Bristol Rovers face battle to keep Elliot Anderson as fourth Championship club shows interest

Bristol Rovers’ task of keeping hold of Elliot Anderson next season became harder after another Championship club joined the race to sign him.

The 19-year-old has become one of the hottest properties in English football after making an immediate impact at the Memorial Stadium.

Signed on deadline day of the January window, Anderson wasn’t Rovers’ first choice but he has defied expectations and become a key player under Joey Barton.

But there is now a feeling that Rovers are consigned to not seeing him turn out for the club again beyond this season.

His performances have earned the interest of clubs in the Championship with Nottingham Forest, Preston North End, and Queens Park Rangers interested.

But now another team wants to take a look at Anderson, with a report from The Sun, published by experienced journalist Alan Nixon, saying that Millwall are the latest side to take an interest in the highly coveted teenager.

It adds that Millwall are making the biggest case to Newcastle and their manager Gary Rowett has been impressed by his performances.

Asked earlier this month about his hopes of retaining Anderson, Barton said: “I think at the level above you might have a sniff.

“That’s the horrible thing as a coach because we could have a really good team in League One or if we’re in League Two next year we could lose lots of our players.

“For El, I think if you get sent from a Premier League club to League Two, he’s been getting loads of rave reviews, so he’ll be aware of it but to get anywhere near Newcastle’s first team next season with the money they might have available to them, he needs them goals or assists.”

Newcastle’s first-team manager Eddie Howe has been keeping tabs on Anderson in the midst of trying to keep the Tyneside club in the Premier League. His former manager Kevin Bond is an assistant to Barton and has been providing him with updates on his progression at the club.

No decision has been made as of yet on Anderson and he will return in the summer where he will be assessed, but Howe’s preference is that should they send him out again, it would be to a club in a higher division.

Anderson was on target for the Gas again as he scored their equalising goal in their 3-1 win over Port Vale on Easter Monday, helping them in their goal of promotion out of League Two.

His strike against the Valiants was the sixth goal of his loan spell, whilst he has also provided three assists, in what can be deemed as a successful time away from St James Park.