Manchester City made one of the biggest signings of the summer 2026 transfer window so far, splurging well over 100 million pounds to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest after he was the biggest breakout No. 8 of the 2025/26 Premier League season.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are still in the hunt for a blockbuster midfielder of their own. For some reason, they did not prioritize Anderson, possibly because manager Mikel Arteta did not like his fit in his scheme, but after missing out on Sandro Tonali, the Gunners are going all in for his Newcastle United teammate Bruno Guimaraes.
It sounds like Arsenal’s only set starter in the midfield, Ballon d’Or candidate Declan Rice, is a huge fan of Elliot Anderson’s, and maybe he feels like the Gunners missed out on his England national teammate in the middle of the park.
Rice said of Anderson, via Fabrizio Romano, “He’s one of the best I’ve played with. He’s constantly on the ball, he’s the engine room. Our first 9, 10 months together have been amazing”.
Anderson has not been as lights out for England as Declan Rice is, but the flashes of quality have been there. Arsenal may not want to admit it, but Anderson is a talented young midfielder who makes his teammates with all the running he does, and Rice 100 percent acknowledges that.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.