Elliot Anderson may have cost Manchester City considerably months before they agreed to make him the most expensive British footballer ever. When he last played at the Etihad Stadium, in March, he let fly from 25 yards. A crisp, clean strike earned Nottingham Forest an unexpected point. Perhaps City would not have won the **** le anyway, but the loss of two gave them less leeway in the run-in.
Now Anderson forms a £116m statement of intent in their bid to regain their crown and begin Enzo Maresca's reign as the Premier League's greatest force. The World Cup has illustrated some of the reasons to buy him, beyond simply getting one of Manchester United's transfer targets. Anderson has the passing range, over both short and long distances, the athleticism to cover ground, the ability to operate as both a No 6 and a No 8. In a tournament when few England players beyond Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have excelled, he has.
But while the fee is in keeping with the current midfield market, it is astonishing nonetheless. City are huge spenders in one respect, but not another. Their previous club record buy – Jack Grealish, for £100m that really was not well spent at all – was an outlier. Nearly all of their outstanding pieces of business in Pep Guardiola's decade in charge came for between £30m and £65m. Rayan Cherki, last summer, was near the bottom of that scale, even Erling Haaland not at the top. Guardiola's preferred midfield axis in his valedictory season consisted of two of his greatest buys, Rodri and Bernardo Silva. Their combined cost was less than Anderson's, even though the Spaniard was a club record purchase when he joined.
Anderson is a history-maker in one respect. In another, he could have company. There will be at least five £100m men in Premier League midfields next season, unless Enzo Fernandez gets his wish of a move to Real Madrid: Sandro Tonali is going to Tottenham for £100m, Fernandez and Moises Caicedo had a combined cost rising to £222m for Chelsea and **** nal had to fork out £105m for Declan Rice, who is now one of two £100m men in Thomas Tuchel's midfield.
The chorus from the Gunners fans has been that "we got him half price". And if not true, it is nevertheless the case that, so far, only Rice of the midfielders who came at a ground-breaking cost has succeeded. The driving force in **** nal's first Premier League triumph in 22 years, a man who powered them to a Champions League final, a talisman and a great all-rounder, Rice has been a game-changer of a buy.
Now Anderson forms a £116m statement of intent in their bid to regain their crown and begin Enzo Maresca's reign as the Premier League's greatest force. The World Cup has illustrated some of the reasons to buy him, beyond simply getting one of Manchester United's transfer targets. Anderson has the passing range, over both short and long distances, the athleticism to cover ground, the ability to operate as both a No 6 and a No 8. In a tournament when few England players beyond Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have excelled, he has.
But while the fee is in keeping with the current midfield market, it is astonishing nonetheless. City are huge spenders in one respect, but not another. Their previous club record buy – Jack Grealish, for £100m that really was not well spent at all – was an outlier. Nearly all of their outstanding pieces of business in Pep Guardiola's decade in charge came for between £30m and £65m. Rayan Cherki, last summer, was near the bottom of that scale, even Erling Haaland not at the top. Guardiola's preferred midfield axis in his valedictory season consisted of two of his greatest buys, Rodri and Bernardo Silva. Their combined cost was less than Anderson's, even though the Spaniard was a club record purchase when he joined.
Anderson is a history-maker in one respect. In another, he could have company. There will be at least five £100m men in Premier League midfields next season, unless Enzo Fernandez gets his wish of a move to Real Madrid: Sandro Tonali is going to Tottenham for £100m, Fernandez and Moises Caicedo had a combined cost rising to £222m for Chelsea and **** nal had to fork out £105m for Declan Rice, who is now one of two £100m men in Thomas Tuchel's midfield.
The chorus from the Gunners fans has been that "we got him half price". And if not true, it is nevertheless the case that, so far, only Rice of the midfielders who came at a ground-breaking cost has succeeded. The driving force in **** nal's first Premier League triumph in 22 years, a man who powered them to a Champions League final, a talisman and a great all-rounder, Rice has been a game-changer of a buy.
4 months ago
