Newcastle United are ‘excited’ to have Elliot Anderson back at the club with the youngster set to be given a chance in pre-season. The 19-year-old impressed while on loan at Bristol Rovers last season, and Toon boss Eddie Howe is set to take a closer look at his first-team credentials.
The forward hit eight goals during his loan spell, including the one that sent Bristol Rovers up to League One, and his time at the Memorial Stadium is an example of a loan deal that proved beneficial for all parties. Newcastle’s loan manager, Shola Ameobi, has been impressed with Anderson’s form, and with Dan Ashworth now in place as Sporting Director is hoping for similar successes next season.
“Elliott, we helped facilitate and put him in the best position we can," Ameobi told Chronicle Live, "but then he has to go and do it, and he has shown that he has that mentality and quality to play at a very high level. We're excited as a club to have him back and see where he is at.
“The manager is going to have a look at him in the preseason. We want more of that, and with Dan coming in, the more we can get those quality players into the building like Elliot Anderson and Kell Watts, the more we will be able to produce players who can hopefully step into the first team.”
LISTEN - THE INTRODUCTION TO DAN ASHWORTH
Like Anderson, Watts achieved promotion last season with his loan side - Wigan Athletic, while Matty Longstaff's temporary move to Mansfield Town ended in a play-off final defeat. Ameobi believes all three moves were a success.
With the transfer window now open and the season beginning in less than two months, the work on finding loan deals for players has already begun. Ashworth’s track record at Brighton in sorting out successful temporary deals is something Ameobi is keen to tap into.
“That's already started,” he said when asked about weighing up potential loan moves. “There's no respite. We've probably had a week off at the end of the season and we are right back at it.
“This season starts as the last one ended. [We’re] In the planning stage, Dan has come in and now he needs to sit down and look at how we are going to do that, along with recruitment and the manager as well.
“I’m really excited to get the ball rolling on that but the process of looking for teams which could be suitable for our players has already begun.
“This is my club, and this is the first time in a long time that we've felt we are trying to move the needle in terms of where we're at as a club and where want to get to. There's a sense of hope and optimism that breeds that. It's really exciting.”
With Anderson the shining example of how well loan deals can go, Ameobi is keen to secure other positive deals for the club’s youngsters but as a man who came through the youth ranks and went on to have a 14-year career at the club, is clear that any success is down to the talents of the players.
“I want to help not just the kids but the first team, all the players, as much as I can. I want to facilitate their growth and development but ultimately it is down to the player.
“The success a player has is down to his determination and ambition. I will never take any of that credit because I know how hard it has been as a player myself.
“It is really nice to see a young player from Newcastle do what Anderson has done, I know how hard it is, and for me, that is what gives me the juice to be able to go 'we are doing something right he and helping our young kids hopefully make their way.'”
Take away his role at the club and the time he spent in black and white, Ameobi is just like any other fan. He’s excited for the future under the new owners and also harnesses the same dreams as most other fans do.
That’s from seeing the club challenge at the right end of the table, but also to see youngsters from the city and region come through as he did, the youth ranks to the first team. The very fact that despite the wealth the club has now, fans are excited at the prospect of seeing the likes of Anderson break into the first team, is in Ameobi’s view ‘special.’
“Newcastle fans want to see their own out there on the pitch, and that has always been a staple of the club. They want to see lads who have come from the streets of the city.
“It's very special to the club and it doesn't happen at every club, it's very unique. I think we are one of the clubs, the kids [now] who come to this club have an opportunity to do something special and play a part in what is being built.
“For me, that was the case. I want that for the rest of the boys who are potentially coming through.
“It's going to be even more difficult because of where we want to go as a club but that shouldn't stop us trying to show we have those facilities to hopefully facilitate those players coming through. That should always be at the heart of who we are as a club and I'm sure it will be going forward.”
