Nottingham Forest landed Elliot Anderson in the summer transfer window as the Reds did business with Newcastle that allowed both clubs to meet the PSR threshold.
Forest got the better end of the deal. Nuno Espirito Santo got a talented player with Prmeier League experience, whilst the Magpies signed Odysseas Vlachodimos – the third-choice goalkeeper on Trentside.
Anderson has featured in both of the friendlies played by Forest so far; a win over Chesterfield and a draw against Sunderland on Friday evening.
At 21-years-old he looks like a signing with one eye on the future and his arrival has been part of a new recruitment model that sees the Reds focus on signing talented players with bags of energy.
Anderson has been training with his teammates for a number of weeks and it appears as though he’s impressing his peers on the training pitch and he might be set to star at the City Ground.
Harry Toffolo sends message to Elliot Anderson after training with him at Forest
The Reds have headed to Spain every year since they returned to the Premier League and the team still has games against Millwall and Elche to look forward to at the Pinatar Arena.
Toffolo is going to fight for a place in the team with Ola Aina and Omar Richards this season with Forest now boasting a number of options at left-back.
He’s been so impressed with Anderson since his arrival at the City Ground and has now taken to Instagram to praise one aspect of his game.
The player signed from Huddersfield for £2.5 million in the summer of 2022, posted to Anderson on Instagram: “Great work ethic mate.”
Anderson is clearly a good trainer and that might make him the sort of player who can impress Nuno Espirito Santo and quickly hold down a place in the team on a regular basis.
Newcastle players praise Elliot Anderson
Although the players within the Forest dressing room aren’t overly familiar with Anderson just yet – the same can’t be said for Newcastle stars.
They’ve seen it all before and Bruno Guimaraes praised him last pre-season after a win over Brighton.
He told Chronicle Live: “I’m happy for Elliot Anderson, he’s a good player and a good moment. It was a good way for him to finish our pre-season campaign out here.”
Eddie Howe would have liked to have kept him at Newcastle too, it would seem.
In April, he told TNT Sports: “Elliot Anderson was excellent, he’s been trying to burst into the team and stay there.”
Former Newcastle player Shay Given spoke of his disappointment that Newcastle had been forced to sell Anderson during the summer.
Finally, Allan Saint-Maximin posted ‘What a player’ on Anderson’s message on Instagram following a strong pre-season showing last season too.
Anderson will bring energy and guile to Forest team
Ryan Yates is a player in the Forest dressing room who much like Anderson at Newcastle, is living the dream by playing for his boyhood club.
Yates is often praised for his application to training and matches – and now it looks as though he has a man trying to prise the top trainer crown from his head.
Anderson was nicknamed the ‘Geordie Maradona’ at St James’ Park and he will want to quickly impress the Forest fans too.
At 21, the future is bright for the youngster and he will have moved to Forest with one eye on playing regularly – something he didn’t always do at Newcastle.
His ability on the ball and commitment to the cause won’t go unnoticed on Trentside and it’s a real positive that he’s working desperately hard in training.
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