Elliot Anderson has described Manchester City as the “kings of Manchester” after completing his £116m move to the club from Nottingham Forest. The 23-year-old midfielder, who was a key part of England’s third-place finish at the World Cup, joined City after an ever-present Premier League season for Forest and said he is excited by the chance to play for them.
Before the move to City, Anderson’s fee had been the record for a British player. He is now taking a three-week break following his exploits in North America, but he is already looking ahead to the first Manchester derby of the new season on 13 September, which he highlighted as a standout fixture. He may receive a hostile welcome from Old Trafford supporters after his comments about City’s status in the city.
Why did Anderson choose City?
Anderson said he wanted to join a team he sees as champions and trophy winners. He believes City’s recent history made the move an obvious one for him.
“It’s one of the biggest derbies in the world and for as long as I’ve known Manchester, City have been the kings of Manchester,” Anderson said in an interview with City’s website. “It’ll be a great fixture and I can’t wait to be involved in something like that.”
“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 in regards to his reason for signing for City. “Over the last 10, 12 years, they’ve dominated, so that’s why I wanted to join.
“It’s happened quite quick, but I think I always believed I could get to this point and this is where I want to be. Now that I’m here, I’ll keep pushing and try to take this club forward.”
His rise has been rapid. Anderson made his England debut as recently as last September, in a . The Tyneside-born player began his career at Newcastle before joining Forest for £35m in July 2024, and he believes he has more room to improve.
“I’m only twenty-three, so I’ve got plenty of time to get to my best levels and I definitely think I’m not there yet,” he said.
What role will he have under Pep Guardiola?
Anderson has signed a deal until 2031 with City and is their first major signing since . He said he is looking forward to working under the Italian manager.
“I’ve watched his teams over the past couple of years and spoke to a few of the lads from Chelsea and they all rate him very highly,” Anderson said. “I like to be intense when I play and use lots of energy around the pitch and get the fans going. So, I think that’ll be good.”
Kevin De Bruyne, who departed City two summers ago, is one of Anderson’s idols. He said he modelled parts of his game on the former City midfielder while growing up.
“Growing up through the academy at Newcastle, I’ve always wanted to play like him,” Anderson said. “I’ve watched him all the time and to be sat here in the team that he was doing it for is so special.”
What does Anderson bring to the team?
Anderson led the Premier League last season in most touches (3,300), most duels won (297) and winning possession (306). He said his game combines quality, physicality and energy, and he wants to excite supporters.
“I think I bring a bit of everything. I bring quality, physicality, energy,” he claimed. “I’d like to think I’d get them [fans] excited, get them off their feet and bring energy to the team.”
Anderson spent half a season on loan at Bristol Rovers in 2022 and became known as the “Geordie Maradona” among supporters. He said the nickname has stayed with him wherever he has played.
“They started that and it sort of stuck everywhere I’ve been,” he said. “It makes me happy and it gives me real confidence.”
How did he reflect on the World Cup?
Reflecting on the World Cup, Anderson said the tournament was disappointing from a team perspective, but personally rewarding. He also said England had the backing of the whole country and came close to going further.
“It was disappointing, but I loved it personally. We had the whole country behind us and we’ve done so well but just fell short. From a personal point of view, I thought I did pretty well.”
