Anthony Elanga believes he is eventually going to ‘explode’ for Newcastle United, once everything ‘clicks’ for the summer signing.
Toon fans have seen flashes of brilliance from the winger since his £55million arrival from Nottingham Forest, but he is yet to truly establish himself at St James’ Park.
Elanga had his best Newcastle game in the recent Champions League win over Union Saint-Gilloise. The hope was that it would launch his Toon career.
However, that did not prove to be the case. Elanga really struggled during Newcastle’s win over Nottingham Forest, with Jacob Murphy proving to be much more influential after his introduction.
There is obviously a lot more to come from Elanga, and the Sweden international has complete confidence in achieving his potential on Tyneside.
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty ImagesAnthony Elanga knows he will become better at Newcastle United
Elanga is one of the Newcastle players away on international duty right now, representing Sweden in World Cup qualifiers against Switzerland and Kosovo.
During his time away with his country, the 23-year-old has spoken to Swedish outlet Fotbollskanalen about his potential to grow as a player at St James’ Park.
“I can always improve,” he said.
“That’s just the kind of person I am. I know I can keep getting better. I’m at a fantastic club where I can develop, and it’s only going to get better.”
No ‘pressure’ on Anthony Elanga at Newcastle United
Elanga was then asked if he feels any pressure due to his £55million price tag.
“No, I don’t feel any pressure,” he added.
“I already had a mindset before anyone formed a new opinion about me. So I just focus on what I can do on the pitch and on constantly improving.
“Like I said, I’m in a fantastic team with a fantastic coach who’s going to help me a lot. And as I said, when it clicks, it’s going to explode.”
Despite being one of Newcastle’s most expensive signings ever, Elanga is not going to crumble under the weight of expectation.
He cannot dictate the amount of money he cost. All he can control is how well he plays and the effort he puts into improving.
The latter should not be a problem, with Elanga very keen to make it clear that he is going to become a better player thanks to Eddie Howe and the Newcastle United coaching staff.
That is encouraging, but it is vital that Elanga starts to improve. His performance against Nottingham Forest was concerning, throwing away all momentum he built up from the Champions League win over USG in Brussels.
He needs to find consistency, having given Newcastle fans a taste of what he can achieve alongside Nick Woltemade and Anthony Gordon.
Newcastle have the makings of an incredibly exciting front three, and it is up to Elanga to prove he is not the weak link.