Manchester City have moved quickly to sign Elliot Anderson in a summer where many top clubs want to sign midfielders
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 30: Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa under pressure from Gabriel Magalhaes of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Aston Villa at Emirates Stadium on December 30, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 30: Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa under pressure from Gabriel Magalhaes of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Aston Villa at Emirates Stadium on December 30, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
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Arsenal are in pursuit of Morgan Rogers
In the days before Manchester City agreed a fee with Nottingham Forest for Elliot Anderson, reports came of executives at rival clubs worried that the fee would inflate the transfer market. Would nobody think of the rest of the billionaires in the Premier League?
That was when the fee mooted was £130m, so perhaps all fears will have been eased by City closing on £116m for Anderson but somehow that likely won't be the case. It isn't a British record, it is only £11m more than Arsenal paid for Declan Rice three years ago and the same as Liverpool did with Florian Wirtz last year - yet people still aren't used to the idea of football players being worth so much money.
City couldn't care less. Hugo Viana has landed his primary target in midfield ahead of rival clubs, and it has been managed while Anderson is busy at the World Cup; the Blues haven't impeded on England's plans but they have used a light touch to get the deal done anyway.
And while only time will tell if Anderson is worth the money, the move is already having a knock-on effect in the transfer market. A number of UK outlets have written that Aston Villa believe Morgan Rogers to be a better player than Anderson and so want Arsenal to pay £130m for him if they are to sign him this summer.
Arsenal could point to Anderson being in the England team while Rogers is not, or a number of metrics from last season, but it is nevertheless a headache for Mikel Arteta and his recruitment team. Good value or not, the Anderson deal has set the benchmark for midfielders in the transfer window and that is already being used by clubs who don't want to sell their best assets to scare off bidders.
As well as Arsenal, United and Tottenham are also in the market for midfielders this summer while Chelsea could need to be active if Enzo Fernandez gets a move he has been open to. Anderson's deal is unlikely to cast a shadow across all other business but even if it makes things a little harder for their rivals it will further sweeten the move at the Etihad.
City took the Premier League title race to the final week last season but were unable to topple Arsenal, who won the crown for the first time in 22 years. Anderson is part of City's plan to become the best in the country again with new manager Enzo Maresca at the helm.
The fact that Viana has been able to wrap up the deal so early in the summer takes pressure off the Blues in the market just as it increases it for their rivals.