Elliot Anderson’s start to life at Manchester City, and what happens next?

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If you’ve been living under a rock during this international break from club football, you may have missed that Manchester City have been charged with 114 Premier League financial rule breaches.

What this means for the club is yet to be determined. It could be relegation from the Premier League, expulsion from the English Football League (EFL) altogether, and titles stripped away over the nine guilty years.

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All of those consequences would be devastating to City, who have consistently held one of the best squads in the entire world over the past decade, and have started the season on an unbeaten run.

Just this summer, Manchester City rebuilt their midfield with two £100 million+ players – Enzo Enzo Fernández and Elliot Anderson. Their intention was to remodel after the losses of Bernardo Silva and Rodri – two players that defined the past decade of football for Guardiola’s team.

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In 2026, they’ve also brought in the likes of Antoine Semenyo, Marc Guehi, and Iliman Ndiaye. All of these players had multiple offers on the table and different destinations to explore. They all chose City because of the hope and promise that it would be the place for them to win Premier League titles, and even have a crack at the Champions League. They would have also chosen City for financial reasons, given the club’s position in the market and ability to offer lucrative contracts.

Their rivals like Manchester United couldn’t compete with the fees associated with a player like Elliot Anderson, and abandoned any hope of securing the Englishman’s signature.

But now all of that could change.

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If City’s punishment sees them relegated to the Championship, or expelled from playing in any of the top four English divisions, they would need to undergo an entire squad overhaul.

The revenue that the club generates from the Premier League, Champions League, and all of the TV broadcasting rights associated with both, would simply no longer be present. Add in the fees they would likely have to pay in punishment fines, and we’re looking at a side that would go bankrupt having to hold onto the contracts of players like Haaland, Fernandez and Anderson.

So I wanted to answer the question – what happens now (or in that strange future timeline)? What happens now that City cannot afford their players. Where do they go?

ANDERSON’S START FOR THE SKY BLUES

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There’s a genuine argument that Elliot Anderson has been the standout midfielder in the Premier League across the first five fixtures.

The way he floats about, collecting the ball and passing it on with such ease, has been a hallmark of City’s control.

They’ve held the second highest amount of possession in their matches to start the season (63%, behind only Brighton), and Anderson’s always been at the forefront. He’s completed 86 passes and accumulated 116 passer per 90 so far this campaign, more than any of his City teammates.

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But it hasn’t just been short, sweet, one-touch, backwards and sideways passes. It hasn’t been about moving the ball around without purpose. In fact, quite the opposite.

With his formidable passing range on full display, the 23-year-old has made 22.7 line breaking passes per 90 – the most of any midfielder in the league.

In the City ranks, he’s also covered the second most distance (km run) per 90 behind Enzo Fernandez, and completed the second most long passes per 90 to Rayan Cherki.

I particularly like how Anderson already has a strong intuition about his teammates, understanding where to play the ball to benefit their skillsets. He has a great connection with Erling Haaland in these early stages, constantly feeding him passes in behind.

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He’ll also link up nicely with the Norwegian in smaller spaces, where the centre-forward can use the attention he attracts to allow others to sprint in behind.

Beyond the flashier moments, Anderson’s great at keeping a game ticking along.

He’ll sit deep when the team build out from the back or progress through the thirds, firmly in front of the centre-backs with the whole field at his disposal to play any way he wants.

Maresca’s men like to combine in close quarters, where one full-back will push higher and the other three defenders form a base to triangulate passes between them.

Anderson always sits at the top of that diamond, acting as that pinball lever to free up a spare player.

One particular City automatism sees Anderson drop toward the centre-backs, and Enzo Fernandez split wide. This creates more of a gap through the centre of the pitch to potentially find Haaland through the defense.

He’s clearly not only a highly intelligent player on the ball, but off the ball in recognizing how to position himself for the betterment of his teammates and their attacking endeavours.

This continues into the defensive phase, where he’s integral as that first layer of defense. The City man has completed 4.5 tackles + interceptions per 90 so far this campaign, which is abnormally high for a player operating in a team with so much possession.

It’s safe to say that this is exactly what’s been missing at Manchester United this season, ever since they lost Casemiro.

If City were to crumble, Anderson could stay in Manchester and fill that massive hole in the United midfield. Specifically, he would help them to exert greater control of their matches without compromising anything in defense.

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Youri Tielemans has added that layer of poise and control to United’s midfield, but he hasn’t been able to replace Casemiro’s defensive nous.

This is where Anderson can offer greater mobility and physicality to defensive situations, freeing up someone like Kobbie Mainoo to emphasize their attacking quality.

If Manchester City are to be hit hard, United need to be one of the first teams asking for Anderson’s signature.

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For the time being, in this permanent uncertainty of what might happen to Manchester City and if anything they do this season matters, Anderson will remain essential to how they play. If they can continue to find top form and win their matches, it will be him at the heart of everything they produce.

Thanks for reading and see you soon!