Elliot Anderson has made a rather sad admission about how leaving Newcastle United helped him win a senior England call-up.
Newcastle United sold Anderson against their wishes in 2024, with the Geordie midfielder joining Nottingham Forest for around £35million.
Newcastle, however, repaid Forest most of that fee when signing goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos as part of what is generally seen as a PSR-imposed transaction between the two clubs.
Anderson has since shone at Forest. The 22-year-old played a key role in helping the club qualify for Europe last season and has duly been rewarded for his fine form with a first call-up into the senior Three Lions squad.
The midfielder helped England win the U21 European Championships alongside Tino Livramento earlier this summer and could make his debut under Thomas Tuchel when England play against Andorra and Serbia during this month’s international break.
It’s been a brilliant rise for the Newcastle United academy graduate, who admits he might not have been in this position had he remained on Tyneside.
Elliot Anderson and Tino Livramento train with England at St George's Park.
Photo by Eddie Keogh – The FA/The FA via Getty Images
Elliot Anderson admits he had to leave Newcastle United
Anderson was surprised to leave Newcastle at the time but was forced to as the club looked to avoid a potential points deduction if they had breached PSR.
To say the move has agreed with him would be an understatement. Sadly for Newcastle fans, Anderson has now admitted he simply wouldn’t be in this position if he had stayed on Tyneside.
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While Eddie Howe rated Anderson very highly, he struggled for starts. Though injuries didn’t help, he made only 16 starts under the Newcastle United manager.
Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton are a fearsome midfield unit and most of Newcastle’s success last season was built upon that. Had Anderson stayed, there’s no guarantee he’d have got the minutes required to break into the England squad.
Speaking at a press conference, 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.”
What people close to Elliot Anderson thought about leaving Newcastle United
People close to Anderson thought it was the right decision to leave Newcastle, as it forced him out of his comfort zone.
It would be fair to say they have been vindicated. While Anderson clearly could have gone on to these kind of heights while a Newcastle player at some point, it may not have happened so quickly for him.
It’s sad that that’s the case. It would have been brilliant to see him grow from an academy product to an England international all while he was clad in black and white.
However, Anderson has taken his chance and run with it.