Elliot Anderson is ready to show the world why he's England's next £100m man

England’s stars are undoubtedly Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham. It is their goals, their assists, their moments of inspiration that will lift likely the Three Lions this summer. Whatever may happen, that duo will have to be, in some way, responsible.

Around Kane and Bellingham, England need their connective tissue and Tuchel has spent the last year ensuring he has the right configuration of individuals and skillsets.

One of the biggest holes at the start of the season was in midfield next to Declan Rice, and Anderson was given a try out against Andorra in September to see if he could fit the bill. The shirt has been his ever since, so impressively has he taken to life in a Three Lions jersey.

However, as a Nottingham Forest player who isn't garnering back-page headlines every week, he remains one of the more low-profile members of the England squad ahead of his debut tournament. That is likely to change this summer, however, if Anderson continues to perform at an elite level for his country.

Anderson's rise is not atypical, and in another universe he wouldn't have made it anywhere near the England squad

A product of the Newcastle academy, Anderson spent time on loan in League Two with Bristol Rovers in 2022 as he struggled to force his way into the Magpies' first team despite them struggling in the lower reaches of the Premier League table. He eventually left St. James' Park in the summer of 2024, a victim of them needing some 'pure profit' so as to adhere to Profit and Sustainability Rules, and joined Forest for what at the time was a shockingly high £35 million.

At international level, meanwhile, Anderson represented Scotland throughout his youth career, and was even called-up to the senior squad for a friendly in August 2023. Scotland were, ironically, scheduled to play England during that window, but Anderson pulled out due to injury.

He accepted an England Under-21s call up a year later, and was a starter throughout the U21 Euros last summer, where he was named to the team of the tournament while Lee Carsley's Young Lions lifted the trophy.

During his debut season at the City Ground, as well as during his Newcastle career, Anderson had played as an attacking No.8 or even a No.10, tasked with creating chances in forward areas while using his energy to help in defence. Ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, however, Forest were eager to use Anderson in deeper lying areas - if only to free up space for the more advanced Morgan Gibbs-White.

It's a role the 23-year-old embraced. No player had more touches in the Premier League last term, or won more duels; in fact, no one really came close to Anderson's 289 across his 38 appearances. Forest were, statistically, the best tackling team in the league, and Anderson was central to that effort. His 2,080 completed passes were more than any midfielder, besting Bernardo Silva, Dominik Szoboszlai and Rice to that honour, while only Everton's James Garner covered more distance than Anderson's 411 kilometres.

This is a stats economy, and Anderson checks all of the boxes. He knows it, too.

“I feel like I’ve sort of nailed a position. I know I did it last season, but I have found myself really comfortable in centre-mid, No.6, No.8,” he told the Guardian in April.

Tuchel, meanwhile, has been enamoured with the way Anderson has taken to life alongside Rice in England's midfield.

"Anderson is a key player for us at the moment," the manager said last winter. "He is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League - that's why he is with us and starting for us. He deserves it because he has been nothing but impressive. He has to keep on going now though. He is a very complete and mobile midfielder, and that's what he keeps showing me."

Having Anderson in the line up helps get the best out of everyone else in Tuchels' team. His positional nous and ability to cover ground means Rice can maraud forward and make things happen in the final third, while it relieves Bellingham of some defensive responsibilities.

Anderson's comfort on the ball, passing range, and penchant for circulating possession mean England can build directly out from the back. If the ideal midfielder for England is a deep-lying No.6 who can receive the ball, progress it forward, and put in a tackle should he lose it, then Anderson is the perfect fit.

A couple of years ago, this was meant to be Kobbie Mainoo’s spot to lose. The Manchester United starlet was earning plenty of plaudits for a strong end to the season under Erik Ten Hag in the latter half of the 2023-24 season, and there were calls for him to start immediately at Euro 2024.

Sir Gareth Southgate instead went for Trent Alexander-Arnold in what turned out to be a failure of a midfield experimentation, before eventually entrusting Mainoo once the knockouts began. Despite England making it all the way to the final, there were few on that team who could have claimed to have played their best stuff, but Mainoo was one of them.

Two years on, this should by right have been Mainoo’s spot. But after falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim at United, to the point where he was ready to leave at the January transfer window. Mainoo fell out of the England setup.

Michael Carrick, in effect, saved his United career by reinstating him to the line up, and the 21-year-old has done enough to force his way back into the international setup and earned a place on the plane to the United States this summer. Anderson, however, has taken his spot in the team.

The irony, now, is that Anderson and Mainoo could end up playing together next season at a club level. Latest reports suggests that the two Manchester clubs are at the front of the queue to secure Anderson's signature, though Forest are holding out for a fee in excess of the £105m Arsenal spent on Rice in 2023. Manchester City have submitted an offer, but Anderson would be a good fit at either club, such is his versatility.

City might have seemed the more obvious destination just a few months ago, but Pep Guardiola’s exit has certainly bred some uncertainty as to what kind of football the Cityzens will be playing under presumed new boss Enzo Maresca. United, meanwhile, offer a bit more glitz and perhaps an easier path to superstardom, while English midfielders being at Old Trafford just feels right.

Either way, Anderson first has a World Cup to win, offering him the perfect stage to show the world just why there is such a clamour among England's biggest clubs to sign him ahead of next season. Perhaps he might even turn from a piano carrier to a musical maestro over the next six weeks.