Elliot Anderson was the schoolboy footballer so good that his teachers discussed placing a bet on him playing for England. That bet was never made, but Thomas Tuchel put huge trust in the 23-year-old at the World Cup, and now Manchester City have made him their club record signing at £116m from Nottingham Forest.
Anderson, who began his journey on the playing fields of Tyneside, is the one who painfully got away from Newcastle United. Magpies boss Eddie Howe called the £35m sale to Nottingham Forest in July 2024 "the most reluctant in my career" – a deal forced on the club over fears they would break profit and sustainability rules (PSR) and incur a points deduction.
“Elliot Anderson joins Man City for club record £116m after starring for England at World Cup.”
The sense of loss only grew as Anderson became a central component in England's World Cup squad, with Tuchel calling him "the full package". Loss is also felt by Scotland, who hoped he would play for them through a Scottish grandmother. He was called up for Euro 2024 qualifiers and a friendly with England in September 2023, having represented Scotland at under-21 and junior level, only to withdraw through injury before pledging allegiance to England.
Anderson's first football steps came playing with elder brothers Louie and Wil – the latter later a Love Island contestant. Jonathan Roys, his former English and PE teacher at Valley Gardens Middle School, recalled: "His brothers had been through the school and I played against his dad. His brothers were decent. I think being the youngest of three he was used to getting bossed about a little bit, but he took no quarter off anybody. He'd get stuck right in."
Anderson left a marker early, captaining and scoring a hat-trick as Valley Gardens won the English leg of the Danone Nations Cup in 2014. His parents, Iain and Helen, insisted studying remained a priority, with lessons arranged around his time at Newcastle's academy. He emerged from the famous Wallsend Boys' Club, where Alan Shearer, Peter Beardsley and Michael Carrick learned their trade.
Now, after a £116m move to Manchester City, the quiet, self-effacing Geordie has completed a journey from a schoolboy talked about in staffrooms to England star and the club's record signing.