How the £15m net transfer Elliot Anderson never wanted became the best thing to have happened to him: CRAIG HOPE and TOM COLLOMOSSE on Newcastle’s boy, likened to Gazza and Beardsley, who’s now Forest’s man

With Elliot Anderson, there were those who knew, and the majority who did not. Nottingham Forest knew, and only now is everyone else catching up.

Because at Newcastle, in just two full seasons around the senior squad, the midfielder was something of a contradiction – a hidden gem in plain sight.

Even the scene of his debut at Arsenal was symbolic of what would follow, an empty stadium 300 miles from home. When he later gave arguably his best performance in a Newcastle shirt, it happened at 2am UK time during a pre-season friendly in the United States. He scored two fabulous goals that night in a 2-1 win over Brighton.

But remarkably, in 55 competitive appearances, Anderson never scored a goal for his boyhood club, who he will face in the colours of Forest on Sunday afternoon. He did once, and it was wrongly disallowed, when burying a fine header at the City Ground, of all places. That again, though, speaks to the frustration of his time at Newcastle, and it drifting without the recognition and headlines his talent deserved.

Because to see him play, you knew. From a 16-year-old playing beyond his age-group at youth level to the young man who would make fools of his elders after making that first-team breakthrough at 18. The ‘Geordie Maradona’ they called him, and the moniker was sincere.

Anderson pictured scoring for Newcastle against Brighton in a 2023 friendly game in the USA

He left Newcastle without a competitive goal to his name due to a wrongful VAR intervention

But there was always a feeling the appreciation remained parochial. When he scored a sensational, solo goal whilst training with England Under-19s and the footage was captured on a static cam, it was sent to Mail Sport to publicise and help spread the word.

That relative anonymity was part of the reason why Scotland felt encouraged to make a move. Their assistant boss John Carver was among those who knew, and he pushed for Anderson to be given senior recognition.

The thing is, Anderson himself also knew, and that is why, when push came to shove following a Scotland call-up, he jumped back south of the border. His former boss Eddie Howe said this week that Anderson will play for England and that his forced sale – to satisfy Profit and Sustainability Rules – was a source of huge disappointment.

Injuries did not help at Newcastle, especially a hip problem that had specialists disagreeing over the best course of action. There was one low point, after a six-week scan, when he was simply told to come back in another six weeks. The hip and, subsequently, back issues, were a by-product of his journey from boy to man. At 16, he was a small and slight No.10. Today, he is a tall and stout No.8.

For all the setbacks with injury, selection, uncertainty over his best position and the growing suspicion that he might just not get the chance he needed at Newcastle, he still did not want to leave – and Howe did not want to sell him. Anderson was happy and backed himself to shape his own destiny, just like he would misshape defenders. He has a wonderful ability to chop from foot to foot and drive beyond stumped opponents.

But the summer move to Forest, those close to Anderson now believe, was perhaps the best thing that could have happened to him. In much the same way Anthony Gordon has benefited from leaving his home city of Liverpool for Newcastle, Anderson has embraced the challenge of saying goodbye to his comfort zone.

Gordon, like all of Anderson’s Newcastle team-mates, also knew. The pair became close and played snooker at Whitley Lodge after training. Anderson usually won. Matt Ritchie was another who was particularly taken with the academy graduate and the veteran winger would reassure him during periods of irritation. Kieran Trippier once said, ‘it’s crazy how good he is’, and wearing his Three Lions cap told Anderson he should ignore Scotland’s advances because he was good enough for England.

There is now a sad irony in the words of former Newcastle super scout Graham Carr, who watched Anderson while on loan at Bristol Rovers in 2022.

Midfielder Anderson has been capped by both England and Scotland at Under 21 level

Eddie Howe recently said that he expects Anderson to become a full England international

During a loan spell at Bristol Rovers in 2022, Anderson scored eight goals in 21 appearances

‘Newcastle will spend millions on new players and a lot of academy lads will get lost in the system now – but not this boy,’ said Carr back then. ‘You can go out and sign as many young players as you want, you will be doing well to get any better than Elliot Anderson.

‘He is classy. He receives the ball like Peter Beardsley. He kills it and moves it all in one motion. That is a gift. He’s the best young player I have seen in a long time. Newcastle haven’t produced anyone like him, in terms of his technical gifts, probably all the way back to Gazza.

‘He plays with a swagger. Every time he got the ball you knew something was going to happen. He always wants to dribble and moves off quickly. He knows he’s good, but there’s no harm in that.’

It was 15 months before he joined Forest that Anderson first caught the eye of their supporters.

Coming on as a second-half substitute for Newcastle in a 2-1 win at the City Ground, he dazzled. There was that goal cruelly chalked off, and he terrified the opposition with his close control and direct running. That was the first glimpse for Forest fans, and his impact was not lost on their recruitment department, either.

Forest’s chaotic recruitment after they were promoted in 2022 had left its mark. They brought in 30 players across two windows in that first season and narrowly avoided relegation. The narrative had it that they survived despite their transfer policy, not because of it.

Life is very different now, though, and the Anderson deal shows why. Newcastle were not amused when Forest, with owner Evangelos Marinakis knowing he had them over a barrel due to those Premier League spending rules, took away their homegrown jewel in June and managed to sell them Odysseas Vlachodimos, a goalkeeper neither club really wanted, for £20m. A net £15m for one of the most promising players in the UK is handy business.

Using the examples of Morgan Gibbs-White, Murillo, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Anthony Elanga and Danilo, Forest were able to show Anderson they trust young players and are willing to make them key members of the starting XI. Since Ross Wilson joined as chief football officer in April 2023, they have improved their database of all players eligible to represent England at junior levels. Some, like Jude Bellingham, will quickly move outside Forest’s range. Others will fall by the wayside before they can be considered for regular Premier League action. Others fit the bill perfectly – and Anderson was in this category.

Anderson, 22, cost Forest a transfer fee in the region of £35m when he moved in the summer

Greece goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos moved the other way for a fee of around £20m

Anderson, who was born in Whitley Bay, made 55 appearances for Newcastle before leaving

He has been used as a No 10 by Nuno Espirito Santo, who has also deployed him wide and in a deeper midfield role. He has looked comfortable in each of them. Rather than nailing down Anderson to a specific position, Forest understand he is smart enough to move between different areas of the pitch in the same game. Why restrict a player with so many gifts?

A glance at the numbers suggests Forest have nailed it. According to Opta, Anderson is one of only four Premier League players to have completed at least five dribbles and created at least five chances in a single match this season. The other three are Mohamed Salah, Bukayo Saka and Savinho.

Data from the respected website FBref is similarly encouraging. Anderson scores highly across a variety of different categories that measure defensive prowess, creativity and attacking play across Europe’s top five leagues. The player with a ranking of 100 is the best in a particular category, those with 99 his closet challengers, and so on. Compared with every midfielder in the top five leagues, Anderson has one score of 99, three of 98, and one each of 96, 95, 94, 93 and 92. Even though the sample size is relatively small, it is not bad for a player who only turned 22 this week.

Asked about Anderson after that impressive cameo last year, Howe said: ‘This is the hardest part of his Newcastle career. Can he make that next step on a consistent basis?’

Everything about Anderson’s start to the season indicates he can. The regret for Newcastle is that he will be doing so 160 miles south of Tyneside.