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Elliot Anderson could be about to break the British transfer record - and may have already broken Scotland’s hearts.
When Thomas Tuchel took over as England manager at the start of 2025, Elliot Anderson wasn’t yet in the squad – indeed, it would be another nine months before the 23-year-old made his debut in a World Cup qualifying match against Andorra. Just 11 caps later, and he could become the most expensive player in British history.
Details of the deal which has been agreed between Manchester City and Nottingham Forest have not yet been made public, but some sources suggest that the transfer fee could climb as high as £130m, which would eclipse the sum that Liverpool spent to sign Alexander Isak last summer. It’s a reflection of a remarkably rapid rise – and also, perhaps, of his importance to England.
Elliot Anderson has become one of England’s most important players
The transfer fee taking Elliot Anderson to Manchester City will reportedly be between £115m and £130mplaceholder image
The transfer fee taking Elliot Anderson to Manchester City will reportedly be between £115m and £130m | Getty Images
Ask supporters who the most important player in England’s World Cup squad is, and most would likely say that it was Harry Kane. A few might mention Declan Rice or perhaps Jude Bellingham. Anderson has, however, quietly been making his own case.
Anderson’s performance in the Premier League over the past year was undeniably remarkable. He had the most touches of the ball in the entire division, won the most one-on-one duels, drew the most fouls and forced by far and away the most turnovers of possession – nearly a hundred more than his nearest rival. He was among the most consistently impactful midfielders in the top flight.
That form has been replicated at international level. By the end of England’s World Cup qualifying campaign, Anderson had racked up the most tackles, interceptions and accurate long passes per match of any player in the side. Tuchel took note – since his debut, Anderson has started all but three of England’s matches, with the omissions coming only in dead rubbers and friendlies.
The stats marked him out as one of the most influential players on the pitch against Croatia, too: He won the most duels of any player on the pitch, made the most interceptions and total defensive contributions, completed the most passes of any midfielder and set up Jude Bellingham’s goal with a quite sublime through ball. He is already England’s most productive defensive player, but adds plenty of creativity going forward as well.
Rice tends to get more opportunities to go forward and make plays in a system in which Anderson typically takes up a more conservative anchoring role, but the accuracy of his longer passes has added an enormous amount to England’s ability to get the ball forward quickly and to exploit space in behind the opposing defence. If Rice is indeed more important to England, it’s only because one of the few areas in which he clearly exceeds Anderson’s output is with his set pieces.
In every other regard, Anderson has become just as crucial to England’s system and performances as Rice. In a very short space of time, he has gone from being Newcastle’s sacrifice on the altar of the PSR regulations to one of his country’s premier players – and added £100m to his transfer value.
Anderson’s rise is both England’s gain and Scotland’s loss
Anderson made seven appearances for Scotland at various youth levelsplaceholder image
Anderson made seven appearances for Scotland at various youth levels | Getty Images
While Newcastle may have made a pretty colossal mistake when they sold Anderson for Nottingham Forest for £30m, a deal struck solely in order to avoid a points deduction after they spent more than the PSR rules permitted, they may not be the team who feel his loss most acutely. That could well be Scotland.
As Steve Clarke’s side brace themselves for the worst while the results of the final round of group stage games roll in, Anderson offers them a glimpse of an alternate future – one in which he stuck with his decision to represent Scotland, for whom he was eligible through his grandmother.
The Whitley Bay-born Anderson represented Scotland through the age groups before he switched to England at the Under-21 level but then accepted a call-up to the senior Scottish side ahead of a Euro 2024 qualifier against Cyprus – and a friendly match against England.
Were it not for a timely injury, Anderson would likely have played and never again been able to represent the Three Lions at the highest level. As it was, he was ruled out of those games and given the chance to change his mind about his international allegiance. Now, as Scotland pray for a miracle and a place in the last 32, Anderson’s excellence is put on display like the prize they could have won on an episode of Bullseye.
Scotland and Newcastle’s losses have been England and Nottingham Forest’s gains. Anderson has become the beating heart of Tuchel’s team and if he is perhaps not quite its best or most important player – that surely remains Kane, through whom such a vast percentage of the attack flows – then he is surely its most consistent. For a player who still has the vast majority of his career ahead of him, he appears remarkably calm and steady.
Tuchel has suggested that he might engage in some “moderate” rotation of his squad before the final group stage game against Panama, but one would imagine that Anderson’s place is among those least under threat – not only because there are no immediate concerns about his fitness, as there are with Rice, but also because it’s impossible to imagine that a player like Kobbie Mainoo or Jordan Henderson could supplant him in the knock-out rounds.
£130m more may be an obscene sum of money, but it’s what a world-class footballer costs these days – and Anderson has become a world-class footballer in double-quick time. His rise from being an also-ran at St. James’ Park to one of the best defensive midfielders in the world has been extraordinary. It’s also made England better, and given them the right to expect more of themselves at the World Cup.
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