Man City, Man United, Arsenal: Elliot Anderson’s race

Elliot Anderson has thrust himself into the Premier League spotlight with another standout display against Manchester United, and Man United, Man City and Arsenal are all weighing up a move for the 23-year-old—who was sold to Nottingham Forest by Newcastle in

Elliot Anderson didn’t just deliver against Manchester United on Sunday—he turned himself into the kind of performance that makes other teams watch their own future slip a little closer to someone else’s boots.

The 23-year-old has been the Premier League’s man of the moment after another scintillating display against their biggest rivals, and his name is now on the lips of Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal ahead of the transfer window opening in four weeks’ time.

It’s easy to see why.. Anderson was sold to Nottingham Forest by Newcastle in 2024 for just £15million. a deal designed to help the Saudi-owned club avoid breaching Profit and Sustainability Rules.. Since then. he has gone from strength to strength despite the uncertainty around Forest. including adapting to four different managers and management styles in a single season.

With the summer World Cup fast approaching, Anderson is also positioned to play a pivotal role in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad as the Three Lions bid to end six decades of hurt and bring football’s greatest prize home once again.

That timing matters. It’s not just the next transfer window that’s on the table—it’s the sense that the race for Anderson could be shaped by what he looks like on the biggest stage.

The tug-of-war has already started, and each club believes it either needs to act now—or has a strong enough alternative to walk away from the temptation.

Manchester United make their pitch in plain terms: they should try to bring Anderson to Old Trafford. and the fit is already visible.. They point to Sunday’s performance—an Old Trafford audition that came with extra weight precisely because it wasn’t required to confirm his value.. Anderson has been top of their target board for 12 months. and the showing against United is described as overwhelming. the kind of proof that he is developing into the complete midfielder United are looking for.

There’s also the human layer to the case.. United would have familiarity with several England team-mates already at the club. and Anderson’s close relationship with Kobbie Mainoo is presented as a clear draw.. United. the argument goes. are desperate for a ball winner. and no player has won possession more this season than Anderson.

United also want the move to mean something beyond a signing: a statement to the rest of the league that they’re returning to fight for the biggest prizes.. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and United’s hierarchy were able to watch Anderson’s masterclass at Old Trafford. and the message from this camp is that they will have left further emboldened to build a midfield around him.

In this view. the temperament matters as much as the output. and it’s framed as a key reason he will be one of the first names on the team sheet for England at the World Cup next summer.. The price, they acknowledge, will be huge.. But the warning is just as direct: if United can’t find a way to bring Anderson to Old Trafford this summer. they’ll be kicking themselves for years to come.

Manchester City’s case leans less on glamour and more on what Guardiola-style football demands.. City have added several signings in recent years who can operate both as holding midfielders and as more progressive No 8s. with those moves aimed at planning for a future without players like Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan.

But there’s a gap City feel they still haven’t fully closed—someone who can excel across both roles consistently.. Mateo Kovacic is described as the closest to fitting that bill. and he provided real impetus in the FA Cup final. yet the argument here is that he has never timed his pressure from the No 6 position to Pep Guardiola’s liking.

Anderson is presented as the safer bet, in part because the defensive work he would need at Forest is precisely the work he would be required to bring with him. If City want someone who can break play and also move it forward quickly, the pitch being made is that Anderson fits the bill more neatly.

There’s another selling point: flexibility. City believe an Anderson signing would give them more options for the way they shape their midfield, offering a player who is adept at breaking the game open as well as advancing the ball.

This camp also circles back to City’s machinery, describing the pitch as straightforward: 17 major trophies in the last nine years, and the attention to detail in planning for the next chapter—suggesting there’s no scramble about succession.

Arsenal’s stance is the sharpest contrast. Anderson is described as a fine midfielder who would improve most current Premier League sides, and that’s treated as an obvious truth. The problem is the price.

Arsenal’s argument is that a fee in excess of £80million would make no financial sense at all for the Gunners. They already have Declan Rice, who offers everything Anderson does—and “more” in both the attacking and defensive aspects, in this assessment.

There’s also Arsenal’s engine room. Martin Zubimendi, part of that midfield foundation earlier this season, is said to have tailed off of late but was described as tremendous in the first of this campaign. His ability to control matches and pickpocket complements Rice well.

Then Arsenal point to youth that they believe is ready to grow into the role Anderson could fill.. Myles Lewis-Skelly has been massively underused this season, and Arsenal claim he should be kept rather than replaced.. The teenager played in midfield for the first time in his senior career earlier this month. and even Mikel Arteta admitted this was short-sighted. saying maybe he ‘doesn’t have a clue’.

Since then, Arsenal say Lewis-Skelly has made a further two consecutive starts, and his rise has reportedly been admired by Manchester United.

For Arsenal, the conclusion is simple: share game time between Lewis-Skelly and Zubimendi for the next campaign to keep the young Englishman at the club, rather than draft in Anderson.

There’s a common thread in all three cases: Anderson is seen as a player who can move teams toward their next level.. But the decisions being argued here are fundamentally different ones—whether to spend big now. whether to trust a missing piece of midfield structure. or whether to protect a pathway for developing players.

What makes Sunday’s performance feel so combustible is the timing.. The transfer window opens in four weeks. the World Cup is fast approaching. and Anderson’s momentum—built after a £15million move from Newcastle to Forest in 2024—has brought him to the centre of three title-chasing conversations at once.

Elliot Anderson Nottingham Forest Manchester United Manchester City Arsenal Premier League transfer race Declan Rice Martin Zubimendi Kobbie Mainoo Myles Lewis-Skelly Thomas Tuchel World Cup Profit and Sustainability Rules