Manchester City have officially announced the signing of England World Cup midfielder Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest.
Anderson, 23, has signed a five-year contract with City having just arrived back from North America following England's third-place finish at the global gathering.
He has joined in a club-record £116 million move – eclipsing the £100m City paid to Aston Villa for Jack Grealish in 2021 – from Forest having started his career at boyhood club Newcastle United.
Anderson made 55 appearances for the Magpies before joining Forest in the summer of 2024 for £35m. It was a reluctant sale by Newcastle who needed to raise funds to avoid breaking profit and sustainability rules (PSR) with manager Eddie Howe later describing it as “the most reluctant transfer I’ll ever do”.
At Forest he quickly became a first-team regular, helping the East Midlands side secure qualification for European football for the first time in 30 years. Anderson was then an ever-present last season helping Forest reach the Europa League semi-finals, where they to eventual winners Aston Villa.
“City are one of the biggest clubs in the world and the squad they have is amazing – so strong in every position,” said Anderson. “As soon as I knew they wanted me, I was absolutely determined to make this move happen.
“As a footballer, you want to test yourself at the highest level. Being at City means I have that opportunity.
“From the outside looking in, City are a club that treats its players well and provides the perfect environment to excel. they’re winners, they’re relentless, and that's the sort of team I want to be a part of.
“The success they have had and the way they have played the game in the last 10 to 15 years has been extraordinary. It’s a privilege to be given the chance to be part of that.”
Anderson has become a key player in Thomas Tuchel's England team starting every match in the World Cup finals apart from the third-place play-off win over France, when he appeared as a late substitute. Anderson now has 17 caps to his name.
“Yeah, it was disappointing, but I loved it personally,” he said of the summer tournament which saw England produce their best finish since winning the crown on home turf in 1966.
“As a team I think we had the whole country behind us and we've done so well but just fell short. But from a personal point of view, I enjoyed it and I thought I'd done pretty well.”
City director of football Hugo Viana described Anderson as “Elliot is one of the outstanding young midfield talents in world football right now” following is arrival.
“He offers energy, outstanding work rate and an exceptional range of passing,” said the Portuguese, who was also a midfielder for Newcastle during his playing career. “His improvement in recent years has been really impressive and underlines his desire to be the best player he can be.
“At just 23, there is plenty of opportunity for development over the coming years and we feel he can become a complete midfielder. Manchester City is the best place for him to develop his game and keep improving, we are glad that he sees things the same way as we do.
“I look forward to seeing Elliot working with us ahead of the new season. I’m sure every City fan is excited to see what he can do.”
Anderson, meanwhile, picked out one former Manchester City star as being an inspiration during his career. “I probably said it last year, I think Kevin De Bruyne is someone who I've hugely looked up to over the past seven or eight years,” he said.
“I've always grown up through the academy at Newcastle; I've always wanted to play like him. I've watched him all the time and to be sat here in the team that he was doing it for is so special.”
Anderson was a graduate of the famous Wallsend Boys Club on Tyneside which he credits as being a perfect place “to progress and learn your skills”.
But he also describes how a loan spell at third-tier Bristol Rovers in 2021 as played a vital role in his development as a player. “It was amazing," he said of his time there. "It was a time where I sort of stepped out of my comfort zone and moved away from my family to play some first team football and I felt like I was ready for the step.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the moment and playing with the pressures of first team football every week and the experience of being in a first team environment was really special.”
