How Lewis Miley Can Avoid Elliot Anderson’s Fate At Newcastle United

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 29: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall of Everton runs with the ball whilst under pressure from Lewis Miley of Newcastle United during the Premier League match between Everton and Newcastle United at Hill Dickinson Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Ben Roberts – Danehouse/Getty Images)

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Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe says he is “determined” for midfielder Lewis Miley to have a strong future at Newcastle United and doesn’t want him to leave the club like Elliot Anderson did.

Miley, 19, made a rare start at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, replacing the rested Sandro Tonali. He assisted the opening goal for Malick Thiaw and will hope to keep his place when Tottenham Hotspur visit St James’ Park on Tuesday night.

But given Tonali’s importance, it is hard not to see him returning to the team, meaning Miley is far from guaranteed a place. Last summer, there was a lot of speculation over his future as he searches for regular first team football.

Fellow Newcastle academy graduate Anderson was forced to leave for just £35m ($46m) in the summer of 2024 due to the threat of a Profit and Sustainability Rule breach and potential Premier League points deduction, joining Nottingham Forest.

Since then, Anderson has thrived, becoming a regular in Thomas Tuchel’s England team and being linked with a £100m ($132m) move to Manchester United or Manchester City.

Howe, who has stated his desire to bring Anderson back to Newcastle, hopes Miley can reach similar heights while playing for the club despite competition from the likes of Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes.

“I think there are definite parallels there between Lewy and Elliot, although they’ve had different journeys,” Howe said. “The Elliot situation I’ve commented on a lot, and probably shouldn’t comment on that anymore but I think from Lewy’s perspective, I am determined to keep him here.

“I am determined for him to have the career at Newcastle that I think he can have and have the effect he can have long-term and become synonymous really with the football club for many years to come. That’s my hope and my wish.”

But Howe insisted only Miley himself can truly impact where his future lies.

“Lewis will be the determining factor in that in terms of how much he wants to be here, how his career continues to develop, what he gives to his training and development,” Howe added.

“I think he showcased his skills really well on Saturday and what he’s capable of doing. The confidence levels needed to execute that are very high and I think he delivered a really good performance and played really well with the players around him.”

Elliot Anderson’s development should serve as Lewis Miley warning for Newcastle United

First of all, Eddie Howe is right to point out that there are clear differences between Elliot Anderson’s situation and Lewis Miley’s.

Anderson was sold out of necessity rather than choice, at a very desperate point for Newcastle. Whatever choice the club made at that point would have been difficult to accept.

But the issue has been exacerbated by Anderson’s incredible rise at Forest. He is likely to start for England at next summer’s World Cup and his stock has risen so much that he would be a huge asset to Newcastle were he still at the club.

Anderson was not a first team regular at Newcastle before, often playing in multiple positions. That lack of definition made it hard for him to usurp the first choice midfielders, and it is difficult to argue against the fact he needed to leave to become the player he is today.

Miley could look at that and sense a need to find a similar platform, but another key difference is he is already establishing himself in a way Anderson wasn’t, as the performance at Everton showed.

While he needs to continue improving, Howe must also back him to play a more critical role in Newcastle’s future. If he does that, a local star will be able to shine where he belongs.