Elliot Anderson Stats: How Nottingham Forest are benefitting from PSR-enforced transfer

It couldn’t have been easy for Newcastle fans had they switched on Monday Night Football. As they rued their own defeat to Brighton on Saturday, they then had to watch one of their own put on a display that was very much the reason they were so desperate to keep him. Elliot Anderson really turned it on.  

In Nottingham Forest colours, there was a moment that has since gone viral. He effortlessly escaped an impromptu Crystal Palace rondo, glided coolly past defenders around him and into the attacking third. A rebound fell to him soon after, and with quick feet, he took on three defenders before his shot was saved. Had it gone in, it could have been a Goal of the Season contender. 

At Newcastle, there were flashes of this brilliance as you would naturally find in a young, talented player, but it was inconsistent. Anderson, with his broad shoulders and nimble feet, showed huge potential at St James' Park following his promotion to the first team, but a back injury in October sidelined him for 25 games last season. Then he was sold to Forest. Anderson never fully hit his stride with his boyhood club, but what was Newcastle's loss is now Forest's gain. And if he continues his rich vein of form, it's a deal that will look ever-more sour for the Magpies. Now onto the more controversial aspect of the deal. 

Elliot Anderson Transfer Value - how much is he worth now? 

According to FootballTransfer's Player Valuation Model, Anderson has a current Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of  €32m. Forest paid €40m for the attacker at the time, which was seen, quite frankly, as overpaying. Our ETV of Anderson at the time had him ranked at €20m, which would mean that Forest paid double his actual value. 

With PSR, there were some eyebrows raised and a theory put forward that the deal was in place so Newcastle could evade punishment from the Premier League. This is particularly true as Odysseas Vlachodimos left Forest and went to Newcastle for €23.6m soon after, making him more expensive than Nick Pope and the most they have ever spent on a goalkeeper to date. 

What does Elliot Anderson bring to the table? 

"Elliot was very sad for us because he was a player that we loved," reflected Eddie Howe during the summer after Newcastle made the sale. "Everyone here at Newcastle has worked so hard to develop him and his talents. Through PSR the club has been forced into a decision. It didn’t sit comfortably with me but we had no choice." 

Anderson was a player of Howe's own heart. He is tenacious, young at just 21 years old, and extremely adaptable. He makes a high volume of carries and defensive contributions. He operates almost like a deep-lying No.8, a player whose role it is to get creative in the final third, but can also forge turnovers beyond the halfway line.  

Anderson’s dribbling skills and ability to find space in the opposition penalty area are clear strengths, though his shooting and crossing still need brushing up on. Even still, Forest have the framework of a real star right there in him.  Nuno Espirito Santos’ tactics are very transition-ordinated, with Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga the driving force behind this. Anderson offers an attacking impetus but also a rock between the pair. 

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He is given a free roam role to help both men on the flanks and we saw that in action against Palace. 

Anderson picked up a WhoScored rating of 8.65 rating against the Eagles in Forest's 1-0 win and was even picked us the Premier League Player of the Week. He completed six dribbles, made five key passes, as well as four shots. It's the early stages of the season but Anderson has averaged 2.2 successful dribbles per 90 minutes, as well as 1.8 shots in that time and an expected assists (xA) of 0.13. 

Anderson, quite remarkably, is almost looking a steal for the money that Forest had paid for him. So, yes. Look away, Newcastle fans. It's all downhill from here in terms of seeing your local lad thrive at another Premier League club. And it really seems like your boy is just getting started.

This article was provided by FootballTransfers