PIF’s worst signing: Newcastle flop is becoming more pointless than Elanga
Newcastle United have been rocked by the news that the chest injury that forced Dan Burn off in the defeat at Sunderland will keep him sidelined for up to six weeks.
It’s the latest blow in a season that has proved challenging for Eddie Howe and his side, with Premier League results not going the Magpies’ way and away form in the gutter.
Improvements are needed across the board, with numerous players punching below their weight at the moment. Anthony Elanga, who joined the St. James’ Park side this summer,
Elanga needs to pick up the pace
The basis of Elanga’s signing was that he is a Prem-proven winger whose expertise within Nuno Espirito Santo’s old system at Nottingham Forest lends itself to success in Howe’s own sharp transitional set-up.
The need for a right-sided forward had been a common theme throughout the past few seasons, tempered by Jacob Murphy’s unexpected ascension to prominence, becoming a key part of Howe’s project.
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Player
Apps
1.
Bruno Guimaraes
177
2.
Dan Burn
171
3.
Fabian Schar
169
4.
Jacob Murphy
155
5.
Joelinton
150
But £55m was forked out for Elanga, who, aged 23, had established himself as one of the quickest and most creative players in the Premier League at the City Ground, scoring 11 goals and supplying 20 assists across two campaigns in Nottingham.
He’s been poor, yet to score and with only one assist in the Premier League. Elanga’s limp display at Sunderland typified his woes, with Sky Sports’ Gary Neville commenting that he was “well below the standard”.
The one-time Manchester United youth hasn’t been the only Magpie struggling to perform this season, though, with another summer recruit offering even less under Howe’s wing so far this season.
PIF's most pointless signing
Newcastle have garnered something of a reputation for their sharp and impactful transfer dealings under PIF ownership, but there’s no question that the recent summer transfer window has left something to be desired.
Though Nick Woltemade looks like a real talent in the old place of Alexander Isak, Elanga emphasises the problems that can arise without a clear hierarchical structure, and Jacob Ramsey does too.
Newcastle signed Ramsey from Aston Villa in a £42.5m deal in July, adding to their ranks an industrious and creative midfielder. Only, Ramsey has yet to establish himself under Howe’s wing, starting only twice in the Premier League.
Across eight recent top-flight fixtures, the 24-year-old has been kept as an unused substitute on four of those events. There is a sense that Newcastle did not need to fork out such a sizeable sum for a midfielder who is currently below Joe Willock in the pecking order, and with an ambitious bid for high-flying academy product Elliot Anderson, now priced at £100m at Nottingham Forest, also in the pipeline.
Analyst Raj Chohan has even suggested that the Toon “wasted their bag” on the £120k-per-week talent, and if a deal for a robust new midfielder is in the works, such claims are only going to rise in volume.
This is a talented and versatile Premier League midfielder. You can see the reasoning behind snapping him up. Even across limited match action this term, Ramsey has created 1.1 chances per game and has won 57% of his ground duels, as per Sofascore.
But Howe doesn’t trust him, and if nothing changes before the end of the season, it seems likely that another midfield obstacle will be purchased and placed in Ramsey’s way during the summer, thus pushing him further down the pecking order.
Elanga has at least featured prominently down Newcastle’s right channel this season, his pace and sparkle adding a dimension. It’s hard to see what Ramsey brings to the table that is elevating this project, and it’s certainly a concern for Howe and co, who might just have made one of the worst signings of the era this summer.
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