Why Manchester City are prepared to pay a British-record fee for Elliot Anderson

Manchester City have reached an agreement with Nottingham Forest to sign Elliot Anderson in a £116m move, with the final formalities due after his World Cup involvement. The fee would take him past Declan Rice as the most expensive British player in football history.

The size of the deal is striking, but Anderson’s 2025-26 numbers show why City see him as more than a promising midfielder. He recorded a league-high 3,300 touches, led the Premier League in duels won, possessions won and fouls won, and also topped central midfielders for completed passes and line-breaking passes.

That blend matters because Anderson produced it in a Forest side that finished 16th, changed managers repeatedly and often played in transition rather than long spells of control. He also started 37 league matches, covered 411km, pressed at high intensity and added four goals, four assists and a team-leading chance-creation return.

For Forest, the sale brings a historic fee but removes a player who had become central to their midfield after arriving from Newcastle in 2024. For City, Anderson looks like a major early statement in the Enzo Maresca era, though the pressure attached to a British-record transfer will follow him from day one.