Elliot Anderson will become Manchester City's record signing when he joins from Nottingham Forest. Elliot Anderson will now become the most expensive British player in history as the midfielder's impending £116m move to Manchester City from Nottingham Forest shatters previous marks.

City confirmed on Thursday they had reached an agreement with Forest to sign Anderson - the formalities of the transfer being completed after his participation at the World Cup concludes.

In 1979, Forest broke the British transfer record to buy Trevor Francis from Birmingham, making him the first £1m player. On this occasion, they will be receiving a record transfer fee, with Anderson to eclipse the £105m Arsenal paid for Declan Rice three years ago.

Since joining from Newcastle two years ago for £35m, Anderson has become a crucial player for Forest and has started every game for Thomas Tuchel at the World Cup.

Having a historic tag around his neck carries its own unique pressures and expectations, so is he worth the huge fee? Transfer fees often reflect potential as much as proven quality. In Anderson's case, City appear to believe they have bought both.

At 23, Anderson will arrive at Etihad Stadium as their record signing - beating the £100m City paid for Jack Grealish - having enjoyed a remarkable campaign for Forest, in which he quietly established himself as one of the Premier League's most complete central midfielders.

While Forest finished 16th, Anderson's influence on their performances was extraordinary. No player in the Premier League recorded more touches than Anderson's 3,300 during the 2025-26 campaign. He also led the division for duels won (298), possessions won (306) and fouls won (80), underlining just how frequently he involved himself at both ends of the pitch.

Those numbers paint the picture of a midfielder who is constantly in the game. He demands possession, regains it more often than anyone else and rarely allows the intensity of his performance to drop. His quality on the ball is equally striking. Among Premier League central midfielders, Anderson completed more passes (2,038) than anyone else and also led the position with 376 line-breaking passes.

Rather than simply recycling possession, he consistently looked to eliminate opponents by playing through defensive lines and advancing Forest up the pitch. That blend of security and ambition is rare.

The physical data is every bit as impressive. Anderson covered 411km across the Premier League season, second only to James Garner of Everton, while his 1,895 high-intensity pressures ranked second among midfielders. He started 37 league matches and only failed to do so once, when Forest heavily rotated before a Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa at the start of May.

Availability has become one of football's most valuable attributes. Anderson not only performs at a high level, he does so week after week. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of his campaign is the environment in which those numbers were produced.

Forest - who went through four managers - spent much of the season playing transitional football rather than dominating possession, meaning Anderson was regularly asked to defend large spaces before quickly turning defence into attack.

Despite those demands, he still finished among the league leaders for progressive passing while also topping multiple defensive categories. His attacking contribution should not be overlooked either.

Anderson finished the Premier League season with four goals and four assists, while creating 54 chances, nine big chances and generating 4.8 expected assists. Within Forest's squad, no player created more chances or big chances.

The statistics suggest City have not simply agreed to sign another technically-gifted midfielder, they are acquiring a player capable of influencing every phase of the game. Record transfer fees inevitably invite scrutiny. Yet Anderson's numbers explain why City are prepared to invest so heavily.

Few midfielders combine elite ball-winning, relentless work rate, progressive passing and creative output in the way he does. The challenge now is translating those qualities into one of the world's most demanding teams.

If Anderson can reproduce anything close to his Forest levels in a City side that expects to dominate possession every week, the record fee may soon look far less remarkable than it does today.

Anderson's journey to England star and potential record signing. Man City agree record fee with Forest for Anderson. Elliot Anderson made his England debut in September 2025 and has 13 caps.

Three years ago, Real Madrid paid Borussia Dortmund £115m for Jude Bellingham, with City now putting Anderson on a par with his England team-mate. It smashes Forest's previous record sale when Anthony Elanga was transferred to Newcastle last summer for an initial £55m. Anderson moved to the City Ground from Newcastle in 2024, making 94 appearances, in all competitions, and scoring six goals.

The outpouring of emotion after his mum Helen passed away in April and tributes paid showed how much he was valued and respected at Forest. He impressed staff with his commitment and regularly talked to coaches to discuss the best way to improve both himself and the team.

His positional awareness also earned praise, though his work-rate and desire to cover as much ground as possible means he can often tire himself out. A demanding individual, on himself and his team-mates, Forest viewed Anderson as having the potential to become a complete player - something which he could now realise at the Etihad.

He will leave a hole at the City Ground, one which Forest are looking to fill with potentially two players, a deep lying midfielder and a number eight. Inter Milan's Davide Frattesi remains an option for that role but the Italy international has other interest, including from Juventus and Roma. Tottenham's Lucas Bergvall is also high on Forest's list with the 20-year-old open to leaving Spurs after limited minutes, while he wants to ply as a number six which suits Forest.

Elliot Anderson helped Nottingham Forest to the Europa League semi-finals last season. Anderson will become City's first major signing of the post-Pep Guardiola era with Enzo Maresca being officially confirmed as his replacement.

Maresca left Chelsea on New Year's Day, departing less than six months after winning the Club World Cup, but City have reached a compensation agreement with the Blues to bring their former assistant back.

It is a huge appointment following Guardiola's 10-year legacy of six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, five Carabao Cups and a Champions League.

Under Maresca, Chelsea's midfield was built around aggressive ball recovery and winning possession high before playing forward quickly. Moises Caicedo was the defensive reference point while Enzo Fernandez pushed much higher rather than acting as a deep controller.

Maresca's midfield is crucial when his teams do not have the ball, with Caicedo winning possession 315 times and 318 duels while playing for the ex-Leicester manager in the Premier League.

Fernandez was more about possession with 3,569 touches, 2,306 successful passes while he also led the press for Maresca with 1,619 high-intensity pressures. Both were high in line-breaking passes (Fernandez with 313 and Caicedo on 382), something Anderson excelled at last season and will be expected to continue at City.

Fernandez covered 554km and Caicedo 506km in the Premier League over 18 months under Maresca. Anderson covered 411km last season alone.

Anderson's 3,300 touches last season comfortably beats Fernandez's 2,608 and Caicedo's 2,496, although the last five months were without Maresca.

The Englishman is set to join as a replacement for departed captain Bernardo Silva, who was shifted to a more defensive role by Guardiola over the past couple of seasons.

He is expected to partner Rodri in the middle of the park but with the Spain captain reportedly, external set to undergo surgery after the World Cup, Anderson may be paired with someone else entirely - City are understood to be interested in signing Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.

In theory, City are gaining a player ready-made for Maresca with Anderson poised to be the poster boy of their new era.