Elliot Anderson returns to St James’ Park this weekend as a Nottingham Forest star, with Eddie Howe confessing he would “love” to re-sign the England international after Newcastle’s PSR-forced decision to sell him in 2024.
Eddie Howe has opened the door to a potential Newcastle United reunion with Elliot Anderson, admitting he would “love” to bring the midfielder back to Tyneside after his impressive rise at Nottingham Forest.
Anderson, who came through Newcastle’s academy, was forced to leave in June 2024 when the club accepted a £35 million ($47m) deal as part of a swap arrangement involving goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos. The sale was driven by the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), with Newcastle avoiding a possible points deduction by reluctantly cashing in on one of their brightest homegrown players.
Despite the circumstances, Anderson has thrived at Forest. The 22-year-old quickly established himself as a key figure under Nuno Espírito Santo, earning regular minutes and eventually breaking into the England senior squad under Thomas Tuchel.
Speaking ahead of Anderson’s return to St James’ Park this weekend, Howe admitted the transfer still weighs heavily on him.
I don’t know if the move will happen, but certainly from my perspective I would love him to,” Howe said. “It was very regretful a player from the academy who had given so much — and the club had given so much to — for him not to be utilised here. We had no choice but to make the sale, but it didn’t sit right with me then and doesn’t sit right with me today.
Howe also praised Anderson’s versatility, suggesting he could thrive in multiple positions.
It is very difficult to define one position for him. He has got unique strengths. He’s very good deeper, but I can see him playing higher up as an 8 or a 10. He can also play wide, like he did for us on the left. He’s a very talented technical player and those players are precious.
The Newcastle boss went further, reflecting on the difficult reality of PSR.
We knew the minute it was going to happen, or likely to happen, that we were massively selling him at a big discount. It was that or a points deduction. We had no choice but to make the sale.
Anderson, meanwhile, is expected to line up for Nottingham Forest in an emotional return to his boyhood club. For the midfielder, it marks a chance to showcase just how far he has come since leaving Newcastle, while for Howe, it may serve as a painful reminder of what might have been.
The reunion comes at a critical moment for Newcastle, who have struggled for consistency this season. For Anderson, however, it is an opportunity to continue his upward trajectory — one that has already taken him from Tyneside prospect to England international in little over a year.
