The season is well settled at this point, but Newcastle United are still without the kind of fluency that has come to be expected across the past few years under Eddie Howe’s management.
In fact, 14th in the Premier League after 11 matches, there is concern over the club’s direction after an eventful summer of ups and downs.
While it feels absurd, unthinkable, to imagine Howe’s job is at risk, there’s no question that PIF expect an upswing in performances and results, and should that not occur, the Tynesiders may be forced into a tough decision down the line.
Howe is a club legend, the harbinger of all that has been good at St. James’ Park in recent years. But improvements are needed, nonetheless; the form on the road has been shocking this season.
10
Games
7
7
Wins
1
0
Draws
3
3
Losses
3
20
Goals scored
7
9
Goals conceded
8
2.1
PPG
1.16
Howe needs his players to step up, especially in attack. At the nadir would be Anthony Elanga, whose £55m summer transfer from Nottingham Forest has so far not gone to plan.
Why Elanga is struggling at Newcastle
It has been over a year since Newcastle first lodged an offer for Elanga. They failed to convince Evangelos Marinakis to part ways with the fleet-footed winger at the end of the 2024 summer transfer window, though they secured their quarry one year later.
It was a move laced with excitement, and Elanga could still prove a thrilling addition to Howe’s squad, but the right-sided forward has yet to register a goal or an assist for the Toon, and analyst Raj Chohan said the £100k-per-week talent has been “a massive overpay” on PIF’s part.
Certainly, Elanga and Anthony Gordon would appear perfect for Nick Woltemade at number nine, whose wide-ranging attacking skillset has proved unable to service either winger in the Premier League. Despite this, the German has been in fine form this season.
Howe has shown his tactical and coaching acumen over the past few years, but if he has run out of steam, there’s a manager waiting in the wings who could be the perfect successor.
The manager who could revive Elanga at Newcastle
According to The Mirror earlier in November, Newcastle have compiled a shortlist of managers who would be suitable for the job, should a managerial vacancy emerge in the not-too-distant future.
On this list is Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, whose performance on the south coast over the past several years has established him as “one of the best in the league”, in the eyes of Como scout Ben Mattinson.
Bournemouth caused a stir when they sacked Gary O’Neil after keeping them up in 2023, opting to replace him with the fresh and innovative ideas of Spaniard Iraola, who had impressed in his homeland with Rayo Vallecano over three campaigns.
But the Cherries haven’t looked back, posting a record-breaking Premier League return of 56 points last season, having implemented an attractive and progressive style of football.
Indeed, Iraola’s message of intensity underscores his potential to succeed at Newcastle, and it is this methodology that could see him prove the perfect coach to oversee Elanga’s resurgence.
Semenyo is the frontal part of a durable and exciting team. A key part of the attraction toward Iraola’s managerial skill is his ability to withstand upheaval. Many Cherries left during the summer, and Bournemouth have still impressed this season, five wins from 11 in the Premier League this year.
We have seen how Iraola has moulded Semenyo into one of the most dangerous players in the Premier League. The Ghanaian is the talk of the town and is expected to earn a big-money transfer in 2026.
Newcastle are likely to miss out, but if Iraola did end up at Newcastle, he might be the perfect manager to fashion Elanga into a star of a similar standing, taking his pace and power and weaving it into something deadly.
After all, even against the backdrop of a testing start to life in Newcastle, Elanga still ranks among the top 10% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists and the top 5% for crosses per 90, as well as the top 1% for percentage of shots on target (all data via FBref).
That latter metric is curious. It speaks of real potential as a goalscorer for Newcastle. Iraola’s adept wing play could see such success come to fruition, with Semenyo well known as a frequent pepperer of the goal.
This is all, obviously, hypothetical. Iraola is the manager of a high-flying Premier League outfit in Bournemouth, and the Magpies hierarchy continues to display a show of faith in Howe’s ability to turn things around.
But if things do not improve, and change is needed, it is clear that the 43-year-old Iraola will rank highly on the club’s list, having hit his stride and then some at the Vitality. Surely he would be tempted by a move to Tyneside, with Newcastle demonstrating over the past several years an ability to exceed expectations and win silverware.
This is all down to Howe, but he will not be in the dugout forever, and in Iraola, Newcastle could score themselves new teachings to inculcate into an outfit that has developed something of a knack for success, and is now ready to take that next step forward.
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