Anderson’s journey to England star and Man City record signing

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Elliot Anderson was the schoolboy footballer so good his teachers discussed placing a bet on him playing for England.

The bet was never made – but Thomas Tuchel put huge trust in Anderson at the World Cup, and Manchester City are doing the same by signing him for a club record £116m from Nottingham Forest.

Anderson, who began his football journey on the playing fields of Tyneside, is one that painfully got away from Newcastle United but is still revered and respected in his home city as the “quiet and self-effacing” local boy made good.

Magpies boss Eddie Howe called Anderson’s £35m sale to Nottingham Forest in July 2024 “the most reluctant in my career” – a deal effectively forced on the club because they feared they were going to break profit and sustainability rules (PSR) and incur a points deduction following years of imbalanced trading.

The sense of loss only became more acute as the 23-year-old emerged as a central component in England’s World Cup squad, with head coach Tuchel calling him “the full package”.

Loss is also felt by Scotland, who hoped Anderson would play for the country as he has a Scottish grandmother. He was called up for the Euro 2024 qualifier in Cyprus and a friendly with England in September 2023, having represented the Scots at under-21 and junior level, only to pull out through injury before pledging allegiance to England.

The recent attention is all a far cry from the early life of a young Geordie who used to kick a ball around with his elder brothers before emerging as an outstanding young player at Valley Gardens Middle School, and then at the famous Wallsend Boys’ Club, where Alan Shearer, Peter Beardsley and Michael Carrick honed their trade.