Elliot Anderson steps up to thrust Forest to safety, but was this a parting gift?

AFC BournemouthArsenalAston VillaBrentfordBrighton & Hove AlbionBurnleyChelseaCrystal PalaceEvertonFulhamLeeds UnitedLiverpoolManchester CityManchester UnitedNewcastle UnitedNottingham ForestSunderlandTottenham HotspurWest Ham UnitedWolverhampton WanderersScores & ScheduleStandingsFantasyThe Athletic FC NewsletterPodcastsAnalysisElliot Anderson steps up to thrust Forest to safety, but was this a parting gift? Andrew Kearns - CameraSport via Getty Images Share articleElliot Anderson lay prone on the floor, surrounded by a huddle of joyful team-mates, having just summoned his most significant touch of the ball yet in a Nottingham Forest shirt. There have been plenty of those — thousands of them, probably — but the sweep of his boot that angled a shot into the back of the net in the 88th minute proved to be the most precious of them all. He did not know it at the time, but it was to be the goal that secured a fifth season of Premier League football for Forest. With West Ham subsequently beaten 1-0 by Arsenal in the late kick-off, the point his equaliser secured was enough to ensure Forest could not be sucked into the bottom three. Vitor Pereira’s side have toiled through the last two games without Morgan Gibbs-White, sidelined with a facial injury. But in the absence of one of this team’s inspirations, another stood tall. In normal circumstances, a 1-1 draw with Newcastle might not have been much to write home about. But these are not normal times at the City Ground where, at the end of a tumultuous season, Forest have been steadily edging themselves towards Premier League safety. In that context, Anderson’s late goal against his former club was invaluable. The two games left to play, at Manchester United and at home to Bournemouth on the final day, will not hold the nerve-shredding drama they might have done. Anderson has many strengths; he is one of the best players to have pulled on a Forest shirt in the modern era. But, while he has many attributes, goal scoring was not necessarily deemed one of them. This was his fourth in the top flight this season and the effort of scoring it seemed to take a toll, with the midfielder instantly struck by cramp which required first James McAtee and then Neco Williams to assist in stretching out his right leg as he lay on his back. Any pain will have been outweighed by delight given what this moment will have meant to the 23-year-old. When he did finally make it back onto his feet, Anderson’s celebration was simple — he pointed to the sky in what seemed a tribute to his late mother, Helen. His manager, Pereira, is full of admiration for Anderson as a man and a player. The Forest coaching staff felt they had witnessed an additional level of purpose in Anderson even before this game against his former club. “In the warm-up my assistant told me: ‘Elliot is on fire today’,” said Pereira in his post-match press conference. “Every shot he had on goal (in the warm-up) he scored. He had the funeral of his mother two days ago. I did not speak with him about this, but I believe he wanted to honour his mother with a goal. “That is why he tried until the last minute to score a goal. Because this is the way that he found to give everything; to play for him, but also to play for her, I believe. “It is difficult for me and for everyone to understand what he is feeling inside. In the end, I believe that he honoured his mother by going on the pitch and running until the last metre. He wanted a lot to score a goal, right until the end. He is a very, very talented player but he has a strong, strong, strong character.” That drive was certainly evident as Anderson rolled a crisp pass into the feet of McAtee, before surging beyond him into the penalty area to receive a return ball. He forced his finish purposefully beyond Nick Pope before collapsing to the turf exhausted, as if he had expended every last ounce of energy with the sheer effort of it. It is that kind of character that has helped this Forest squad amass an eight-game unbeaten run in the Premier League, even as a tide of injuries have strangled Pereira’s options. Forest fans will hope Anderson’s goal does not prove to be a parting gift, with Manchester City and Manchester United both holding serious interest in the Newcastle academy product. City are regarded as the favourites to sign a player who seems increasingly certain to be a key figure for England at the World Cup this summer. Forest have, historically, shown strength when it comes to negotiating over the sale of their prime assets. They tend to extract the best possible fee — as illustrated by Anthony Elanga, the Swedish international winger who remained an unused substitute on the Newcastle bench, following his £52million ($70.9m) summer move from the City Ground last summer. Forest believe Anderson, an all-round talent coming into his prime and a homegrown English player in terms of UEFA competition, is worth at least £100million. That price tag could rise even higher if a bidding war develops and, equally, if he shines in the United States over the summer. It would represent a significant profit for Forest, who effectively signed Anderson from Newcastle for only £15million given goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos moved in the opposite direction with a £20m valuation. The sale — motivated by a need to remain on the right side of profit and sustainability regulations (PSR) in the summer of 2024 — is a moment that still upsets Newcastle manager Eddie Howe. “It was something we regretted when we were doing it. We knew that would be a very, very painful transfer, (but) one that we had to do,” said Howe in his press conference. “We had no choice, but it was probably the most reluctant transfer I’ll ever do because we knew the quality of the player. “We’d seen him close up for a number of years training with us. He was beginning to break into the team and he was being, at the back end of that season, really effective in a number of different positions. “It really hurts to see him do that against us today, he’s going to go and have a fantastic career, wherever he goes, wherever his career takes him. He’s a great lad as well, so it’s painful for us to take but he’s an outstanding player.” It might be the best transfer Forest have completed in the modern era. That feeling was only enhanced by the goal that helped to secure another season of Premier League football. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms