When completing his January switch from Everton to Sunderland, Joe Anderson was insistent that he made ‘100 per cent the right move’ leaving the Premier League behind for a spell in the Championship.
And the logic in Anderson’s statement was obvious. At the age of 22, the Stalybridge-born centre-half appeared to have missed the boat at Goodison Park, Sunderland offering the kind of regular first-team football that proved out of race on Merseyside.
“(Sunderland) is a massive club,” Anderson told The Chronicle. “The minute I heard they were interested, I just knew it was the right club.
“For the next step in my career, it’s 100 per cent the right move. Then having spoken with the people, Kristjaan (Speakman, sporting director) and others, about the pathway and the structure, it’s phenomenal. The biggest thing here is how much they invest in youth.”
Joe Anderson barely playing at Sunderland after Everton exit
Jack Clarke, Amad Diallo, Ellis Simms, Dan Ballard, Trai Hume, Aji Alese, Dan Neil, Dennis Cirkin and Anthony Patterson – all aged 23 or under – have played key roles in Tony Mowbray’s plans throughout 2022/23.
But it has taken injuries to Ballard and Alese for Anderson to stand a chance of securing a place in the matchday squad. Sunderland have played 10 Championship games since Anderson’s mid-season arrival. But their January signing has only featured on the pitch for five measly minutes.
Mowbray, meanwhile, is not ruling out a loan move away from Wearside for a man who, despite catching the eye in training, is obviously not seen as ready to make his mark in England’s second tier.
“He’s doing really well. He’s training well and he’s got a good personality,” Mowbray explains (Chronicle).
The good news, for Anderson, is that Mowbray knows what he’s doing when it comes to youth development. Fellow centre-half Scott Wharton was farmed out on a series of loans during his time at Blackburn before returning to Ewood Park and cementing his place in Mowbray’s XI.
“For me, he’s a centre half in the same mould as players from my previous club,” Mowbray adds. “Like Scotty Wharton. (Wharton) came back and played in the first team every week.”
“I’m not saying that’s what we’ll do with Joe. But if we get recruitment right and things are going OK through pre-season, we might have that discussion with him.
“See if he wants to go and play 25 games (on loan). And then come back in the New Year and see where we feel he’s at.”
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