Help or hindrance? How Elliot Anderson’s big-money move to Manchester City will impact his Dream Team returns

THIS time last year Elliot Anderson (£4.5m) was viewed as a serviceable workhorse for Nottingham Forest. Now he’s a starter for England and Manchester City’s £116million marquee midfielder. PLAY DREAM TEAM NOW: £100,000 PRIZE POT! Anderson’s reputation has gone through the roof in the last year Credit: Dream Team Many Dream Team managers monitored Anderson’s rapid rise in relevance closely during the 2025/26 season. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! The 23-year-old is not a prolific goalscorer but few players are as influential in the middle third of the pitch. At the risk of boring those who are adverse to stats, Anderson ranks highly for line-breaking passes, progressive carries and ball-winning actions. Simply put, he wins the ball back and gets it forward to his team-mates — a true midfielder. It’s often the case that players of this ilk, while important for team balance, fail to make waves in the world of Dream Team. However, Anderson honed this playstyle to such an extent that he forced gaffers to broaden their horizons. Anderson helped England finish third at the World Cup Credit: Getty In fact, last season’s overall winner, Paul Taylor, brought Anderson into his XI for a few Gameweeks on his way to the £60,000 top prize. Most read in Football Forest’s former No8 ranked fourth in his position for tackles having amassed a tally of 127 in all competitions, making use of regular Europa League commitments. More importantly, he was a bonus point machine. MOST BONUS POINTS LAST SEASON Jeremy Doku – 76 Elliot Anderson – 74 Lewis Hall – 68 Dominik Szoboszlai – 58 Neco Williams – 55 Ezri Konsa – 51 Ryan Gravenberch/Xavi Simons – 47 The big question ahead of the new campaign is whether Anderson can earn another 70+ bonus points? His strengths will remain the same under Enzo Maresca but playing for Man City is not the same as playing for Forest. Play Dream Team this season! £100,000 in prize money up for grabs in 2026/27 Free to enter Play in Mini Leagues against your mates £60,000 jackpot for the overall winner £1,000 prize for winning Gameweek 1 PLAY DREAM TEAM NOW! This is not meant as an insult to the two-time European champions, it’s merely an acknowledgement that City tend to dictate more games and encounter low blocks often. Perhaps teams will be more ambitious against them now Pep Guardiola has departed but the decorated tactician has left his successor a star-studded squad that will not be taken lightly. During his days at the City Ground, Anderson banked a lot of points by winning duels in the middle of the park — is it not logical to expect fewer of these actions in City colours? He may find that his role is more similar to the one he fulfils for the Three Lions, which involves a lot of patient passing against deep defences. Haaland and Anderson are now on the same team Credit: Getty This isn’t something Man City fans need to worry about but it is something Dream Team bosses should consider when weighing up his viability. If a player earns a sizeable chunk of their points through defensive actions then there should be a certain degree of caution if their defensive workload is reduced. That being said, it’s possible this transfer will benefit Anderson in other ways. As one of the strongest teams in Europe, Man City tend to dominate possession and territory in most fixtures, which could lead to more goal involvements for the hardworking midfielder. It’s likely he will find himself in advanced positions more regularly and he has the ability to make things happen with the ball at his feet 25 yards from goal, especially with the likes of Erling Haaland (£8.5m), Antoine Semenyo (£6m) and Jeremy Doku (£5m) ahead of him. Risk-adverse gaffers will wait and see how Anderson fits in at the Etihad but it’s understandable why 5.4% of managers are willing to take a punt on him from the off at this stage — City’s early fixtures are relatively favourable. Open to residents of UK and Rep of Ireland, 18+ only. T&Cs apply. How to claim £30 in football free bets Midnite offer Download the Midnite app or create an account online HERE* Register using the code: BETGET30 Deposit a minimum of £10 Place a £10 sportsbook bet at minimum odds of 1/1 Free Bets will be credited upon settlement of your qualifying bet Comment now