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Anderson opens up on debut season with Forest
22-year-old has enjoyed a standout campaign
Midfielder wants to keep form going into the end of the season
The secret is out, Elliot Anderson is a very talented footballer and he’s enjoying a fantastic debut season with Nottingham Forest.
The Reds’ midfield maestro has made more appearances in 2024/25 than any other season in his career and registered more assists for his teammates than previous campaigns; the plaudits for his performances have come from afar and have been high.
Forest are in the business end of the campaign having collectively enjoyed a stellar season so far and the Reds’ no. 8 has been a key cog in Nuno Espírito Santo’s line-up.
Despite a gruelling campaign, including a run to the quarter finals of the Emirates FA Cup, Anderson is feeling refreshed and raring to go for the run-in.
“I’m good, feeling refreshed, we’re coming towards the end of the season now but I’m feeling really good about how it’s going.”
“It’s always tough as you’re heading towards the nail-biting end of the season with uncertainty with where you could finish.
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“Mentally it’s tough and physically when you’ve played a lot of games. It’s about trying to stay focussed and fresh on doing your recovery right and staying fit.”
As we stated earlier, Anderson is enjoying statistically the best campaign of his career to date.
Most appearances, most assists, even the most Premier League goals. But Anderson doesn’t want to rest of his laurels in the final months. Instead, the 22-year-old wants to push on and keep up his form for the rest of the campaign.
“I want to keep doing what I’ve done all season; it’s created some form of success but I want to carry on what I’m doing whilst maybe adding more goals and assists to my tally. I’m going to keep fighting for the club to get us as high as we can be in the table.
“I’ve played the most games and had a lot of minutes. It’s been a good season to base off your best. It’s probably my first proper season in football playing back-to-back weeks in the starting XI. I’m really enjoying it and hopefully it sets me in a good position to have plenty more good seasons.”
Elliot Anderson - season stats 2024/25 - 20032025
Elliot Anderson - season stats 2024/25 - 20032025
The praise has been high for Anderson, with pundits and fellow players celebrating his displays in the middle of the park. But often outside noise can be distracting for a player whether it’s positive or negative.
Being a young player, Anderson opened up as to how he deals with that noise and maintains focus on his own game.
“You see bits and bobs, but it’s given me confidence. When you aren’t doing too well you hear the opposite so it’s all quite fickle stuff. As long as you believe in yourself and your honest with how you perform then you can’t go far wrong.
“You learn as you get older how to deal with things, when you’re younger it can affect you a little bit but you find a way to block it out. You just have to ignore it and focus on your day-to-day stuff on the pitch.”
Forest face Brighton & Hove Albion in the quarter finals of the FA Cup after the international break, and Anderson’s focus is firmly on the next game in the calendar.
“I’m just focussed on performing in the next game. You can’t think too far ahead because you don’t know whether you’re going to be playing.
“If you focus on the next game and perform to the best you can then you’ve every chance of playing the week after, that’s how I look at it.”
Anderson’s move away from his family was well documented when his summer move to Nottingham was confirmed.
But the Forest midfielder has the support of his family week in, week out, revealing they travel up and down the country to watch Anderson in action.
“They come to every game! They drive down and stay with me. I’m getting some great support from my family; it feels like I’m at home to be honest, seeing them all the time.
“I think that feeling is rubbing off on the pitch, if you’ve got everything organised and sorted off the pitch then it helps you perform on it, that’s the way I look at it.”
Leaving Newcastle also meant leaving his family Labradoodle behind. But the void was soon filled with a small new face in the Anderson household.
“I had a dog in Newcastle so when I moved away, I had to get myself one. I’ve always been a dog friendly guy and I’ve got a little sausage dog!”