Four years after helping Bristol Rovers secure promotion from League Two, Elliot Anderson faces a summer that could be decisive. The player is expected to be one of the key players in the England squad at this summer's World Cup, and his brilliant performances for Nottingham Forest have generated significant transfer interest, making him arguably the most expensive British player ever. At just 23, Anderson has quickly become one of Thomas Tuchel's essential players, having won eight caps this season, just three years after being called up by Scotland.
He is expected to start alongside Declan Rice in the middle of the pitch when England begin their World Cup campaign against Croatia on Wednesday 17 June (kick-off 9pm BST). However, his future at the club remains uncertain, with Nottingham Forest having already turned down a significant offer from Manchester City for Anderson, with owner Evangelos Marinakis expecting a reported fee of £110m.
Anderson was eligible to represent Scotland due to his Glasgow-born grandmother and was selected by Steve Clarke for the Euro 2024 match against Cyprus. However, he retired through injury before opting to play for England, helping the Three Lions win the Under-21 European Championship last summer. Although Liverpool's Harvey Elliott was named player of the tournament - scoring six goals, including the first in the final victory over Germany - Anderson excelled to such an extent that he was chosen in the tournament's best team.
He partnered Bournemouth's Alex Scott in midfield, providing England with a solid base, being particularly impressive in the 3–1 quarter-final victory against Spain, where a game-time penalty sent England into the semi-finals, where they defeated the Netherlands en route to retaining the title in Bratislava.
The summer would be another platform for Anderson, who brought his form to Forest's chaotic season. Despite playing under four managers in a successful fight against relegation, Anderson remained a constant presence. In the 3-0 win over Tottenham in December, which lifted Forest three points above the relegation zone, he created the most chances (three), completed the most passes (38), won possession most often (nine) and made more tackles (six) than any of his team-mates.
His commitment has impressed the coaching staff, and he speaks regularly with coaches to discuss the best way to improve himself and the team. His positioning has also been praised, although his willingness to cover as much ground as possible means he often runs out. Forest see Anderson as a player with the potential to become complete. "It's been a great two years," said Anderson, who moves from Newcastle for £35m in 2024. "I think I've done a good job during the time I've been here, on and off the pitch. I've matured as a person and I'm grateful to the club for giving me that platform, allowing me to do my job. In players' careers, you never know where you'll be. Changing cities is a big career step. It was definitely something I needed to do and it turned out really well. I'm happy I took that step."
His brilliant form has inevitably brought speculation about his future, with links particularly to both Manchester clubs. Anderson scored a superb goal to rescue City from an unlikely point in March and the Blues have long admired the player. Last week, they solidified their interest with an initial proposal, and sources say a new offer is expected. Anderson is at the top of City's list of midfield targets following the departure of captain Bernardo Silva, and his rise is such that they will not be swayed by a fee that could become a record for a British player.
Marinakis is known to be a tough negotiator and it is understood he wants more than the £105m Arsenal paid to sign West Ham midfielder Declan Rice in 2023. BBC Sport previously reported that Anderson is leaning towards a move to City over rivals United. His impressive performances earned him a place in the team of the season in BBC Sport's inaugural football awards.
The statistics are impressive. Among all players in the first division, Anderson had: the most touches on the ball (3,300), won the most duels (297), won the most fouls (80), and won possession the most times (306), both in general and in the midfield (154) and in the defensive zone (127). Among central midfielders, he made the most line-breaking passes (376), completed the most passes in total (2,038) and made the most dribbles (95). He became the first player since Rice in the 2019-20 season to win possession more than 300 times and score more than 100 in a Premier League season. Out of possession, he worked hard too - his 1,895 high-intensity pressures were the most by a central midfielder.
For some, its success comes as no surprise. Former Stoke midfielder Glenn Whelan trained and played with Anderson during his loan at Bristol Rovers in 2022. After joining Pirates on closing day, Anderson made an immediate impact - coming into the game and winning a point-saving penalty in a 1-1 draw against Sutton on his debut. Whelan said: "The coaching staff were a bit apprehensive at the time - Sutton was strong and aggressive and as a teenager, could he cope? He came in and made a difference. He was a game changer.
"The biggest respect I can give Elliot is that he was responsible for promoting us. From the beginning, we could see that he was different. He loves the ball, he faces two, three, four players and after the first game everyone thought: 'we have real talent here'." At just 19, Anderson scored seven goals in 21 appearances to help Rovers secure automatic promotion – including the seventh goal in a shock 7-0 last-round win over Scunthorpe. That left former Aston Villa and Stoke player Whelan in no doubt about what Anderson could achieve. "He's a bit old school, in the way he handles the ball. Where he comes from, people talk about Gazza [Paul Gascoigne] - he's got that in him," the former Northern Ireland international told BBC Sport. "He can dominate games. It's been a difficult season for Forest, but if you put him in a top-four team you'll see an even bigger improvement. You've only seen a small part of the English scene, but he can reach the top. I see him being very successful for England and being a constant presence for years."
The completeness of Anderson's profile stands out in a similar way to that of his English teammate Rice. With Bernardo Silva leaving, City will need reinforcements, and Anderson shares several similarities with the latest version of the City captain. Both played as wingers at senior level, which adds to their ability to withstand pressure from behind, control the ball and advance with it. These are all transferable qualities when playing center, especially on a possession-oriented team. This becomes increasingly valuable in a league where opponents are more willing to press man-to-man and deny midfielders the time to turn.
Anderson moves proactively in midfield, either diagonally away from his marker to ask for the ball, or to open passing lanes for the central defenders to find more advanced players. His intentional movements force a marker to choose between following him and leaving another player free, or maintaining his position and allowing Anderson to receive, which, when combined with another technically capable midfielder like Rodri, could help City progress with the ball clearly. He does not hesitate to take responsibility for starting the play, and it is a testament to his quality that he is entrusted with doing so by England. Its versatility allows you to advance to more advanced positions, creating numerical overloads without compromising quality. He is a player who attacks well when approaching the area. Alternatively, you can drop back and sit at the base of midfield. This will likely be attractive to Manchester City, who - through midfield rotations - could dismantle defensive structures. His physicality, ability to counter-press and willingness to defend combine to make him a complete player, proven in the Premier League. Tactically, it is difficult to find a player who offers a greater variety of tools and potential solutions, given the breadth of his skill set.
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