Man City's £116m Anderson deal highlights 'absurd' delay on 115 charges

Elliot Anderson will become the most expensive British player in history when his £116m move to Manchester City is completed – a fee that carries an uncomfortable echo. The official price tag, as confirmed by City on Thursday, is £116m. The Premier League’s outstanding charges against the club total 115, and the absence of a verdict 19 months after the hearing ended has left the football world in limbo. Nottingham Forest, the seller, broke the British transfer record in 1979 when they signed Trevor Francis for £1m. Now they are receiving a record fee, with Anderson eclipsing the £105m Arsenal paid for Declan Rice three years ago. The 23-year-old midfielder joined Forest from Newcastle for £35m two years ago and has since become indispensable, starting every game for Thomas Tuchel at the World Cup. His influence on a Forest side that finished 16th was extraordinary: no Premier League player recorded more touches (3,300), duels won (298), possessions won (306) or fouls won (80). Among central midfielders, he completed the most passes (2,038) and line-breaking passes (376), combining security with ambition. His 411km covered over the season was second only to Everton’s James Garner, while his 1,895 high-intensity pressures ranked second among midfielders. City are betting on both potential and proven quality, making Anderson their record signing – beating the £100m paid for Jack Grealish. But every time City do business of this magnitude, the delay over the 115 charges becomes starker. Mirror Football’s Andy Dunn noted that the fee “would have been nicely ironic if the figure was £115million” and called the ongoing delay “absurd”. The acquisition is a coup on several levels, but the shadow of the charges persists. Anderson’s move will be finalised after the World Cup. Until then, the biggest uncertainty remains off the pitch.