Howe must sell Newcastle star who had ‘lesser offers’ than Elanga vs Sunderland

Newcastle United fans must be running out of patience with Eddie Howe right now.

Of course, the 48-year-old has given Banks a huge amount of credit for winning last season’s EFL Cup, as well as turning the Thun into Champions League regulars during his tenure and finally lifting the rare silverware at St James’ Park.

But he will know that his team’s 1-0 defeat in the Tyne and Wear derby will have deeply angered the watching Tyneside public, with Howe branding the narrow defeat “extremely painful”.

Despite being the Magpies manager for almost five years, he will know he is not at the level of being sacked. Still, the blame must also fall at the feet of the players, as Anthony Elanga was miserable from start to finish at the Stadium of Light.

A look at Elanga’s performance against Sunderland in numbers

Eyebrows were raised before the game when the Toon’s line-up was announced, with priority given to signing left-channel Harvey Barnes for £55m.

In fact, heading into this pitiful fixture, Elanga had only racked up just two assists and zero goals in 23 games in Newcastle’s black and white. He would have wanted Régis Le Bris’ feisty men to change the narrative quickly.

Unfortunately for the unconfident attacker, that won’t happen anytime soon. Elanga played just 59 minutes and was sent off in a huff, unable to shoot or dribble as he was cornered by Sunderland defender Reinild.

When the final whistle blows, journalist Craig Hope will brand the move to include the lackluster Swede in his starting XI a “mistake”. That’s probably an understatement.

However, it would be harsh to blame all of Newcastle’s attacking woes on Elanga, given that Nick Woltemade’s own goal ended up being the home side’s worst goal, giving them all three points.

There was another attacker who probably offered an even lower price than the former Nottingham Forest speedster.

Newcastle star ‘had fewer offers’ than Elanga

As for the Tyne-Wear Derby, it’s a derby that won’t be remembered fondly for Newcastle for many years to come.

Anthony Gordon, in particular, won’t want to dwell on a 1-0 loss for too long. The former Everton attacker’s poor season in the Premier League was summed up by his absence from Wearside.

Having been exposed to the Merseyside derby against the Toffees, you might think Gordon would be well used to the pressure of playing in such intense and intense competition. He will also feature when the rivals meet in the FA Cup in 2024.

However, when you break down the numbers it becomes clear that Gordon was completely ineffective throughout, and in fact he managed fewer accurate passes and touches on the ball than his wretched right-wing counterpart, registering just 13 accurate passes and 22 touches.

As a result, as journalist Jordan Cronin put it, the away team “lacked a spark of creativity” in a game that required some quality. One Toon content creator said Gordon “offered even worse” than Eranga in the 1-0 loss, a claim backed up by some numbers.

Newcastle should see the moment Gordon was linked with a big-money move to Liverpool as a sliding door situation, with lifeless performances like those at the Stadium of Light so commonplace that the Liverpool-born forward is now valued at nowhere near £100m.

But with seven goals in the Champions League this season and just two strikes in league play, the team could potentially be ready to bet on Gordon’s services, and Howe, who looked hurt after a narrow defeat in the Tyne Wear derby, will no doubt be tempted to put money on the red-hot attacker if there is a hint of a move.

The former AFC Bournemouth manager is unlikely to survive in the popular seats at St James’ Park for long if his team’s poor performance continues. Elanga and Gordon are certain to be absent from the starting lineup when Fulham visit Japan on Wednesday night.