Elliot Anderson has just been agreed to by Nottingham for a move to Man City. The contract value is about 116 million pounds excluding surcharges. According to The Athletic, the maximum amount could be up to 130 million pounds, making Anderson the most expensive English player in history.
On June 26 (local time), the England national team midfielder will have a medical examination right in the US because he is participating in the 2026 World Cup with the "Three Lions". Thus, immediately after the World Cup ends, Anderson will not return to City Ground anymore, he can immediately go to Etihad to prepare for the new season.
On June 10, Man City made a £106 million offer but was rejected by Nottingham. Since joining Nottingham for a £35 million contract from Newcastle, Anderson has played 92 matches, scored 4 goals and had 4 assists. On his journey to the US right now, Anderson has been a starter in both of the "Three Lions"' first 2 matches against Croatia and Ghana. This shows the undeniable value of the 24-year-old midfielder.
The sale of Anderson to Man City can be considered historic for Nottingham. They once bought Roy Keane from Cobh Ramblers for £47,000 in 1990. Then, the former C1 champion sold the Irish star to Man United for £3.75 million. This is still Nottingham's most memorable deal against Anderson because Keane is a very big symbol in Man United's colors.
Elliot Anderson has made a spectacular transformation in his playing career. He is a young talent of Newcastle but could not show himself. Later, this midfielder was loaned to Bristol Rovers in 2022, when he was playing in League Two. In this shirt, Anderson exploded with 7 goals and 6 assists after 21 matches, helping Bristol promote to League One, and he also won the EFL Player of the Year award in 2022.
After that, Anderson was called back by Newcastle, playing 44 more matches, including appearances in the UEFA Champions League. Due to strict financial regulations, The Magpies were forced to sell this talent in July 2024 to Nottingham for £35 million. No one thought that at that time, just 2 years later, he had helped Nottingham earn about £100 million in profit.
Currently, in the defensive midfielder position, English football has almost no domestic star better than Anderson. In the past season with Nottingham in the Premier League, he had an average of 2.8 dribbles/90 minutes (2nd highest in the league). Anderson also had an average of 8.3 passes back to 1/3 of the opponent's field every 90 minutes (4th highest).
Anderson accounts for 14% of Nottingham Forest's total touches in the Premier League season 2025-2026. This is a higher rate than any other player. This midfielder has good anti-pressing ability, often chooses accurate passes and is a threat in the attacking area. He finished the season with 4 goals and 4 assists. This is an impressive number for the lowest midfielder.
With Man City, they are always eager to own a midfielder like Anderson. After parting ways with Bernardo Silva, The Citizens really want to recruit a player who can hold the ball and make many direct passes into the opponent's center. Not only that, when Rodri is gradually losing form but Nico Gonzalez still cannot meet the requirements, Anderson is the solid shield for the defense system at the Etihad stadium.
In the match between Man City and Nottingham in March, Anderson made a strong impression when he scored a beautiful goal, contributing to the 2-2 draw.
In recent years, Man City has spent money to recruit many stars in midfield but few have met the requirements to replace the influence of the legendary 2023 generation. One of the reasons is that new stars do not play in the Premier League and often show signs of being overwhelmed. Therefore, recruiting a player who is familiar with the English football environment like Anderson is a priority for The Citizens and they have spared no expense to achieve their goal.
