Anthony Elanga issues comeback after Kieran Trippier dig at Newcastle camp
Anthony Elanga has popped back at Kieran Trippier’s comment as Newcastle continue their pre-season tour in Singapore.
Swedish speedster Elanga is Newcastle’s only noticeable signing during the summer transfer window so far.
The 23-year-old joins after a productive season with Nottingham Forest, notching six goals and 11 assists in the Premier League.
The winger was part of an excellent Forest side under Nuno Espirito Santo that went from relegation favourites to booking their place in Europe.
Chasing the pinnacle of European football, Elanga joined the Magpies in pursuit of playing in the Champions League.
The ex-Man United player will be itching to make his first Premier League start for the Toon as they visit Aston Villa on the opening day of the 2025-26 season.
His main priority as of now will be getting to know his new teammates to build chemistry as Eddie Howe’s side look to build on a solid 2024-25 campaign.
Newcastle squad highly competitive in Singapore
Taking to Instagram stories (26 July), Elanga posted a video playing pool calling out ex-Atletico Madrid defender Kieran Trippier, captioned: “Have I made up for yesterday?”
The day before, on Instagram (25 July), the right-back poked fun at the Swede saying: “Elanga, I hope your football ability is better than your pool”.
The number 21 showed determination to comeback from his previous poor pool showing to the delight of his teammate.
Newcastle and Howe in desperate need of signings
Football Insider verdict
Whilst the acquisition of the Scandinavian has helped the right-hand side after the departure of Miguel Almiron, the Toon still need more recruitments if they want to compete next season.
At the back, reinforcements are needed to cover for the injury prone Sven Botman with rumoured transfer talks for Chelsea’s Axel Disasi.
As the Alexander Isak saga reigns on, a replacement could be in the offing as the Magpies look to pick up Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig.
Failings to sign targets earlier in the window will also haunt St James’ Park as Joao Pedro joined Chelsea instead of venturing to Tyneside.
Crucially, Howe hasn’t been able to bolster his midfield which may lead to heavy reliance on his trio of Joelinton, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes.
When fit, the midfield triangle are arguably the best middle of the park unit in the Premier League with their frenetic and tireless energy.
However, an injury to even one of them can rupture the Toon’s flow, leading to disjointed attacks and shoddy defending at times.
Teenage prodigy Lewis Miley may make more of a step up this season after his last campaign was hampered by injury, but a wise move would be to acquire another central midfielder heading into a fixture-heavy 2025-26 season.