It’s always sad when a young, locally produced prospect has to move on. We’ve had loads over the years as local talent rarely seems to cut the mustard. But when one does make it and then has to be sold, well that hits differently. And it’s different again when the reason for selling is to keep on the right side of financial rules that many deem completely unnecessary.
Elliot Anderson was certainly one that got away. Or one that was given away, depending on your feelings about the Premier League and its ridiculous PSR rules being inflicted on a club who’s owners have more money than we could ever imagine!
Anderson came to prominence after winning the 2022 Wor Jackie award, given yearly to the most promising young player at Newcastle United. He’d appeared briefly in the Premier League before this, but then spent the latter half of the ’21-’22 season on loan at Joey Barton’s Bristol Rovers where he made 21 appearances and scored 7 goals. He was a revelation at Rovers, earning rave reviews for his displays and picking up the ‘Geordie Maradona’ nickname to boot. Given our reputation for failed loans Anderson’s success clearly marked him out as one to watch.
As such, he stayed with Newcastle for the next season, making 22 appearances and then a further 21 the season after. It was clear that we had a talented player on our hands and it seemed that Anderson had a bright future in black and white.
There are some that would tell you that he wouldn’t have gotten the required amount of game time that would aid his development, but given the demands on the team lately and the involvement in four different competitions, it’s hard to see how he wouldn’t have found his way into the first team. Some would also point to the presence of Bruno, Tonali and Joelinton, but that trio haven’t looked themselves consistently for a while now. I think there would almost certainly have been an Elliot Anderson shaped gap there at some stage and that given his chance, evidence suggests that he would surely have taken it.
Elliot – as we’re seeing these days in both a Forest and an England shirt – was a powerful, skillful player with a great range of passing who surely would have only got better under Eddie and also with the influence of the likes of Bruno and Tonali alongside him.
In all though, Elliot only made 55 appearances for Newcastle United before the forced sale to Forest for a reported fee of £35m. Other reports have that as more like £15m + Vlachodimos. Whichever way you look at it, this wasn’t a good deal for Newcastle.
Anderson has gone on to prove himself and then some. As well as producing some superb form for Forest where he spent most of last season in the Champions League places, Elliot has gone on to represent England brilliantly and looks a shoe in to start at the upcoming World Cup. Even this season, with Forest fighting relegation, Anderson has been their stand out player and is adored by their fans. The talk is that he will almost certainly then be on the move come summer, with big money transfers to the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea as well as both Manchester clubs being reported in recent months. Newcastle have also been regularly mentioned as his next destination, but it would seem that financial restrictions would hinder the chances of what is thought to be a £100m transfer happening.
Whatever happens next for Elliot it seems clear that he’s developing into a top player. The potential that we all saw at Newcastle is very much being realised and he is now producing game changing performances on a regular basis.
Not just one that got away, but one that was ripped from our grasp and while we still have a top class midfield, it feels like Elliot Anderson – coupled with Lewis Miley – could and should have been the future of Newcastle United and ruled the roost for many years.
Middle Age Fanclub 