Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson looks like a better signing with every game he seems to play.
The Reds signed Anderson in the summer of 2024, and since his arrival, he’s quickly showcased exactly what he’s capable of doing in the Premier League.
Forest parted with £35 million for Anderson, but a deal for Odysseas Vlachodimos to join Newcastle for £20 million sweetened the deal and ultimately lowered the cost.
Anderson was praised by Gary Neville last season, and his efforts almost saw Forest win a place in the Champions League, with the Reds missing out on the final day of the campaign.
After helping England under-21s retain the European Championship title this summer, Anderson picked up exactly where he left off when Forest played Brentford at the weekend.
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Troy Deeney makes Elliot Anderson prediction
It was an ongoing joke last season that Deeney simply refused to pick Forest players for his Team of the Week on the BBC Sport website.
However, in game week one for the 2025/26 campaign, he’s decided to endear himself to the Forest fan base and picked Anderson among his eleven.
Deeney has also made a very intriguing prediction about Anderson and believes Thomas Tuchel should be watching him closely.
He said on the BBC Sport website: “Next to Ethan Ampadu in my team is Elliot Anderson. That through ball alone gets him in the team. He has become an outside horse for being in the England squad for the World Cup.
“We thought last year could have been a bit of a fluke with Forest, but he was the driving force against Brentford. That pass through to Chris Wood was perfectly weighted and a lot of players would have rushed and tried to kick the ball away, but he played the pass.”
Anderson integral to Forest fortunes
The 22-year-old is nailed on when it comes to his place in the Forest team, and he must be dreaming of a World Cup place with England next summer.
It’s quite remarkable just how good he was against Brentford, with Omari Hutchinson blown away by Anderson as he watched his new teammates from the stands.
Anderson is going all the way to the top and Newcastle fans must be absolutely devastated that they were forced to sell him to comply with PSR.
Deeney has a point regarding the England setup and hopefully, Forest can continue seeing Anderson thrive in a team that will try to play on the front foot more often this season.
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