Manchester City just dropped a record fee for Elliot Anderson. And not just any record — the 23-year-old midfielder is now officially the most expensive English footballer in history after his £116 million ($147 million) transfer from Nottingham Forest went through on Friday.
That beats the £100 million City paid Aston Villa for Jack Grealish in 2021. And it edges out Jude Bellingham’s £115 million move to Real Madrid by a million. The numbers are getting absurd, honestly.
Anderson’s rise has been staggering. Forest bought him from Newcastle for £35 million just two years ago. That already felt steep at the time. Now he’s leaving for more than triple that, and Newcastle fans are probably still kicking themselves for letting him go in the first place.
What did City see? A midfielder who can do everything. Last season Anderson racked up eight assists and three goals while covering more ground than almost anyone in the league. His passing range is ridiculous — he can drop a 50-yard pass on a dime or thread a needle through a tight defense. And he’s not one of those players who disappears in big moments. He was the guy Forest leaned on to escape relegation and push to the Europa League semifinals.
The £100 million club is getting crowded
Anderson joins a shortlist of English players who’ve crossed the nine-figure mark. Grealish was the first. Then came Bellingham (£115m to Real Madrid in 2023), Declan Rice (£105m to Arsenal the same summer), and Harry Kane (£100m to Bayern Munich a month after Rice).
Here’s the list now:
1. Elliot Anderson — Forest to Man City, £116m (2026)
2. Jude Bellingham — Dortmund to Real Madrid, £115m (2023)
3. Declan Rice — West Ham to Arsenal, £105m (2023)
4. Jack Grealish — Villa to Man City, £100m (2021)
4. Harry Kane — Spurs to Bayern Munich, £100m (2023)
Not all of those worked out the same way. Bellingham won a Champions League in his first season in Madrid and looks like a generational talent. Rice has been the anchor for Arsenal’s midfield and helped them finally lift a Premier League title. Kane? He’s scored goals at a rate that’s honestly unfair — 67 in 94 games for Bayern so far.
Grealish is the mixed bag of the group. He helped City win the Treble in his debut season, which is obviously huge. But his production has dipped, and Pep Guardiola hasn’t always trusted him in the biggest games. He’s still a useful player, just not the game-breaker City thought they were getting for that fee.
Can Anderson justify the price tag?
City is betting Anderson can be that difference-maker long-term. He’s only 23, so there’s room to grow. But the pressure is real. Every pass will be analyzed. Every game where he’s quiet will spark a debate about whether he was worth it. That’s the weight of being the most expensive English player ever.
Anderson seems unfazed so far. In his first interview after the move, he said he just wants to win trophies and improve under Guardiola. We’ll see if the money changes anything. History says some players handle it and some don’t.
One thing is clear: the record won’t last long. The way transfer fees are inflating, someone will probably break it within two years. But for now, Anderson sits alone at the top.
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