Watching Elliot Anderson develop away from Newcastle United really is gutting.
Anderson is a product of Newcastle’s academy and a player who was highly rated by manager Eddie Howe before his departure.
In fact, Howe has confirmed Newcastle did not want to sell Anderson to Nottingham Forest.
Still, the need to raise money in order to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules forced the club’s hand.
Had Anderson and fellow exciting youngster Yankuba Minteh not been sold, Newcastle reportedly risked a ten-point deduction for potential PSR breaches.
Anthony Gordon reacts as former Newcastle star Elliot Anderson scores first Premier League goal
With that in mind, cashing in on Anderson made sense from a business perspective – albeit that is a sad way of looking at football.
Anderson has since been starring for Forest and finally scored his first Premier League goal on Sunday during his side’s 3-2 win over Southampton, who Newcastle play next.
Newcastle star Anthony Gordon is great friends with Anderson and was among those to congratulate him.
The 22-year-old opened the scoring at the City Ground, helping third-placed Forest move to level on points with second-placed Arsenal in the Premier League table.
It was a brilliant finish from Anderson, who hadn’t actually scored in the competition before despite making 64 appearances heading into Sunday’s game.
Naturally, the England U21 international took to social media platform Instagram after the game, captioning a collage of images from the game: “First premier league goal! And another massive win.”
In response, Gordon reminded him it was “about time”!
What Elliot Anderson’s camp said about him leaving Newcastle United
It was a real shame to have lost Anderson, particularly due to financial rules more than anything else.
Still, it may have been the right thing for the player.
The player’s camp are believed to think leaving Newcastle was the best thing for Anderson, forcing him to embrace the challenge of living away from his home city.
Anderson has been praised for his form this season and it’s difficult to imagine him getting a regular start at Newcastle this season, given the options Howe has available to him in midfield.
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