Who is new Sunderland signing Joe Anderson?

Get the lowdown on Joe Anderson after his move to Sunderland.

Sunderland added to their growing collection of young players in January with Joe Anderson arriving from Everton.

The 21-year-old signed a three-and-a-half year deal at Sunderland with the club having an option for another 12 months on top. 

The deal followed the recent pattern of Sunderland targeting players in established academies yet still just one level below a Premier League breakthrough.

That means that, as is often the case with Sunderland signings, he is a player with whom fans will be unfamiliar.

Who is Joe Anderson?

Joe Anderson has been at the Everton academy since he was 15, and has signed two professional deals in that time.

He is a left-footed and can also cover at left-back if required. He is also the captain of the Everton under-21s.

The most recent contract extension Anderson signed was only last summer, which shows Everton see some real potential in him.

At the time of that extension, Everton Director of Football Kevin Thelwell said: “Joe has been with us since the age of 15 and his attitude and progression in that time have been very impressive.

“We have a clear plan for Joe to continue his development with us and look forward to helping him fulfil his potential.”

Anderson is yet to make a first-team appearance in his career, but he has trained regularly with the senior Everton squad over the years.

Joe Anderson style of play

Anderson is very comfortable on the ball with his left foot, sufficiently so that Everton originally signed him as a midfielder.

A growth spurt saw him develop the height to play centre-back though and Everton decided that was where his future lay.

That decision was heavily influenced by former Everton and England defender David Unsworth, who saw a lot of himself in Anderson.

As such, he has developed into something of a ball-playing centre-back who is happy to pass it out from the back.

“With every training session and every game, I feel I’m improving on the defensive side of my game,” Anderson told evertonfc.com.

“On the ball, I know I can play. I’ve worked hard on getting better defensively.

“Unsy has helped me a lot in training on areas like my positional play and dealing with crosses.

“When we can, he encourages us a lot to play out, too. We do work on it a lot in training when we’re working on team shape.

“When I'm on the ball, the first thing I look to do is look for people further up the pitch – and if that’s not on, then I’ll play into midfield or out wide.

“There are some games when you’d love to play out but sometimes it’s not on. You have to adapt.”

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