Eddie Howe has suggested he will only keep Elliot Anderson at Newcastle United for the 2022/23 campaign if he will play and contribute – amid interest from Sheffield Wednesday, West Bromwich Albion, and others.

The 19-year-old caught the eye during an impressive loan spell at Bristol Rovers in the second half of last season – scoring eight times and providing five assists as he helped the Gas win promotion to League One.

Now back at Newcastle, Anderson is drawing plenty of interest from the EFL. Wednesday and Sunderland are among the third tier clubs reportedly keen while Huddersfield Town, Luton Town, and West Brom have been touted with an interest from the Championship.

The attacking midfielder has been involved with Howe's first team during pre-season as the Magpies boss runs the rule over him with a view to deciding whether to keep him in the squad for 2022/23 or sanction another loan move.

Speaking to Yorkshire Live, the Newcastle manager has provided a fresh update on Anderson's situation.

He said: “He did well again. I thought he showed an ability to turn in those tight areas, it was a congested pitch centrally. I thought he did really well a couple of times without being able to force the last pass that we wanted.

"Nothing’s clear at this point. He’s in and around the group. He’s not looking out of place. In that company, that’s saying something.

"We’ll do what’s best for us and Elliot. When I say us I mean the team and the club. "I think if we feel he’ll play minutes, we’ll keep him.

"If he won’t play and contribute, we’ll loan him."

The Verdict

Howe has made his stance clear on the Anderson and there's good and bad news here for the chasing pack.

The attacking midfielder has impressed him but the Newcastle boss is not going to keep him at the North East club just to make up the numbers next season.

It's going to be about how much he can actually contribute and where he is in the pecking order.

With that in mind, it seems likely that Anderson could be kept around until Howe feels like he's got enough attacking options in his squad and then loaned out late in the window.