Elliott Anderson to Manchester City: Analysing the Next Big Premier League Transfer Battle

Next summer’s transfer market is already gearing up for another Manchester rivalry. Names such as Carlos Tevez, Alexis Sanchez, Cristiano Ronaldo and one Harry Maguire ring a few bells in the modern era. This time around, it looks to be over Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliott Anderson.

In particular, the situation mirrors the past transfer battle between both clubs for an English player like Maguire for reasons known as the 'English tax', as Anderson is being touted as costing as much as £100m - a stretched price which resembled the over-inflated price of Maguire in 2019.

The Maguire Parallel

When Manchester United was interested in signing Maguire from Leicester City in 2019, City backed out of the race. At the time, City boss Pep Guardiola said: "We were interested but could not afford it." Maguire was sold to United for £80 million that summer, which was an astronomical fee for a defender at the time. Given that Guardiola rarely speaks about specific transfers without there being an underlying point, decoding the transfer years later suggests he was subtly referencing the 'English tax'- the inflated price tag often placed on British players.

Instead of Maguire, City opted to splash the cash on future Champions League, Premier League, and World Cup winner Rodri from Atletico Madrid and never looked back since.

Anderson: The Next £100m Question

It now feels like a full circle moment with the reported interest in Anderson. The concerns around Rodri’s fitness have never gone away since his return from ACL. The former Newcastle midfielder will be vying for a platform to showcase his talent outside of the Premier League… and the 2026 World Cup may help justify his price tag. Should Anderson make Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, his performances may further drive an incentive for any deal to be done at the start of summer, so as not to prolong any saga or inflate the price further. As it stands, City are reported to be in pole position to sign the 23 year-old, but is it worth matching Forest’s supposed £100m valuation of the player?

Is Anderson Worth the Price?

Despite the addition of Tijani Reijnders and Nico Gonzalez to beef up the midfield this summer, the current setup allows for a player of Anderson’s profile to thrive in this team. Anderson is an all-round midfielder whose skillset is highly compatible with Pep Guardiola's new system.

Anderson is already being viewed by some as a potential successor to Rodri in the pivot midfield role or a direct replacement for the versatile Bernardo Silva, whose contract situation remains uncertain. If City continue their mantras of ‘old with the old, in with the new’ like last summer, it seemed rather perfect to bring the player to the Etihad. 

Being a technically sound driver of the ball, but perhaps more importantly as a player who can compliment any possession ball under Pep is what this team desperately misses. Unlike previous iterations of City, the latest rendition leaks too many goals, which is an abnormal characteristic to describe The Blues with. Phil Foden’s resurgence has seen him excel in a free role alongside Rayan Cherki, which makes City susceptible out of possession. In recent weeks, Guardiola has opted for a 4-3-2-1 or 4-3-3 formation to move away from the 4-1-4-1 setup he began the season with, so as to provide added security. A move for Anderson could see him line up as a left sided LCM with Gonzalez (DM), Reijnders (RCM) to consolidate the midfield.

Anderson ranks very highly against midfielders in the Premier League this season. By percentile, he is in the highest of brackets for shot-creating actions (95%), progressive passes (99%) and successful take-ons (99%). Whilst his defensive contributions are slightly lower with aerial battles won (64%) and blocks (79%), he has variably played as a DM, CM and AM for Forest this season which would affect this.

Ultimately for Manchester City, the £100 million investment would secure a homegrown, Premier League-proven player who is an ideal tactical fit for Guardiola's future midfield. Given his current high performance and the risk of him elevating his price further at the World Cup, securing the deal early might be viewed as a long-term strategic necessity rather than a luxury signing.

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