Declan Rice lauds Elliot Anderson as “one of the best I’ve played with” as £116M Man City transfer looms | OneFootball

Arsenal and England star Declan Rice has delivered a glowing tribute to Elliot Anderson ahead of the midfielder’s £116 million move to Manchester City.

Rice has been one of the most influential midfielders in European football since completing his own high-profile move to Arsenal from West Ham United in 2023 – and his perspective on the pressures and expectations that accompany a record-breaking transfer carries particular weight – given the experiences that have shaped his own career at the top of the game.

Anderson, whose £116 million move to Manchester City from Nottingham Forest is in its final stages, has been part of the same England squad as Rice throughout the ongoing FIFA World Cup, giving the Arsenal man a close-up look at how the 23-year-old has handled the extraordinary level of scrutiny accompanying one of the summer’s most significant transfers.

That proximity has clearly made an impression on Rice, who sought out Anderson for a personal conversation about the unique challenge of carrying a monumental transfer fee as a young player stepping up to a new level – a challenge Rice knows better than most after his own landmark move from east London to north London.

The endorsement from a player of Rice’s stature adds another layer to a narrative that has already captured the attention of the football world, with those who have worked alongside Anderson throughout the World Cup unanimous in their belief that the 23-year-old has the character and quality to justify Manchester City’s record investment.

Rice: Anderson is “one of the best I’ve played with”

Speaking to The Telegraph’s Jason Burt, Rice said: “We had a great chat, sat outside on beanbags. I just said he can’t control the price he’s going for,” on Anderson’s upcoming club record Manchester City move.

“I couldn’t control what I went for. Why he’s going for that price is because he’s been one of the best in Europe this season. If you watch him play, everything goes through him at Forest.

“He’s constantly on the ball, the engine room. I was trying to give him a bit of perspective that the price is just noise. Just do what you’ve been doing and you’ll be just fine.

“He’s such a humble guy, that’s not going to affect him. He just needs to keep doing what he’s doing and he’s going to be a real success – I believe he’s one of the best I’ve played with.”

The directness of that final assessment – from a player who has shared a midfield with some of the most gifted footballers of his generation – is perhaps the most compelling endorsement Anderson has yet received as he prepares to begin life at the Etihad Stadium under new manager Enzo Maresca.

What does Rice’s verdict tell us about Man City’s new signing?

The parallels Rice draws between his own move to Arsenal and Anderson’s impending arrival at Manchester City are instructive, with both players having been required to carry the burden of a record fee while simultaneously proving themselves in a system that demands collective intelligence as much as individual brilliance.

Rice’s reference to Anderson as “the engine room” of Nottingham Forest speaks directly to the profile that director of football Hugo Viana has prioritised in reshaping Manchester City’s midfield this summer – a player capable of dominating possession, driving forward with intensity and operating as the central thread through which the team’s attacking play is built.

Whether Anderson can fulfil the expectations Rice has helped set will only become clear once Maresca’s first competitive season begins in earnest – but with endorsements of this quality arriving before the player has even kicked a ball for his new club – the stage is already being set for one of the most eagerly anticipated arrivals in Manchester City’s recent history.