Newcastle are ‘concerned’ about Anthony Elanga after what’s just happened
Newcastle United have lingering concerns about the performances of Anthony Elanga following his big-money arrival 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 Eddie Howe was expecting more from his £55million recruit.
Newcastle fans savaged Elanga following their defeat to Sunderland after what was another disastrous display from the winger as he failed to make an impact.
The Tyne-Wear derby led to emotional reactions from the travelling supporters, but Elanga‘s displays have failed to live up to the club’s expectations as well as the fans’.
In 23 appearances so far this season, the 23-year-old has failed to score a single goal and registered just two assists, leading to concerns about they money spent to land him.
Newcastle concerned about Anthony Elanga displays
Brown told Football Insider last month that Howe is worried about Elanga’s performances, and those concerns have not been eased by his recent form.
The former scout, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, insisted that the Magpies’ struggles elsewhere mean they cannot afford to carry players.
“Elanga’s form is a concern for Newcastle given the money they spent,” he told Football Insider.
“If we look through his career, he was at Man United and they let him go because they thought he wasn’t good enough to break into their side with Garnacho and Amad.
“So he went to Forest and had a very impressive season there, but the way they played was very much playing to his strengths and getting the best out of him.
“Even then, they decided that they would be better off with £55million rather than keeping him.
“After they got that offer from Newcastle, they were happy to let him move on, and I think that’s always a bad sign when you’re the buying club.
“The problem now is, Newcastle are still waiting for him to show them what they though he would do when they spent all that money on him.
“He’ll have little spells in the game where he uses that explosive pace to beat his man and it looks really promising, but then you don’t hear from him for another 30 minutes.
“Since his move to Newcastle, those spells don’t seem to be coming off for him, and you’ve got to be a top side to carry a player like that.
“So when the team are struggling for performances and results, and he’s not making any impact, of course it’s going to be a concern.
“Especially for Newcastle, because they’ve been limited in their spending, so a huge outlay on a player who isn’t performing can be detrimental for them.”
The real reason for Newcastle’s struggles revealed
Football Insider revealed on 23 October that Newcastle are struggling due to behind-the-scenes chaos which emerged during the summer transfer window.
Elanga is one player who has now been highlighted as a concern, and was also victim to that chaos during the summer after his big-money move from the City Ground.
The Magpies have struggled regardless of the winger’s form this season, and have dropped to 12th in the Premier League table with just six wins from 16 games.
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.
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.
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