Arsenal have entered the race to sign Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson with the Gunners ‘not backing down’ over his price tag, according to reports.
The Gunners have made a great start to the new season with Mikel Arteta’s men currently sitting top of the Premier League table after 11 matches.
Arsenal are four points ahead of second-placed Manchester City, while defending champions Liverpool – who occupy eighth position – are eight points adrift.
New sporting director Andrea Berta oversaw a huge summer of spending at the Emirates Stadium with Arsenal splashing out over £250m on eight new signings.
The Gunners now have incredible depth in all positions but there is one area that they still want to improve over the next couple of transfer windows.
Spanish website Fichajes insist that Arsenal have ‘entered the race’ to sign Nottingham Forest midfielder Anderson, who is wanted by numerous clubs.
In October, reliable Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg revealed that Man Utd and Newcastle are two of the clubs looking at the possibility of signing Anderson.
Plettenberg wrote on X: ‘Manchester United and Newcastle are just two of many top clubs closely monitoring Elliot #Anderson. Their interest has already been registered. #MUFC Forest are aware. Key player. Understand for a transfer in the summer, a fee of around £100–120 million is currently being demanded. There is no release clause.’
Fichajes adds that Arsenal ‘are not backing down’ despite Nottingham Forest demanding over £100m for the England international.
The report continues: ‘For Arsenal, the signing of Elliot Anderson represents an investment in both the present and the future. The club has signed midfielders like Christian Nørgaard, but he is now over 30, highlighting the need to find a player with greater potential. Anderson fits that profile: young, dynamic, and capable of becoming the linchpin of the midfield.
Arsenal’s technical staff see him as a long-term solution, as well as a significant upgrade from their current squad. Although Nottingham Forest are demanding a very high fee—reportedly between £100 and £120 million—Arsenal are considering making that investment to secure the player before other clubs inflate his price.’
Arsenal are now urging Nottingham Forest to ‘accept their offer’ but that is seen as the Gunners’ ‘main challenge’ as they attempt to sign the former Newcastle United star.
Anderson should be “on the plane” to North America for the 2026 World Cup in the summer.
Fray said: “It is great for Forest fans to have a player like that to watch week in week out at the moment. He just keeps delivering all of these excellent performances.
“We always talk about players wanting to maintain consistent 7 out of 10 performances but he isn’t just consistently a 7 out of 10, he is performing at way higher levels than that.
“He is a fabulous asset for Sean Dyche and Thomas Tuchel to have, and he has proven himself at international level over the first four games of his England career.
“It was interesting to hear Tuchel talk about there being ‘no guarantees’ that Anderson will be included in his World Cup squad in his press conference.
“You wouldn’t expect him to tout Anderson as a shoo-in just yet, but as long as he doesn’t pick up any injury issues and he continues to perform at this level – touch wood – then I don’t think there’s much doubt around him being on the plane.”
