Eddie Howe ‘concerned’ about Newcastle star after what happened vs West Ham
Newcastle United have endured a frustrating start to the season and have fallen well short of expectations in the Premier League.
Eddie Howe’s side lost 3-1 to West Ham at the London Stadium and have dropped to 13th in the league table with just three wins from 10 games so far.
As a result, Mick Brown told Football Insider on 20 October that Newcastle are asking questions of Howe as a result of their poor start to the domestic season so far.
However, Howe is believed to be concerned about the inconsistent performances of a number of his key players after what was an awful result for the Magpies.
Prior to the clash on 2 November, West Ham had lost all four of their home games this season and were winless at the London Stadium since February.
Eddie Howe frustrated by Anthony Elanga performances
Football Insider revealed on 23 October that Newcastle are struggling due to behind-the-scenes chaos which emerged during the summer transfer window.
One player who has now been highlighted as a concern, and was also victim to that chaos during the summer, is Anthony Elanga, who joined from Nottingham Forest.
That is according to former Man United and Sunderland chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that Howe is concerned about Elanga’s displays given the money spent to bring him in.
“Howe will be concerned about Elanga, no doubt,” he told Football Insider.
“Whenever you buy a player for that sort of money, we’re talking about £50-60million, you expect them to make an immediate impact on the team.
“If he’s not doing that, and now finds himself out of the starting XI, of course it will be a concern for the manager because he expects more from him.
“Plus, it starts to frustrate the fans who are demanding more and that starts to spread. Especially in results like the one against West Ham, when tensions are high anyway.
“Elanga has always been one of those hit and miss type players, where one game he looks amazing and the next you don’t see him involved at all.
“The way Nottingham Forest played suited him, but for the money Newcastle paid of him, they want to see more than what he’s giving them.
“It’s definitely a dilemma for Newcastle, because it’s difficult to get the right players in to lift the standards and who also buy into the way they play.
“Spending £50million on players who don’t improve you, very quickly becomes a problem.”
The Sweden international was replaced by Jacob Murphy against West Ham, and Elanga has been criticised for his Newcastle displays, leading to growing frustrations.
Howe facing Newcastle questions after West Ham defeat
Alan Shearer was raging after Newcastle’s defeat to West Ham, labelling the result “unacceptable” as he questioned the team’s performance.
This was not the first time Magpies fans had been left unhappy this season, as they have yet to pick up a victory away from St James’ Park in the Premier League since April.
This comes after Theo Walcott suggested Newcastle could move on from Howe, with his management of a bigger squad set to be tested while expectations continue to rise.
Football Insider revealed on 25 October that Howe is under no immediate pressure at Newcastle, but the hierarchy are keen to see more consistent results.
Meanwhile, the transfer window disruption is believed to be the main cause of their slow start and they are prepared to be patient and allow players to adjust.
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