Eddie Howe names the former Newcastle star he would 'LOVE' to re-sign - just 16 months after his surprise departure

Eddie Howe has revealed he would 'love' to have Elliot Anderson back at Newcastle, labelling the Geordie a 'precious' talent.

The Nottingham Forest midfielder returns to St James' Park as an England starter this weekend, 16 months on from a sale Howe admits 'does not sit right'.

Newcastle were facing a points deduction for breaching the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules in June of last year when, against their wishes, they sold academy product Anderson for £35m. 

In effect, Forest paid only £15m, given goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos moved in the opposite direction for £20m.

Howe has watched the 22-year-old develop into one of the country's finest midfielders and hopes to be re-united with him one day on Tyneside.

'I don't know (if that will happen), but certainly from my perspective I would love him to,' said Howe when asked if he could see Anderson make a return.

'I'm very respectful of the fact he is at another football club and I would never normally talk about a player in that way. 

'I won't change that stance but yes, it is very regretful a player from the academy who had given so much - and the club had given so much to, the coaching staff, all those years here and how people tried to develop those talents - for him not to be utilised here is a real shame.'

Of the deal, Howe said: 'We knew the minute it was going to happen, or likely to happen, that we were massively selling him at a big discount. But the position we were in, we weren't in a very strong negotiating position at all. 

'It was that or a points deduction. We had no choice but to make the sale, but it was not one we wanted to do. It didn't sit right with me then and doesn't sit right with me today, that we as a football club were forced to make a decision that we didn't want to make.'

Anderson has starred in a deeper role at Forest, but Howe believes he can thrive in several positions.

'It is very difficult to define one position for him,' he said. 'There are not many players I can say that about. He has got unique strengths. He is very good deeper, but I can definitely see him playing higher up as an 8 or a 10, because he is very good in central areas. 

'But he's also good wide, like he was for us at wide left. He's a very talented technical player and can do anything he wants with the ball. Those players are very precious.