Eddie Howe wants to re-sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest and has once again hit out at the player’s departure from Newcastle in order to satisfy Premier League spending rules.
Howe broke his vow never to talk about a player at another club in saying that Anderson’s departure last summer still does not “sit right” with him. Newcastle play Forest this weekend.
Newcastle were forced to part with their academy graduate in order to avoid a points deduction for breaching profit and sustainability rules (PSR), and Howe said: “I don’t know [if he will come back] but certainly from my perspective I would love him to.
“I’m very respectful of the fact he is at another football club and I would never normally talk about a player in that way, so, I won’t change that stance but… yeah… it is very regretful. A player from the academy who had given so much, and the club had given so much to, all those years here and how people tried to develop those talents, for him not to be utilised here is a real shame.
“It [his sale] didn’t sit right with me then, doesn’t sit right with me today that we, as a football club, were forced to make a decision that we didn’t want to make. And a player that had given everything to rise through the ranks here to try to play for Newcastle, that was ended by financial restrictions.
“I do think it is slightly sad that academy products are now seen as a vehicle to sell and generate profit. That side of it, for me, just doesn’t go in tune with the development of players which, ultimately, is crucial at the younger age.”
The financial black hole that triggered departure
