Newcastle United academy graduate Elliot Anderson is in line to make his England debut during this month’s international break.
Anderson, who helped the England U21s retain their European Championship crown earlier this summer, has earned his first senior call-up under Thomas Tuchel.
The 22-year-old has flourished since leaving Newcastle United for Nottingham Forest, helping them qualify for Europe last season.
While it is brilliant to see the Geordie midfielder recognised for his fine form, there will no doubt be a degree of regret amongst Newcastle supporters.
To watch the Newcastle United academy graduate pull on an England shirt while playing for another club will be painful.
With that in mind, here’s a look back at why Newcastle sold him.
Why Newcastle United sold Elliot Anderson
Newcastle didn’t want to sell Anderson but were forced to at the time because of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
They do not allow clubs to lose more than £105million over a three-year accounting period and Newcastle were close to the limit.
Rather than cash in on any of their truly elite stars, the club opted to sell two talented young players in the form of Anderson and Yankuba Minteh.
That was perhaps a more palatable outcome at the time but it remains to be seen how costly it has been. Anderson left Newcastle for £35million and, as an academy graduate, every penny the club banked for him went down as ‘pure profit’ on their balance sheet.
The club, however, repaid the vast majority of that by signing Forest goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos.
A few months later, Eddie Howe confirmed he didn’t want Newcastle to sell Anderson.
The Newcastle United manager said: “No one internally wanted to make that sale – but we had to.
“So I think that one is a very unusual one because I think that will be happening again, not just here, but at other football clubs, when you sell footballers for financial reasons.”
Unsurprisingly, Newcastle are already regretting their decision to sell Anderson.
What Elliot Anderson has said about leaving Newcastle United
Anderson was surprised that Newcastle sold him, although it was clearly because of the PSR situation.
Selling the midfielder was by no means a reflection on his quality. He was highly rated on Tyneside and it would have been brilliant to see him flourish with his boyhood club.
Still, Anderson has admitted he was in his comfort zone at Newcastle.
Speaking ahead of his potential England debut, Anderson said: “It was sort of a tough move at the time, but I think ultimately, I probably wouldn’t be sat here now if I didn’t make the move.
“So, I think sometimes you’ve got to sort of step out of your comfort zone and believe in yourself, which is sort of what I’ve done.
“I believed I was ready to go and play in the Premier League every week. So yeah, as I say, I don’t think I would be in this position now if I didn’t do it.”
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
