맨체스터 시티는 잉글랜드의 핵심 스타 엘리엇 앤더슨 영입을 위해 역대 최고 이적료를 제시한 후 위기에 직면했습니다.

Elliot Anderson is on the cusp of becoming England’s first £125million midfielder. 

His dominant performance in Wednesday’s 4-2 World Cup victory over Croatia, here in Dallas, highlighted why Manchester City are prepared to break the bank to sign him.

Anderson is a nailed on started for England and has secured a role alongside Declan Rice in the engine roomGetty

But the danger they face is that a good World Cup for England could send his price even higher than it already is.

Man City have seen an offer of £121million turned down, a record offer for an English player, with a new British transfer record going to be required to sign the midfielder.

His performance on Wednesday also showed why he is going to be one of Thomas Tuchel’s key men during what we hope will be the next four weeks.

The fact Tuchel substituted Declan Rice with 18 minutes remaining, but left Anderson on for the duration was acknowledgement from the German that he approved of his display.

While Rice showed signs of fatigue after a long and draining club season with league champions and Champions League runners-up Arsenal, Anderson was still running with a full tank of petrol deep into second half stoppage time.

Since Tuchel’s appointment, Anderson has won possession back for the Three Lions more than any other player. 

He also topped that particular stat in last season’s Premier League while winning more duels than any of his contemporaries.

That will need to continue if England are to defy a potentially hazardous draw and go deep into the competition and if they are, as Tuchel himself made his mission statement: “To put a second star on the shirt.”

Against an ageing Croatia team, Anderson led England’s press with the ferocity of the lions on his jersey.

But the Nottingham Forest star also showed he can be a creator as well as an enforcer by sliding the ball down the right channel for Jude Bellingham to score England’s momentum-changing third goal soon after half time.

That assist was in keeping with a strong end to the domestic campaign during which he set up two goals for Forest against another of his summer suitors Manchester United.

Anderson has become the all-round midfielder every team needs to succeed, which is why Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is determined to hold out for such a handsome fee.

It is also why City are so keen to get the deal done at the earliest opportunity before that price tag rockets even higher.

Tuchel plans to utilise his entire squad to help handle the humidity of this World Cup but while Rice’s minutes are likely to need managing, Anderson has made himself undroppable, and made himself arguably one of England’s most important players in the quest to end 60 years of hurt.

Tuchel trusts Anderson implicitly to set the tempo, and he grabbed an excellent assist for Jude Bellingham in the 4-2 win over CroatiaGetty

That assist was in keeping with a strong end to the domestic campaign during which he set up two goals for Forest against another of his summer suitors Manchester United.

Anderson has become the all-round midfielder every team needs to succeed, which is why Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is determined to hold out for such a handsome fee.

It is also why City are so keen to get the deal done at the earliest opportunity before that price tag rockets even higher.

Tuchel plans to utilise his entire squad to help handle the humidity of this World Cup but while Rice’s minutes are likely to need managing, Anderson has made himself undroppable, and made himself arguably one of England’s most important players in the quest to end 60 years of hurt.

Marinakis is determined to squeeze as much as he can from City for Anderson with Forest said to be wanting a Premier League record, which currently stands at £125m, feeGetty

One day

Anderson’s career kickstarted into life with a loan spell to Bristol Rovers, where he earned the nickname ‘Geordie Maradona’ which has stuck at Forest.

And in October 2025, talkSPORT spoke exclusively to Bristol Rovers president Wael Al-Qadi, who backed his former loan player to win the World Cup one day.

He said: “The feeling is the feeling of being proud and happy to be associated with such a player, who we believe is going to be one of the greats, honestly.

“You could just see it like when we got promoted afterwards, the celebration, how much it meant to him and how much more he wanted of this success.

“Some people, you get promoted, you have to win by seven, and you score seven and get promoted. You would say, ‘OK, I can die now.’

“He wants more. He wants the next level. He wants to win it all, and he’s going to be hungry for that. Those are the ingredients you need for success.

“Hopefully, we’ll see Elliot as a World Cup winner one day…

“It’s going to happen. Trust me!”