Newcastle United sporting director Ross Wilson has spoken out about Elliot Anderson, at a time when the Magpies want to bring him back to Tyneside.
Ever since his £35million move to Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United fans have dreamed of Elliot Anderson returning.
Those dreams exist within St James’ Park too, with Newcastle interested in re-signing Anderson for a Toon reunion.
It has been reported that Anderson would be interested in a return to Newcastle, while the situation becomes even more intriguing when you remember sporting director Ross Wilson worked with the midfielder at Nottingham Forest.
Wilson was the man who brought Anderson to Nottingham Forest, and now Toon fans will hope he can sign the 23-year-old for the second time in his career.
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Ross Wilson hails ‘outstanding’ Newcastle United target Elliot Anderson
That will be extremely difficult, especially given Anderson’s rise over the past 12 months.
He has kicked on massively, becoming one of the Premier League’s best midfielders and a starter for England ahead of the World Cup.
While that has stunned plenty of onlookers, it is no surprise to Wilson, who has spoken about Anderson during an interview with the Athletic.
“Everyone knows what he can do now,” he said.
“If you were to say a year ago that Elliot would be one of the best in the Premier League, a starter for England and can go wherever he likes in his career, some would have said yes. The others? They wouldn’t have understood his level.
“Everyone at Newcastle and Forest knows the quality of the boy. He is an outstanding boy and a top human being.”
Elliot Anderson is the exact type of signing Ross Wilson is trying to avoid at Newcastle United
While it would be a dream to have Anderson back at St James’ Park, it is the type of signing that the Magpies want to avoid under Ross Wilson.
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“We have tried to utilise the foreign market without probably having the expertise in previous seasons that we need to make consistently good decisions in those markets.
“I think Ross will give us all of that. I think he will use his vast experience and build up his team and his method of work.”
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With how good he has become, Forest are in a position to demand a huge amount of money. It has been reported that Anderson could cost £100million, which is surely way too much for the Magpies to pay.
Instead, Newcastle should look further afield for players with potential in less inflated markets. That is the plan, with Wilson changing Newcastle’s transfer strategy.
A player like Anderson would walk into the Newcastle XI and have an immediate impact, but it makes more financial sense to target a prospect like Kees Smit or Kevin Danois, two players who are on Newcastle’s radar.