Andy Cole backs Anthony Elanga as Newcastle winger answers his critics
Andy Cole has backed Anthony Elanga to put last season’s “nonsense” behind him, and the Newcastle winger is already giving his critics reason to reconsider.
Goals against Liverpool and Tottenham in our opening two Premier League games have been followed by August’s Goal of the Month award for his stunning Spurs finish. It’s been a welcome change for a player whose first year on Tyneside was such a struggle.
Cole backs Elanga to keep delivering
Speaking to The Sun, Cole acknowledged that Elanga’s first season had fallen short, but believes his performances can quickly change the conversation.
“He’s just got to keep his head down, keep performing, and then all the nonsense that was spoken about him last season, everyone will be telling him how good he is and slapping him on the back. That’s football.”
Cole knows what happens when an attacker catches fire at Newcastle. His 41 goals in 1993/94 helped a newly promoted side finish third, and few players have made such an immediate impression in black and white.
Elanga’s route has been considerably bumpier, but that encouragement comes from someone who knows the demands and rewards of delivering at St James’ Park.
Cole also refused to rule out Newcastle returning to Champions League contention following our unbeaten start under Matthias Jaissle.
Elanga is showing why the verdict came too soon
Last season deserved criticism. It didn’t make Elanga a lost cause, and his start under Jaissle is showing why Newcastle were right to give him another opportunity.
A £55m winger finishing a league campaign without scoring was a huge disappointment, particularly after six goals and 11 assists in his final season at Nottingham Forest. Only 14 of his 32 Newcastle league appearances were starts, which adds some context, but we were still entitled to expect more.
The encouraging thing now is how he has scored.
Against Liverpool, he raced onto Will Osula’s pass and finished across Alisson. At Tottenham, Nico Gonzalez’s diagonal found Amar Dedic, whose header picked out Elanga inside the box. His turn and left-footed finish supplied the breakthrough.
Nico explained afterwards that Jaissle had encouraged him to look for those switches. Dedic’s movement provided the width and allowed Elanga to attack the box. That gives us something specific to build on: a combination that gets our winger into positions where he can hurt teams.
His tougher afternoon against Bournemouth showed there is still work to do. The challenge now is making those contributions a regular part of his game.
