Declan Rice Called Elliot Anderson One of His Best Teammates. That Says a Lot Ahead of a $150M City Move.

Declan Rice has played with some of the best midfielders in the world. So when he says Elliot Anderson is one of the best he’s ever shared a pitch with, it’s worth paying attention.

Anderson is on the verge of a $150 million move from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City. The transfer is in its final stages, and the 23-year-old is currently with the England squad at the World Cup. That’s where Rice got a close look at how Anderson is handling the pressure of being one of the most expensive transfers in history.

Rice’s message to Anderson: The price tag is just noise

Rice knows something about carrying a massive transfer fee. His own move from West Ham to Arsenal in 2023 set records and came with scrutiny that could crush a lesser player. So he pulled Anderson aside for a conversation that had nothing to do with tactics or form.

Speaking to The Telegraph’s Jason Burt, Rice described the chat. “We had a great chat, sat outside on beanbags. I just said he can’t control the price he’s going for. I couldn’t control what I went for.”

Rice’s point was simple: Anderson didn’t set the fee. His play did. “Why he’s going for that price is because he’s been one of the best in Europe this season. If you watch him play, everything goes through him at Forest. He’s constantly on the ball, the engine room.”

That last line — “the engine room” — is a perfect description of what Manchester City’s new director of football Hugo Viana wants in midfield. A guy who controls possession, drives forward, and runs the attack. Anderson fits that profile completely.

The Rice endorsement carries weight

Rice didn’t stop at giving advice. He went further. “He’s such a humble guy, that’s not going to affect him. He just needs to keep doing what he’s doing and he’s going to be a real success — I believe he’s one of the best I’ve played with.”

That’s not just a pat on the back. That’s a player who has shared midfield with Declan Rice in training and matches, and Rice is putting him in that tier. For a guy who hasn’t kicked a ball for City yet, that kind of endorsement from an Arsenal star and England teammate is about as good as it gets.

The parallels are clear. Both Rice and Anderson moved for club-record fees as young midfielders. Both had to prove they could handle the weight while learning a system that demands brains as much as brawn. Rice has done it at Arsenal. Now Anderson gets his shot under new City manager Enzo Maresca.

Whether Anderson lives up to the hype won’t be known until the season starts. But with Rice speaking like this before Anderson has even put on a City shirt, the stage is already set for one of the most anticipated arrivals at the Etihad in years. The kid just needs to keep doing what he’s been doing.