Inside Elliot Anderson's £113m move: Is he the answer to City's problems?

Elliot Anderson will undergo medicals on Friday ahead of his big-money move to Manchester City this summer. Is the England man the answer to...

Elliot Anderson will undergo medicals on Friday ahead of his big-money move to Manchester City this summer. Is the England man the answer to City's midfield problems? (Photo credit: GOAL)

Manchester City on Thursday confirmed their breakthrough with Nottingham Forest on their desire to lure England midfielder Elliot Anderson to the Etihad Stadium.

It's going to be a ridiculous transfer window with the likes of Mattues Fernandez, Adam Wharton, Alex Scott, and Carlos Baleba all being scouted by top teams. It looks like the starting point for the conversation is £100m. Pay up or go home!

Word on the street is that the Cityzens won't pay up to the rumored £130m for the Forest midfielder who is on World Cup duty with England. News outlets are reporting a £116m agreement between Manchester City and Nottingham Forest with no add-ons expected.

The Cityzens have gone two straight seasons without a Premier League title, with Liverpool snapping their run of four consecutive triumphs and Arsenal fending off the Cityzens' late push to win the title for the first time in 22 years.

The arrival of Elliot Anderson could signal the beginning of a new era, with Rodri likely to be offloaded to Real Madrid. The Spaniard hasn't ruled out a move away, and Manchester City won't stand in his way if he asks to leave.

The rebuild at the Etihad goes beyond the midfield. You can argue that they're well-stocked in that department for now with the Englishman's arrival. There is a certain Tijjani Reijnders, who joined for £70m last summer; Nico Gonzalez remains an option, despite not hitting the heights expected yet.

The void left by Bernardo Silva is a big one. To fill that, you might need more than Elliot Anderson. And should Rodri leave, then the splurging at City might just have started. It takes a lot to replace such a player. Expect to see more big arrivals at the Etihad.

Defensive reinforcements will be needed to compete as well. Mattheus Nunes accidentally became useful to Pep Guardiola, and he became the undisputed option at right back, but the Portuguese is nowhere near the ideal man for the role despite excelling at it.

Nico O'Rielly is another midfielder whom Guardiola deployed at left back. That the Englishman excelled at it doesn't mean he should be left there. The Cityzens will do well to find fullback covers ahead of the new season if they want to go toe-to-toe with the contenders.

John Stones is gone. The position of Manuel Akanji can't be decided yet; Abdulkhodir Khusanov and Ruben Dias are the only trusted center-backs available, with Josko Gvardiol and Nathan Aké often preferred at left back. Manchester City must go for defenders this summer.

Savinho is expected to leave for Tottenham. This leaves City short of one winger. Jeremy Doku shone brightly towards the end of last season, but the Cityzens must invest in wingers ahead of the new season. Whatever happens, academy players will play some roles, but established and experienced players must come in too.

Finally, Enzo Maresca is yet to be announced as Guardiola's replacement. We expect that to happen imminently, and that will have huge bearings on how the club plays going forward. The Italian is the anointed one, but does he have enough to challenge for the title?