Elliot Anderson is the complete central midfielder, a gem so well rounded that you would be convinced he was grown in a lab. His £116 million move to Manchester City has had many questioning the price tag, with the verdict being that he is a very good player, but not that good. I disagree. This is the most complete midfielder England has produced since Steven Gerrard.
Marcelo Bielsa, one of the great footballing minds of his generation, once said that the hardest player to find in football is the 8. He named it “the Modric” — a midfielder who defends like a 6 and attacks like a 10. Anderson has it. But just like unearthing a 24-carat stone, it still needs to be polished and placed in the right hands before it can show the world its full potential. He now finds himself at one of the leading clubs in world football, training daily with the best and competing for the biggest trophies. For a player in his early twenties, still in his prime development years, this is exactly the environment that turns a quality player into a top player.
He has it all. The brain, tenacity, technique, composure and athleticism. His trajectory from Newcastle to Forest for £35 million, and then tripling that fee in just two years, suggests the smartest minds in football agree. And if you are a stat man, you will know he is league leading in many of the key midfield measurements, ball wins, passing accuracy, defensive actions. But Gerrard scored goals, I hear you say. And Anderson will too.
Much like Gerrard, Anderson has started his career in a deeper midfield role, with the key responsibilities of ball winning, retention and playmaking. But there are clues that suggest there are goals waiting in his game. He is an accomplished penalty taker, and anyone who has watched him step up knows that the composure and the ball striking are both there. That combination does not stay confined to the spot kick. It shows up in his attempts from outside the box too. I am convinced that if City deploy him in a box to box, Roy of the Rovers role, last season’s tally of four goals will quickly double.
It is almost impossible to believe that this time last year his inclusion in the England starting line-up was questioned. Anyone who watched England at the World Cup this summer will tell you the same thing: when the play went through Anderson, the conductor, it was instantly better. One of England’s most consistent performers, no matter the opponent, no matter the occasion. It is clear now that in Anderson and Bellingham, England have their midfield spine for the next decade.
At £116 million, the eyebrows were raised. But the rarest diamonds always come at a price. And perhaps the biggest compliment I can pay him is that when someone asks who is the dream partner for Anderson in the middle? I’ll say, another Anderson.
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Nicholas Bull is a British real estate entrepreneur who has called Dubai home for 12 years. A lifelong sports fanatic, he talks all things sport and property.
