Newcastle United will be looking for more consistency after what has been a mixed bag of a campaign so far. There have been memorable moments, and they are still in the Carabao Cup, but a defeat to Sunderland in the derby last weekend was a real low point of the campaign.
Eddie Howe’s side will be hoping to bounce back with a Premier League win on Saturday lunchtime when they face Chelsea at St James’ Park. It is the final home game of the year, so three points would be the ideal way to end 2025 in front of their fans.
Howe will need some of his stars, who have struggled in recent weeks, to be at the top of their game.
Newcastle's recent struggling stars
Usually one of the best players in a Magpies side filled with expensive talent, Sandro Tonali has struggled for his best form in recent games.
The Italian is a key part of the midfield alongside Bruno Guimaraes, and is one of Howe’s most trusted lieutenants. Yet, he has been off the boil of late.
Another player who hasn’t hit their former heights this season is England international Anthony Gordon. Granted, the winger has been in better form in December, having scored and assisted four times, although all three of his goals have come from the penalty spot.
Yet, his form over the course of the season has been underwhelming, with just two goals in 11 games and 621 minutes in the Premier League.
He is currently averaging a goal every 310 minutes in the top flight, which is far from enough for such a key man.
However, Howe will need one player in particular to find his best form after a tough start to life in the North East.
Newcastle flop looks like another Michael Owen
It was another busy summer for the Magpies, who made some important additions to their squad. Malick Thiaw has been a revelation at centre-back, and Nick Woltemade scored some important goals at the start of the campaign.
However, one summer signing who has struggled is Anthony Elanga. The Swedish winger joined from Nottingham Forest in the summer for a fee of £55m, although he has not really hit the ground running in Black and White yet.
In 24 appearances for Howe’s Magpies so far, the Manchester United academy graduate is yet to score, and only has two assists, with one coming in the Premier League.
That pass was impressive, teeing up Woltemade against Everton last month.
Let’s not forget how good Elanga is at his very best. Last season for Forest, he scored six goals and assisted a further 11 in the Premier League.
He created an average of 1.8 chances per 90 minutes.
Elanga key stats in 24/25 PL
Stat
Per 90 mins
Season total
Goals and assists
0.6
17
Expected goal involvements
0.34xGI
0.58xGI
Key passes
1.8
50
Dribbles completed
0.9
25
Tackles & interceptions
0.9
25
Stats from Sofascore
Of course, things have not quite worked out like that in a Newcastle shirt, yet. The winger, who earns £100k per week at St James’ Park, could currently be considered one of their worst signings since Michael Owen back in 2005.
In 79 games for the club, the ex-Real Madrid star only managed 30 goals and assisted two. Owen was also ravaged by injuries during his stint in the North East.
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He was far from the player who burst onto the scene as a teenager for Liverpool, with the club hardly getting bang for their buck after dishing out a then-club record fee of £16.8m.
Of course, there is still a long way to go for Elanga, and he has quality, which can light up St James Park. However, with a huge couple of weeks left in 2025, it will be interesting to see if Howe keeps him in the lineup.
Considering the size of the transfer fee – the joint third-highest in Newcastle’s history – the Magpies must certainly expected more from a proven Premier League talent, just as was the case with Owen’s costly deal all those years ago.
There are options at the Englishman’s disposal, including Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy. Elanga will certainly be hoping to find his best form again soon, or else he could well lose his place in the team.
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