A flurry of EFL clubs are queuing up to sign a player who has been compared to greats such as Diego Maradona and Paul Gascoigne and who has been referred to as football's version of 'Billy Elliot'.
The player in question is Elliot Anderson, the teenage Newcastle midfielder. Still only 19 and with only 23 senior appearances to his name, Anderson has quickly become one of the most sought-after players for clubs below the Premier League as they each look to win the race for his signature - albeit on a temporary basis for the coming season.
He first came to the fore in early 2021, making his senior debut aged just 18 against Arsenal. But it was only a year later when people truly began to sit up and take notice. Newcastle's decision to sanction a loan deal for Anderson to spend the second half of last season at League Two side Bristol Rovers would largely have gone unnoticed in what was a typically busy transfer window.
But over the course of the next three months, the midfielder would play a pivotal role in helping the Gas seal promotion. The climax of their campaign arrived on the very final day in a scarcely-believable 7-0 win over Scunthorpe to seal the most unexpected of promotions. He finished the campaign with seven goals and six assists from 21 appearances.
“Billy, they’ve called him,” Joey Barton, the Rovers manager and former Newcastle midfielder said at one point last season. “A Geordie Boy, a bit of a ballerina.”
Of course, it was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the title character in the smash-hit 2000 film Billy Elliot, set in the North-East about a working-class boy who discovers a passion for ballet.
Others who have witnessed Anderson's qualities up close include former Newcastle chief scout Graham Carr, who likened him to Peter Beardsley, whilst youth coaches say his talents remind them of Gascoigne. The biggest praise of the lot, however, came from Barton, who back in March said: "I’ve been listening to Bill Shankly tapes a lot.
"He talked a lot about a 19-year-old Diego Maradona and how he slows down in the penalty area, exactly like Elliot Anderson does. "Such a talent."
The question now is how Newcastle best harness that talent. Had it not been for their Saudi-backed takeover last season, you sense the feeling he would almost certainly have been given an extended run in the first team by now. But it seems as though Anderson is destined for another loan, with a temporary switch to a Championship club most likely, although The Athletic claims 'tons' of EFL clubs are sniffing around.
For now, the youngster is back with his parent side and involved in pre-season training. Magpies manager Eddie Howe has spoken highly of Anderson, recently saying: "We’ll certainly bring him back for pre-season and have a closer look at him. He’ll be involved in the pre-season games. We’ll make a decision then on whether or not he needs another loan or stays with us."
Of his successful stay at Bristol, Howe added: "I’ve said many times, I didn’t necessarily want to pitch him to League Two, we felt he was better than that level but due to one reason or another, that’s the level he ended up at. He’s excelled.
"It’s very difficult as a young player to go out and really make a difference but he’s not just done that, he’s made an incredible difference to Bristol Rovers. What an experience for him, one he’ll always remember I’m sure and something he’ll look back on fondly at the end of hopefully a very successful career.”
