As much as they want to, it will not be easy for Newcastle United to re-sign Elliot Anderson.
Having sold him in 2024, Geordie Boot Boys understand that Newcastle United want to sign Anderson and bring him back to St James’ Park.
That is going to be extremely difficult, however, as Nottingham Forest want £100million for Anderson. On top of that, he is undoubtedly not available in January.
The fact the Magpies want him back and his price is so high is testament to his performances at the City Ground. Anderson has been outstanding for Forest, making it all the more painful that Newcastle do not have a buyback clause for him.
The reason why appears to be lost on Ben Foster, who has taken aim at the Magpies amid speculation over Anderson’s future.
Ben Foster questions why Newcastle United have no buyback option for Elliot Anderson
Following a report that Forest want £100million for Anderson, former Premier League goalkeeper Ben Foster has spoken about the 23-year-old on TalkSPORT.
In response to Sam Quek stating that Newcastle United do not have a buyback clause for their academy graduate, Foster asked a strange question.
“Do you think that’s a bit sloppy from Newcastle not having that inserted?” he asked.
Despite Foster’s question, there was no sloppiness from Newcastle United when it came to selling Anderson for £35million.
While they would have loved to include a buyback clause, the simple truth is they couldn’t. They were negotiating from a position of weakness, desperately attempting to bring in enough money to comply with PSR.
Not only were Newcastle not in a position to force Forest to accept a buyback clause, they also had to buy Odysseas Vlachodimos for £20million. That was despite the fact the Greek goalkeeper was worth nothing close to that figure, going on to make just one appearance for Eddie Howe’s side.
Foster may call it ‘sloppy’, but not including a buyback clause was not an oversight for Newcastle United. It simply was not an option.
Eddie Howe knew Newcastle United were selling Elliot Anderson cheaply
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe recently spoke about selling Anderson before the Magpies’ game against Nottingham Forest in October.
The Toon boss admitted that he knew as soon as the deal was done that Forest had got themselves a bargain, which highlighted the weak negotiating position the club found themselves in.
“We knew that [Anderson was sold cheaply],” he said.
“We knew that the minute that it was going to happen, or likely to happen. We were massively selling him at a big discount but the position we were in, we weren’t in a very strong negotiating position at all.
“It was that or a points deduction, so I’ve said many times, we had no choice but to make the sale.”
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