‘Old-fashioned midfielder’ Elliot Anderson ‘could be one of the very best’ as Nottingham Forest set £100m-plus price tag for Man City-linked star

While interest may be held at the Etihad Stadium and Old Trafford, prising Anderson away from the City Ground will not be easy. Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is renowned for being the toughest of negotiators and will not sanction any deal unless those on Trentside stand to benefit significantly from said agreement.

Collective coffers there could receive a considerable boost if the decision is eventually taken to move a promising England international on and reinvest the funds that he helps to generate elsewhere.

It has been suggested that Anderson will come with a nine-figure price tag, with the likes of City and United needing to find £100 million-plus ($134m) if they have any intention of acquiring a man that should light up this summer’s World Cup when forming part of Thomas Tuchel’s plans with Three ambitious Lions.

His stock could soar further on North American soil, with former Forest midfielder Colback - speaking in association with Bally Bet - telling GOAL when asked about what Anderson already is and what he could go on to become: “He’s just very, very good. He’s a very old-fashioned kind of midfielder, where he does everything.

“Nowadays, you've got kind of No. 6, No. 8, No. 10, those sorts of positions. Elliot just does it all. His defensive play is fantastic. On the ball, he dictates play and is very good. He is creative and he also gets forward. He’s one of those that does it all. He could be one of the very best.”

Anderson is not the only leading light on Forest’s books, with Morgan Gibbs-White another of those that has taken his game to impressive heights while donning an iconic Garibaldi shirt. Alongside that playmaking duo, Brazilian centre-half Murillo has been starring in defence.

Colback was at the City Ground when the hulking South American arrived, and said of spotting that the ball-playing 23-year-old was something a bit different: “I've watched him a few times. Live in the stadium, he's one of them who kind of looks like he's got a mistake in him. But he reads the game so well and reacts so well.

“They [Forest] have missed him a little bit this season with injuries, and that showed a bit in the form. But I think it's credit to the club, the recruitment has been really, really good for a good few years now - credit to the owner for that.”

Murillo has committed to another new contract at the City Ground that is due to take him through to 2030. If said deal is honoured then, much like talismanic No.10 Gibbs-White, he could go on to cement a standing as a modern day legend with the Reds.

A few performers that fall into that category have been back in familiar surroundings of late - including 2022 promotion winner Colback.

Nottingham Forest's front of shirt partner Bally Bet has been on a mission to give long-serving grassroots players the recognition they have earned. Forest great Mark Crossley was set the challenge of compiling the first ever All-Stars Vets squad, made up from the real characters of the game in a celebration of everything that makes grassroots great.

Crossley was ably supported by other recognisable Forest faces as he set about assembling the Bally Bet All-Stars. The All-Stars were given the full Premier League treatment, swapping the recreation grounds for the City Ground, as they turned out against a team of hand-picked Forest legends on May 28.