Elliot Anderson says he was “determined to make this move happen” after Manchester City confirmed his arrival on a five-year deal, making the 23-year-old midfielder the most expensive British player in history — at least until Morgan Rogers’ £117m transfer from Aston Villa to Chelsea eclipsed it.
The deal, first agreed while Anderson was playing for England at the World Cup, was struck on the eve of England’s Group L game against Panama. He has signed a contract running until June 2031, with City paying a club-record fee exceeding the £100m spent on Jack Grealish in 2021.
“Elliot Anderson signs five-year Man City deal for club-record £116m; United end Alex Scott chase over £70m price.”
“As soon as I knew [City] wanted me, I was absolutely determined to make this move happen,” Anderson said. “You want to test yourself at the highest level. Being at City means I have that opportunity.”
Anderson joins City after two seasons at Nottingham Forest, where he arrived from Newcastle United for £35m in 2024. He became an integral player as Forest finished seventh in the Premier League and qualified for Europe for the first time in 30 years, then helped them reach the Europa League semi-finals last season. He led the Premier League in touches and duels won.
He also became a key figure for England under Thomas Tuchel, featuring in every game at the World Cup. At City, he will play under former Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca, who replaced Pep Guardiola after the Catalan stepped down following 10 years in charge.
“They’re winners, they’re relentless, and that’s the sort of team I want to be a part of — champions and people who win trophies,” Anderson said. “Over the last 10, 12 years, they’ve dominated, so that’s why I wanted to join.”
City director of football Hugo Viana described Anderson as “one of the outstanding young midfield talents in the world”. He added: “He offers energy, outstanding work rate and an exceptional range of passing. 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.”
The move came as Manchester United pulled out of the race to sign England and Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott. United valued the 22-year-old in the £40m bracket, but Bournemouth are holding out for more than £70m. United have already strengthened midfield with Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos in recent weeks, and are not prepared to enter a bidding war with Arsenal, who could now land Scott if they agree a fee. Scott is said to favour a move to the Emirates but is worried about game time under Mikel Arteta. He was named in Tuchel’s squad for games against Serbia and Albania last season but did not make an appearance, and later joined the preparation camp in Florida ahead of the World Cup.
