Anderson and Rodri would be ‘formidable’ Man City partnership, says Carragher

Elliot Anderson will forge a “formidable” Manchester City midfield alongside Rodri if he completes his widely anticipated move from Nottingham Forest, according to former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher.

The England midfielder is widely reported to be set to join City for a club-record fee of £116m after a deal was agreed with Forest.

Anderson was one of the standout players in the Premier League last season, registering the most touches (3,300), winning possession the most times (306), winning the most duels (297) and drawing the most fouls (80).

The 23-year-old, who has made 88 appearances for Forest since joining from Newcastle United in 2024, helped the Tricky Trees to a seventh-place finish in his first season, and was part of the side that reached the Europa League semi-finals last term.

Anderson has since become a regular starter for England under Thomas Tuchel, starting both the Three Lions’ matches so far at the 2026 World Cup.

And ex-England international Carragher believes he would perfectly fill the void left by Bernardo Silva, who has departed the Etihad Stadium for Real Madrid following the expiration of his contract.

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“We will see over the next four or five years [if he is worth the transfer fee],” Carragher told Sky Sports. 

“If the player goes on to be a success for Manchester City, it will be worth it.

“It does feel like a lot right now, but we’ve said that about numerous players over the years.

“I think this is a deal City would’ve done if Pep Guardiola was still at the club, so I think it’s not just about the [new] manager saying he likes the player, it was a deal City wanted to get done anyway. There were a lot of noises before.

“They want to keep Rodri at the club. There’s noise around him as well with Real Madrid. When you think of Rodri and Bernardo Silva in the second half of last season, they were fantastic as a midfield pair.

“With Bernardo moving on to Real Madrid, I think it’s the obvious spot for Elliot Anderson to join Rodri, and that will be a formidable midfield.”