Elliot Anderson is £116m well spent! Micah Richards explains how England international midfielder has helped to fill Rodri void at Man City

While nobody was questioning Anderson’s ability after witnessing his meteoric rise from Newcastle’s academy system, through a roller coaster ride at Nottingham Forest and into the heart of the Three Lions’ engine room, eyebrows were raised at his record-setting price tag.

The Tyneside native briefly became the most expensive British player of all-time when heading to Manchester, before seeing that entry in the history books erased by the familiar figure of Chelsea-bound Morgan Rogers.

Anderson was always going to find himself operating under the brightest of spotlights, with a nine-figure transfer fee bringing with it added expectation. His appearances at the 2026 World Cup promised plenty, but an outing in new colours at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff against Premier League title holders Arsenal delivered some uncomfortable questions.

There are not many of those to be found now, with the understated 24-year-old quietly going about his business alongside Erling Haaland and Co. His value to the collective cause is now clear for all to see.

Asked about how impressed he has been with Anderson, former City star Richards - who is putting his contact list to good use again after linking up with Bollington United for a second run through Specsavers’ ‘Best Worst Team’ programme - told GOAL: “If you go back to the Community Shield, I thought he struggled in that game. And I thought, ‘ooh’.

“And it's not about the level, obviously he can play at this level, he plays for England, he's a top player. But sometimes it comes down to personality. Can you fit in a team with so many big personalities, full of characters who've already won a lot of things? He's gone there, and after that wobble in the first game, I think he's actually been Man City's best player this season.

“Obviously, Haaland scores a lot of the goals, and Haaland does what Haaland does, essentially. I think [Iliman] Ndiaye has done all right coming in. [Jeremy] Doku has played really well in spells. [Rayan] Cherki has been amazing in spells. If you're looking for consistency, whether that be defensive work or going forward, his [Anderson’s] pass the other night for Haaland's goal against Leipzig, it was just unbelievable. I think he's been amazing.”

The good news for City and England is that Anderson can still improve. He only registered six goals through 92 appearances for Forest, and is yet to open his account internationally, with end product being one area to work on.

Quizzed on efforts to offer more in the final third, with Rodri chipping in with some vital strikes across his spell at the Etihad, Richards added: “I think he will. I think that comes down to responsibility.

“Obviously, when Rodri was in the team, he was a different player. Rodri was more the dictator, controlled the tempo of the game. Anderson can do that, but he's a bit more dynamic. He can get forward, he can break lines with the way he runs with the ball. Rodri would hang out at the edge of the box and score a goal, whereas I think Anderson can play that one-two and can get on the end of things and make those late runs. He's got a great shot as well. It's just about adding that to his game.

“And the other thing is discipline as well. Sometimes when you're playing with the likes of Enzo Fernandez, we all know he's going to crash the box and get in there as soon as possible. If he's playing there in the number 10 with Cherki, he’s amazing on the ball, but off the ball he has his problems. So, it's just having that discipline to know that the boys ahead of you can do what they need to do and sometimes he's got to be that protection behind.”

Rather than take on the seemingly impossible task of finding one like-for-like replacement when Rodri packed his bags for Barcelona, City drafted in three new faces that all offer something different and help to tick the boxes that a Spanish schemer once did.

Anderson brings guile, as he keeps possession of the ball ticking over, while World Cup-winning Argentine Fernandez - who was acquired from Chelsea for £125m ($167m) - adds bite.

Richards said of that recruitment process: “Don't forget [Ayyoub] Bouaddi as well. I think they had to do something because you can't really replace Rodri - a Ballon d'Or winner, so effortless on the ball, controls games.

“But at times, Rodri maybe didn't have the press that Man City wanted to play with. And what Anderson has got is real enthusiasm. He's got the legs as well. So, in terms of replacing him, it's always going to be difficult for just one player to do that.

“But when you bring in Bouaddi, you can dictate, he's only young but he can drop a little bit deeper. When you've got Anderson, you can do both. Then you've got Enzo, you want to start deep but then arrive in the box. I think they did well in replacing different aspects of the game. No disrespect to anyone, but it's going to be very hard to replace a player like Rodri because he's that good.”

After watching City work through a changing of the guard in 2026, as big money was spent in the transfer market and Enzo Maresca replaced Pep Guardiola in the Etihad Stadium managerial hot-seat, Richards is putting his own expertise to good use in the non-league ranks.

Having worked with Warley FC last season, he is now with Cheshire side Bollington United Sunday Blues - a team that lost every game they played in 2025-26, with that sorry run of results including an infamous 31-1 defeat.

Premier League and FA Cup winner Richards is attempting to fix Bolly’s biggest problems - from set pieces to composure under pressure - and said when asked if ‘Coach Meeks’ is full Pep mode or more reliant on the benefits of good vibes: “I'm not Pep. I would say I'm vibes mixed with Jurgen Klopp!

“We're pressing, we’re high energy. I don't want waiting and all that, going into a low block and then waiting to counter-attack. We're pressing from the start and when you're pressing, it’s high intensity, high energy. We're taking the game to them, that's how we're doing it.”

Richards will be eager to see how Manchester City fare this weekend when Maresca takes his team - on the back of successive Premier League defeats against Aston Villa and Brighton - to the City Ground for a meeting with Nottingham Forest. He also has half an eye on the Stockport District Sunday Football League and goings on at the opposite end of a famous pyramid.

Follow Bollington United’s journey in Specsavers’ Best Worst Team: Season 5, an eight-part full-throttle YouTube series following every set-piece mishap, defensive blunder and unexpected moment of magic, as they embark on a season like no other, with a little help from the experts. Search for Specsavers’ Best Worst Team on YouTube to follow the series and see how Bolly gets on.