‘I was proud’ - Elliot Anderson honest as Newcastle United dealt Champions League blow
Elliot Anderson has insisted he is “desperate” to get Nottingham Forest in the Champions League.
A well-documented saga last summer resulted in Newcastle United reluctantly selling academy product Anderson. PSR regulations governed the Magpies and the threat of a Premier League points deduction was real.
Nuclear options included possibly needing to sell Anthony Gordon but, instead, Anderson made way. His sale generated pure profit on the balance sheet as he was a homegrown player.
Yankuba Minteh was also offloaded for £33million despite never kicking a ball in black-and-white stripes. The sales left a sour taste in Newcastle’s mouth as their two star youth assets moved on.
Anderson is now starring for Forest as they launch an unexpected Champions League run. The Whitley Bay native bagged the opener as the Tricky Trees won 2-1 at Tottenham Hotspur last night.
Ironically, Forest’s other goalscorer was Chris Wood, another former Newcastle player. Speaking post-match, Anderson opened up about his desire to reach the Champions League after representing the Magpies against AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.
"I’m desperate to be there again,” he said. “It was a really proud moment playing in the Champions League and to be honest I never thought I’d be playing in my first season away from Newcastle.
“But if we keep going the way we’re going and do what we’ve done all season then I think we’ve got a good chance. The result was massive for us. It was a huge game to come into to try to get three points. The lads dug in and we showed what we are about and we're buzzing.”
Anderson paid a special mention to a third ex-Toon star in the Forest ranks. Matz Sels struggled to make an impact at St James’ Park under Rafa Benitez but is now starring between the sticks.
“Matz (Sels) was terrific again today, so I'm buzzing for him," Anderson added about the goalkeeper. "We really needed that after two defeats. We have come back and bounced back so it is huge for us. We've got to keep believing until the last game. We will be pushing."
Elliot Anderson never wanted to leave Newcastle United
Anderson has said several times since leaving Newcastle that the decision was out of his hands. He told Football Focus in February: “It was very sad. “Obviously, you never know you're going to join a club and play, so in my head at the time, I didn't know it was going to go the way it has. It was a tough one to take. I was really settled there and I didn't really see it coming.”