When Arsenal and Manchester City meet again next season, they will be up against one of the most expensive players in Premier League history. Elliot Anderson.
The midfielder’s move to the Etihad has yet to be officially confirmed, but it feels like it is only a matter of time before things come together. A £116m transfer has been agreed and he will undergo a medical in the US before terms are finalized.
How will the Gunners react to this move? Well, it’s difficult. Looking at this figure, Aston Villa are seeking up to £130m to sell Morgan Rodgers. Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali is also expected to be worth £100m, with interest from Arsenal and rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
The reality is that this is a move that will be extremely damaging to market conditions.
Arsenal could sign Anderson for £80m
At one stage, Arsenal were interested in Anderson, but he was always going to leave for Manchester City. The Gunners were more than happy to let that happen without officially entering the race themselves.
However, Mikel Arteta needs a new midfielder and there are many options on his shortlist. The main topic of discussion at the moment is Bruno Guimarães.
The Newcastle man is a player of interest to the north Londoners and they have started conversations through intermediaries about signing the Brazilian from St James’ Park.
But the message so far is that he is not for sale.
Arsenal have received the same message from Bournemouth regarding Alex Scott. BBC Sport reported this week that the Cherries are currently not open to selling the midfielder.
This is despite the Gunners beginning initial negotiations to understand whether a move is possible. Sadly for them, it certainly doesn’t look like that’s going to happen for now anyway.
Scott has two years left on his contract at the Vitality Stadium and Bournemouth are seeking an extension to his contract. It has previously been revealed that an offer of £80 million could be considered if a move were to materialize this summer.
Comparison of Alex Scott and Elliot Anderson
Anderson is of It’s a signing that every top team in the Premier League wanted to complete this summer. Arsenal and Manchester United never made a formal effort to lure him away from Nottingham Forest, but he was a keen fan.
It’s no wonder why. The England international was one of the best players in the Premier League last season. No midfielder ran as many kilometers as Anderson. Only one midfielder, Manuel Ugarte, made more defensive contributions in the English top flight throughout the 2025/26 season.
But Scott is actually cut from a pretty similar cloth. It’s true that Anderson is the better player, so his price is higher, but the 22-year-old is also, in the words of Andoni Iraola, “one of the best midfielders in the Premier League”.
why? Well, compared to City’s club-record signing, he’s actually doing quite well.
The Scot had more eights than sixes and actually scored the same number of goals (four) as England’s midfield warrior. He also scored a cracker at the Emirates vs Arsenal. The rankings were quite close on other indicators as well.
Alex Scott vs Arsenal (April 2026) | |
|---|---|
Play time (minutes) | 90 |
touch | 63 |
the goal | 1 |
shot | 2 |
An opportunity has arisen | 1 |
Contribution in defense | 13 |
ball collector | 8 |
Like Anderson, the Cherries star is willing to run into the ground for his team. The former Bristol City player made 12.18 defensive contributions per 90 minutes last season, compared to Anderson’s 13.93.
Both players are amazing at reading plays and winning the ball back. Anderson was one of the best players in the division with 8.26 ball recoveries, but Scott wasn’t far behind with 6.14 per 90.
Not only are this duo comfortable doing the dirty work off the ball, but they’re also great with the ball at their feet. It exudes dignity and calmness. Both players average a pass completion rate of around 85%. What’s more, Scott was in the best 13% of Premier League midfielders in dribbling proficiency, while Anderson finished the 2025/26 season in the best 4% of dribbling skills.
Based on that statistical evidence, Arsenal would be looking to sign a player like Elliott Anderson. This player has a good chance of becoming just as good in the years to come. After all, he has already been named in Thomas Tuchel’s pre-World Cup squad and is about to make his England debut.
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