Newcastle United beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 on Sunday afternoon as Elliot Anderson made a losing return to St James Park.
Eddie Howe can be delighted with how his Newcastle United have responded to losing against Arsenal last weekend.
The Magpies beat Union Saint-Gilloise 4-0 in midweek before seeing off Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Bruno Guimaraes curled Newcastle in front, before winning a penalty by picking Elliot Anderson’s pocket inside the area.
Nick Woltemade stepped up to score from the spot, handing Newcastle a 2-0 win after a much-improved second-half display.
Jamie Carragher on Newcastle United selling Elliot Anderson
Anderson has been one of the early stars of the season, shining for Forest while also emerging as an England star.
The midfielder suffered a losing return to St James’ Park, but there is no doubt that he has become a top-quality player.
Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules are set to change, but that won’t be of any use to Newcastle, having been forced to sell Anderson in 2024.
Pundit Jamie Carragher has now commented on Anderson’s exit, suggesting that it may sting Newcastle for a long time.
Carragher believes that Anderson is the one who really got away from Newcastle as the club attempted to deal with potential PSR sanctions.
Carragher even suggested that Newcastle should have considered cashing in on a top midfield player – presumably meaning Bruno Guimaraes or Sandro Tonali – in order to keep Anderson.
That would have been a painful move, and both players were absolutely instrumental in beating Forest, so few Newcastle fans will be on board with that idea.
It must also be stated that Anderson’s academy graduate status meant he counted as pure profit, which unfortunately appealed to Newcastle at the time.
“He’s just a great footballer, and when you think of the situation Newcastle have been in PSR-wise, that is the one that’s got away,” said Carragher on Sky Sports.
“In some ways, for Newcastle, could they have, if maybe a big offer would have came in for one of the star players in midfield, it would have been a wrench, but maybe you keep [Anderson] and you blood him,” he added.
Elliot Anderson exit stings more than Yankuba Minteh for Newcastle United
The summer 2024 window brought two significant exits as Anderson joined Forest and Yankuba Minteh was sold to Brighton and Hove Albion.
Losing Minteh was a blow, as the Gambian winger has gone on to become a real star with Brighton.
Top Premier League clubs are now eyeing Minteh, and his success with the Seagulls naturally hurts.
The difference here is that Newcastle fans never saw Minteh in competitive action for the Magpies, as he was immediately loaned to Feyenoord after joining from Odense in 2023.
Minteh’s time at Newcastle was a flying visit, whereas Anderson is a boyhood Newcastle fan who hails from Whitley Bay.
Anderson should have been emerging as a star in midfield alongside Bruno and Tonali, giving Newcastle one of the finest engine rooms in the country.
Instead, the 22-year-old is now at Forest and taking his game to another level away from St James’ Park, which just won’t sit right for many fans.
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