Manchester United’s bigwigs don’t want to be drawn into the race for Elliott Anderson, but he could prove worth his nine-figure transfer fee.
Nottingham Forest consider Elliot Anderson worth more than £100m (Image: Visionhaus)
Whether VAR officials were right not to intervene after Elliott Anderson violently drove his stud into Ollie Watkins’ right ankle is the subject of considerable debate. What is not up for debate is that if VAR had intervened and shown a red card, Nottingham Forest would not have gone to Villa Park with an advantage in the Europa League semi-final.
Anderson has been in very good form all season, but his performances against Villa before and after a very fortunate reprieve should have proven to any doubters that he is the real deal. And there are some people who doubt it.
For all the praise heaped upon him, the bottom line is that Anderson remains a key figure in a team that is in danger of being relegated from the Championship. He has to share some responsibility for the team being in that position.
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But taking responsibility is just one of the many things Anderson is good at. Of all the pundits working today, few can rate players better than Stan Collymore.
The social media reviews of Anderson after his performance against Villa and his impact on England’s World Cup challenge were spot on. Collymore posted: “10/10 starter. Rolls Royce captains England and will be an important player on that occasion.”
Statistics confirmed the visual evidence at City Grounds. Anderson led the team in touches, completed passes, passes into the final third, possessions won, fouls won and tackles made.
Anderson was extremely lucky to avoid a red card for this tackle on Forest’s Ollie Watkins in Thursday night’s Europa League semi-final.
The last category included that challenge on Watkins, which referee João Pinheiro deemed fair. Thomas Tuchel may have quiet words about Anderson being too strong, but his physical approach is unlikely to be a concern for the England manager.
Against Villa, Anderson showed why he belongs in England’s automatic selection squad alongside Jordan Pickford, Declan Rice and Harry Kane. Incidentally, in the same game Morgan Rodgers did not cement his place in England’s starting lineup, but did increase the chances of Morgan Gibbs-White earning a place in the final squad.
Anderson has not only underlined the importance of his future in the national team, but also reinforced Forest bosses’ belief that he is worth a nine-figure transfer fee should the inevitable interest from stronger clubs materialize this summer. There are reports from Old Trafford that recruitment and finance departments will balk at fees exceeding £100m.
But just as Declan Rice was worth every penny of his £105m transfer fee when he moved to Arsenal almost three years ago, £100m would be good money for Anderson.
Declan Rice joins Arsenal for £105m and Nottingham Forest will demand a similar fee for Anderson (Image: Getty)
In all games this season, Anderson has had 10 or more possessions in a game 12 times. That’s five more than the next Premier League player on that list, Dominik Szoboszlai.
Rice was 23 years old when he moved to Arsenal. Anderson is also 23 years old. There is no doubt about his mental strength. Mr. Anderson is still grieving the recent loss of his wonderful mother, Helen.
The youngster may want to continue his development at Forest, especially if they remain in the Premier League, win the Europa League and qualify for the Champions League. But the demands on his services should be difficult for both him and the club to resist.
And he would be a perfect fit for a United side looking to re-establish themselves as a formidable force domestically and in Europe. They just pay for what they need.
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