The Player for Whom a £120 Million Bid Was Rejected: Meet Elliot Anderson, City and United’s Prize Target

Elliot Anderson has become one of the hottest names in world football. The Nottingham Forest midfielder could become the most expensive Englishman of all time after Forest rejected a £120 million offer from Manchester City.

Manchester City are interested as well, and he is expected to become the most expensive English player in history.

The 22-year-old Anderson is regarded as the perfect midfielder, a player who can contribute both defensively and offensively and move the ball forward. His physicality was part of Forest’s impressive campaign last season, a campaign that almost ended with Champions League qualification. Anderson could also be a starter at the upcoming World Cup, as he is considered a player with a strong work ethic and has even been compared to Declan Rice.

Anderson and Rice. There is a similarity (David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images) | Photo: Sport 5

"Anderson is a brilliant player," Athletic wrote. "He set the tone for an amazing season, he can do everything and is in the right place. It is no coincidence that both Manchester clubs want him. In a league that is becoming more direct, he contributes in defense and attack, is dangerous in transition and covers a huge amount of ground. He touched the ball more than anyone else, is dominant and wins the ball back at a high rate."

No other player in Europe’s top leagues has touched the ball more than Anderson, who accounted for 14% of Forest’s touches, an almost unimaginable figure. His intensity has made him an important defensive player, one who knows how to cover space and win the ball back anywhere on the pitch, alongside strong dribbling and impressive passing ability, including crosses.

Anderson has also shown that he can play as a winger if needed, and did well in a difficult Forest season in which there were four different managers. At bigger clubs, we will probably see different demands on Anderson, and likely more attacking ones, but he can play both as a No. 6 and as a No. 8, which could be useful for any of the biggest clubs and, as noted, for the England national team, where he is expected to start.

The player, who came through Newcastle’s academy before leaving for Forest, is regarded as a player with a strong work ethic, one who has improved year by year and broke through later. In an unusual path, he moved from Scotland’s youth national team to England’s youth national team and from there to the senior side.

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"He has exceptional ball control," the piece continued in England. "The combination of precise movement off the ball and his passing has made him a dangerous player, one who gets close to the box and can move the ball from outside it. With better players than those he had alongside him at Nottingham Forest, his numbers will likely rise, especially with better movement around him in behind."

Only three players have ever been sold for more than £120 million: Alexander Isak, for £125 million, Kylian Mbappe, for £165.7 million, and Neymar, for £200 million. As a result, Anderson could become the most expensive player since Mbappe thanks to his ability to contribute on both sides of the pitch, an impact reflected not only in the numbers.

City offered £106 million before bonuses, a sum that could reach £120 million with add-ons. That was the club’s second bid, and another offer is expected in the future. He could become the central midfielder at the club for years to come, especially with Bernardo Silva’s departure and Rodri’s advancing age.

We have seen plenty of young players commanding enormous fees, especially as the sums in football keep rising. Few of them have shown the versatility of Elliot Anderson, a player who can play in any midfield position and meet the demands of modern football. In Anderson’s best games, it seems as if there are three different "Andersons" on the pitch at once. For a club like Manchester City or United? That is a strategic asset for the next decade, no less.

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