Newcastle United made the extremely difficult decision to sell Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest.
It was a tough decision to accept for Newcastle United fans and staff. The midfielder had barely been able to show what he was capable of before leaving due to the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.
Eddie Howe revealed that Newcastle were ‘reluctant’ to sell Elliot Anderson but ultimately understood that it was a consequence of their lucrative spending in previous seasons.
Anderson came through Newcastle’s academy and joined the likes of Sean Longstaff and Lewis Miley as players who made appearances for the first-team. The midfielder made 55 appearances for the Magpies before being sold for £35m.
The only silver lining from his departure was that Anderson was Newcastle’s biggest-ever sale – an indicator of how highly other teams thought of him.
Now Anderson has settled in at his new club, he is thriving. The 22-year-old opened up on the emotional exit from his boyhood club in a recent interview.
Elliot Anderson’s ‘tough’ Newcastle departure
Now at Nottingham Forest, Anderson is thriving with more game time. Forest are sat third in the Premier League table, six points ahead of Newcastle.
Anderson has been a big part of their success this season, scoring once and bagging five assists. Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon congratulated Anderson after he scored his first Premier League goal in January.
In an interview with BBC Sport, Anderson was asked about the Newcastle exit.
“It was very sad, you never know you’re going to join a club and play. In my head at the time, I never knew it was going to go the way it has so it was obviously a really tough one to take.
“I was really settled there, and I didn’t really see it coming. But that’s football – you’ve got to be prepared for any challenge that comes your way.
“It wasn’t to be there but I’ve come to a great club where I’ve found myself. I’m really enjoying it.”
Anderson will be in line to play against Newcastle when Forest comes to St James’ Park on February 23.
Elliot Anderson has a former Newcastle teammate at Nottingham Forest
While it was an emotional farewell for Anderson at Newcastle, he has a former teammate who was able to welcome him at Forest with open arms.
Former Magpie Chris Wood signed for Forest in 2023 and like Anderson, has taken his opportunity with both hands.
Wood thanked Howe for letting him leave Newcastle to pursue a move to the Premier League club. However, that decision would come back to haunt him when Wood scored a hat-trick against Newcastle in December 2023.
| Appearances (League) | Goals | Assists | |
| Elliot Anderson | 23 | 1 | 5 |
In a recent interview, Wood said he knew Anderson would succeed away from Newcastle and confessed how much the Forest supporters love the Whitley Bay-born star.
As Anderson continues his development elsewhere, Newcastle fans will live to rue the day the club sold him.
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