In-form striker expresses shock at Newcastle United £35m deal as manager confirms decision over loan star

Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood has expressed his surprise over the summer deal that saw former Newcastle United team-mate Elliot Anderson join him at the City Ground.

New Zealand international Wood left St James Park to join the two-time European Cup winners on loan in January 2023 before securing a permanent move during the following summer. Over the course of his time at Forest, the 33-year-old has scored 30 goals in 66 appearances and is currently enjoying one of the most prolific seasons in his career as his form has catapulted Nuno Espirito Santos’ side into contention for a European place.

The summer addition of Magpies academy graduate Anderson has been just as integral to Forest’s improvement this season after Newcastle’s battle with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations meant they reluctantly accepted a deal believed to be worth around £35m for the England Under-21 international. Anderson has impressed during his time with Forest and grabbed the first Premier League goal of his career in their recent 3-2 win against relegation threatened Southampton.

Wood reflected on the deal that saw him reunited with his former Magpies transfer window and admitted Forest were ‘very lucky’ to be handed the opportunity to secure the signing of a player he rates highly.

He told FourFourTwo: "I knew straight away that he was going to be a terrific player for us. It was interesting to see him leave Newcastle because I knew how much he was valued up there, by the fans and by the people around the club. Obviously, things have to be done at certain stages of transfer windows, and we were very lucky to get him. He’s already shown his quality. The Forest supporters love him already and he’s got so much more to achieve here."

Championship manager confirmed January decision over Magpies defender

Newcastle United defender Harrison Ashby has been told what he must do to impress during the second half of a loan spell with Championship club Queens Park Rangers.

Two years have passed since the Magpies signed the promising full-back from West Ham and Ashby was unveiled to the St James Park crowd alongside fellow new addition Anthony Gordon on the same night Eddie Howe’s men saw off Southampton in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. Speaking at the time, the Magpies boss expressed his delighted over the signing and revealed he had high hopes for the three-times capped Scotland Under-21 international.

"We are delighted to sign him,” Howe said. "He has very good attributes so we are looking forward to working with him in this exciting new chapter of his career."

After spending his first six months on Tyneside featuring for United’s Under-21s, Ashby spent the entirety of last season on loan at Swansea City and made 16 appearances across all competitions for the Championship club. The 23-year-old was handed another chance in the second tier when he joined QPR on a season-long loan in the final days of the summer transfer window and has experienced mixed fortunes during his time at Loftus Road.

Despite suffering with some below-par performances in recent weeks, Ashby has been given the unwavering support of manager Marti Cifuentes and could be handed an even bigger opportunity to shine after fellow right-back Hevertton Santos closed in on a loan deal with Portuguese club Vitoria SC. After making 14 starts out of his 25 appearances for the West London club, Ashby has earned Cifuentes ‘full confidence’ and has been backed to improve over the remainder of the season.

He told West London Sport: “He’s a fantastic guy, I have a lot of trust in him and think that he has a really high ceiling. As I always say to him, he is capable of performing at a really high level and the part he needs to improve is that he needs to be more, let’s say, stable. I have full confidence in him.”

Ashby will be back in action on Saturday when Cifuentes’ side travel to Millwall.