Newcastle United transfer truth emerges after Elliot Anderson selection plan was torn up

Eddie Howe admits that he could not guarantee that Elliot Anderson would have enjoyed the run of games he has for Nottingham Forest this season had the head coach got his transfer wish to keep the player last June.

The Newcastle United boss wanted to make it clear that Anderson was a player that "nobody" really wanted to sell last June. But the Magpies were cornered by the then PSR health check deadline which was looming - and failure to sell the Geordie boy would have resulted in a points deduction.

However, had Anderson stayed, he would have found himself in a fierce battle for positions across the midfield three, something Howe is already finding difficult to resolve. Whether he would have been able to squeeze Anderson into one of the wider attacking slots, something the 22-year-old has done at Forest this season, is also debatable.

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So far this season Anderson has been used by Nuno Espírito Santo in a defensive midfield role, left wing slot and attacking midfield. But perhaps breaking up a potentially lethal partnership between Anderson and his best mate at the club Anthony Gordon is what hurts Howe the most.

When asked if he would have received more or less opportunities at Newcastle had he stayed, Howe told Chronicle Live: "It's difficult to say. You are never quite sure how the season is going to unfold. For us we loved Elliot. He was slightly different again whichever position you look at. As a midfielder or a winger he is slightly different. One of the things we really liked was his adaptability to play in different positions.

"And also to use those qualities from an attacking perspective. We used him at the back end of last season in key games and he did brilliant in defensive roles for us. This enabled us to play in different ways in different games so he was adaptable, and technically excellent but he will be a regular goalscorer in the Premier League in the future."

When asked again why Newcastle agreed to sell the star for £35million, with England honours surely around the corner, Howe said: "Elliot was a sale that nobody internally wanted to make. Nobody wanted to make the sale but we had to. That one was in a very unusual place because it will be happening again, not just here but at other football clubs. Where players are sold for financial reasons.

"It's something that hasn't been done a lot in football history in the game unless you are under financial restrictions where in which case you have to sell. But in terms of a club that has financial backing but has to sell because of financial rules that's new. Chris Wood's sale was slightly different because we were thinking of Chris.

"We had Alexander Isak, Callum Wilson and Chris, three experienced strikers that would all want to play. Chris felt he wanted that opportunity to play and we reluctantly agreed to that. But as I say there was no ill feeling it was all with each other's blessing. You have to sell players and trade in the modern environment."

Inevitably, Howe was also quizzed on Chris Wood's form and given he has netted eight goals this season the striker's sale, to some fans, now looks questionable given Callum Wilson's lack of fitness.

Howe said: "I am delighted for Chris on a personal level because for me it was never lost how well he played for us. He did everything but score in terms of his positive performances were so important in our efforts to stay in the Premier League, especially that first season when he joined. The work he did and the unseen things, other players being brought into play. If you ask his team-mates who played with him in that season.

"He was one of the reasons why we changed our position in the league and win consistently. He just didn't get the goals that elevated his performances and got the wider world talking about his part in the transformation we made with our team.

"He was selfless and team orientated and that's why now he is getting the accolades he is getting on an individual level that his goals have brought him. I am delighted for him, great lad who had a good time with his."