Any doubts about Newcastle United’s quality were dispelled by their strong performance in October, with six wins from seven games in all competitions.
Newcastle are making strides in the Champions League and got back on track in the Premier League with a last-minute win against Fulham at the weekend. On Wednesday night, St James’s Park roared and then cheered again in unison as Tottenham Hotspur were eliminated from the Carabao Cup.
Still, Eddie Howe’s team rarely fires on all cylinders, and that’s especially true in the final third. But since completing his move from Stuttgart for a club-record £69m in August, Nick Waltemaad has produced an impressive run of form, with the German striker winning a silver medal and leading the fight to retain his place at Europe’s top table.
Walte Maid makes a good start at Newcastle
Woltemade’s crisp header sealed the win against Tottenham in just his 11th game for Newcastle and his sixth of the season.
It felt like Alexander Isak’s record-breaking move to Liverpool could have a negative impact on Thun’s project, but Newcastle continued to move forward with the long centre-forward integrated into their system.
Like the German, he loves a header, but that’s not all there is to his game. At 6-foot-6 and lanky, Woltemade doesn’t deserve to be as technically graceful and intuitive in tight spaces as he is. In the past year, he ranks in the top 9% of players by position in Europe’s top 5 leagues in terms of successful takeoffs, and in the top 5% in shot creation actions per 90.
The action that creates the shot is part of the play that leads to the shot. This includes the moment a pass, take-on, or foul is drawn.
Still, he’s mesmerizing when he’s on the ball. BBC Sport analyst Raj Chauhan even went so far as to say, “There’s no striker on the planet who moves the ball as well as Waltemaid.”
With this in mind, the Tyneside front line should be firing on all cylinders, but they aren’t. Anthony Gordon seems to be saving his best performance for the continental front at the moment, but Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy are playing solid but solid unit roles.
But there is another man who leaves much to be desired, and must be dissatisfied with his harsh start to a black-and-white life as Waltemaid thrives next to him.
Newcastle star saved by Waltemaid
How many times have we seen a player struggle to make a good impression after switching clubs in the Premier League? Certainly, it’s not an unusual experience.
And for Anthony Elanga, this is reality. He joined Newcastle from Nottingham Forest for £55m in August, a year after Howe first tried to pry him from Evangelos Marinakis, and is still searching for his first direct goal involvement as a Magpie.
It must be said that Howe’s time with the team got off to an inauspicious start. Elanga has appeared in 14 competitive games but is yet to register a goal or assist.
Still, the Sweden international is one of the fastest players in the Premier League, and although his playmaking success has dried up in recent years, he ranks in the top 8% of players by position in Europe’s top five leagues for assists per 90 points over the past year.
And there’s a good reason why big bucks were spent to sign him. The 23-year-old was a threat to Nottingham Forest with his nimble feet and tendency to take on opposition players directly, taking advantage of Howe’s counter-attacking system.
But a more detailed statistical analysis would suggest that even over two terms at Tricky Trees, Elanga leaves something to be desired. Despite his pace, he doesn’t actively challenge opponents and probably doesn’t dribble often enough to suggest his size is within his abilities.
Eranga joins Forest in Premier League | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics (* per match) | 23/24 | 24/25 |
Match (start) | 36(25) | 38(31) |
the goal | 5 | 6 |
assist | 9 | 11 |
Number of shots (on target)* | 1.5(0.6) | 1.1 (0.6) |
Pass completed | 75% | 78% |
Key pass* | 0.9 | 1.3 |
A big opportunity has arisen | 14 | 9 |
dribble* | 0.8 | 0.7 |
Tackle + Interception* | 1.1 | 0.7 |
Duel (win)* | 2.9 (44%) | 3.0 (45%) |
Data via Sofascore | ||
It may be too early to analyze the data on a broader scale, as he has started just four Premier League games in a Newcastle shirt this season, but it can be observed that Elanga is currently averaging only 1.8 successful duels per game, and his dribble success rate is just 18%.
It’s not hard to see why he’s struggling, considering he’s only taking so many shots each game and hasn’t created any big chances yet.
But Elanga is enough to take a leaf out of Anthony Gordon’s book. After all, the Three Lions star was flattered to have been fooled after completing his £45m move from Everton in January 2023, and clicked into gear in 2023/24, scoring 11 goals and providing 10 assists in the top flight and winning the Newcastle Player of the Year award.
Gordon has not yet fully spread his wings this season, but he has tenacity and talent and will undoubtedly be a focal point wide for Newcastle. Elanga will use him as an inspiration.
Gordon is currently one of the Premier League’s most prominent wingers and appears to be Thomas Tuchel’s priority pick on the left flank for the Three Lions as the 2026 World Cup approaches.
As noted by Shields Gazette, Elanga’s form continued with a 6/10 against Tottenham, but the winger’s talent is widely recognized and will only improve as he continues to develop under Howe.
This shows that fans would be foolish to give up on Elanga after just a few months at St James’ Park. There are real players there, stars that the club has scouted extensively.
Perhaps he’s imitating an earlier version of Gordon, but if so, the best is yet to come.
