hasn’t looked like a £55m winger yet, he looked shot for confidence on Saturday and he needs to improve after back-to-back stinkers since our 4-0 win over Union SG, where he was brilliant.
However, Howe improves players and Elanga needs time, so those writing him off too early may be wise to remember Gordon’s development arc before giving up on him too soon.