The primary headlines for Newcastle United throughout the summer transfer window have circulated on the team’s efforts to bring in new talent to help prepare the club for its upcoming Champions League tournament appearance.
However, instead of looking on the outside, they may be able to look internally as young midfielder Elliot Anderson has received high praise for his play throughout the team’s summer friendlies.
Everyone who has come into contact with Anderson, whether they are a current or former player, has had one common thing to say about the 20-year-old: he has the potential to be one of the Premier League’s best in the coming years.
Newcastle United has loved his production and Bristol Rovers, where he was loaned to in 2022, believed that he could be a football great by the end of his career.
More recently, the club played against Aston Villa in their summer tour and he shined, scoring a goal. His goal was the first of the game which came from a clean finish past Emi Martinez and Ezri Konsa.
After he knocked the ball into the back netting, former Magpie midfielder Joey Barton praised the youngster on Twitter.
“Going to be some player this boy,” he typed when retweeting the goal.
But the praise did not stop there as outgoing transfer winger Allan Saint-Maximin hyped up Anderson’s contributions on the pitch.
“What a player,” he posted on his Instagram account in reference to the midfielder.
These claims have only been backed up by his play on the pitch, given it has been very limited.
In the 2022-23 season, his most memorable performance came against
He had a phenomenal performance against Nottingham Forest back on March 17, where the youngster came just inches away from finding his first Premier League goal before it was overturned by VAR review.
However, after the contest came to a close, former Premier League referees deemed that the overturned call was unwarranted and that Anderson was not actually offsides.
Unfortunately, Anderson continues to look for his first Premier League goal.
Now, even with him playing well throughout the summer window, Newcastle could move on from him as the team looks to keep the team in tip-top shape for a Champions League run.
They already have a sizeable midfield with the likes of Sandro Tonali, Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes, Sean Longstaff and Joe Willock, so the room to break through into the rotation is slim.
His most likely future sees the team either loan him away or keep him as a depth player for the coming season. With the team competing in high-level competition in the 2023-24 season, having the available pieces to fill in when needed will be important.
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While Saint-Maximin prepares to leave, and the Magpies continue to prepare for the coming season, Anderson could be setting himself up for a special season on Tyneside if his summer play continues.