Anderson's journey to England star and Man City record signing

Image source, Manchester City Image caption, Elliot Anderson was an integral figure in England's World Cup squad By Phil McNulty Chief football writer Published 23 June 2026 Updated 5 minutes ago Elliot Anderson was the schoolboy footballer so good his teachers discussed placing a bet on him playing for England. The bet was never made - but Thomas Tuchel put huge trust in Anderson at the World Cup, and Manchester City are doing the same by signing him for a club record £116m from Nottingham Forest. Anderson, who began his football journey on the playing fields of Tyneside, is one that painfully got away from Newcastle United but is still revered and respected in his home city as the "quiet and self-effacing" local boy made good. Magpies boss Eddie Howe called Anderson's £35m sale to Nottingham Forest in July 2024 "the most reluctant in my career" - a deal effectively forced on the club because they feared they were going to break profit and sustainability rules (PSR) and incur a points deduction following years of imbalanced trading. The sense of loss only became more acute as the 23-year-old emerged as a central component in England's World Cup squad, with head coach Tuchel calling him "the full package". Loss is also felt by Scotland, who hoped Anderson would play for the country as he has a Scottish grandmother. He was called up for the Euro 2024 qualifier in Cyprus and a friendly with England in September 2023, having represented the Scots at under-21 and junior level, only to pull out through injury before pledging allegiance to England. The recent attention is all a far cry from the early life of a young Geordie who used to kick a ball around with his elder brothers before emerging as an outstanding young player at Valley Gardens Middle School, and then at the famous Wallsend Boys' Club, where Alan Shearer, Peter Beardsley and Michael Carrick honed their trade. Anderson gets Man City move he craved as £116m deal done Published 1 hour ago From the Geordie production line... Anderson's first steps in football came playing with elder brothers Louie and Wil - the latter of whom would gain prominence as a contestant on reality TV show Love Island. Jonathan Roys - Anderson's former English and PE teacher at Valley Gardens, who was also his head of year - told BBC Sport: "His brothers had been through the school and I played against his dad. "His brothers were decent. I think being the youngest of three he was used to getting bossed about a little bit, but he took no quarter off anybody. He'd get stuck right in." Anderson put down a marker for future success when he was captain and scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 win as Valley Gardens won the English leg of the Danone Nations Cup in 2014, a prestigious worldwide youth tournament. His parents, Iain and Helen, ensured studying was never sidelined, with lessons organised around time at the academy of Newcastle United - his beloved club and one he was always destined to join. Image source, Getty Images