Viana in talks to sign Man City’s next Rodri for £100m
Manchester City stormed to victory in the FA Cup at home to a hopeless Exeter City side, as Pep Guardiola’s men ran out as conclusive 10-1 winners.
Antoine Semenyo had an easy debut up top for City, partnering Erling Haaland in attack, with the former AFC Bournemouth forward starting his new career at the Etihad with a blistering goal and an assist.
£64m was dropped on landing the Premier League’s man of the moment, but the lavish spending doesn’t look like stopping there, as Guardiola and Co plan more statement moves, before the frenzied window slams shut.
Man City in talks to hijack £100m move
It’s no great secret at this point that City can splash the cash when required, with the £152m spent on new recruits in the summer, rather modest, by their standards.
Amazingly, they could trump that amount in January, with a move for Marc Guehi looking to still be in the works, as Arsenal and Liverpool continue to chase after the Crystal Palace centre-back’s services, alongside the Citizens.
Alongside Guehi potentially joining, TEAMtalk has now reported that City could pull off an incredible hijack of Elliot Anderson, who is seen as Manchester United’s prime midfield target, as the Red Devils go about re-energising their options in the middle of the park.
They could be beaten to this signature by their fiercest rivals, though, with the report further elaborating that the ten-time Premier League title winners have already held talks about landing the £100m star, at the expense of their foes down the road.
City’s recruitment team, including Hugo Viana, are said to have kept a close eye on Anderson while Guardiola has also been noted as a big admirer of the English midfielder.
City might well end up winning this tussle, even if it costs them an eye-watering £100m, as a new Rodri potentially enters the Etihad ranks.
How Anderson could be Rodri 2.0
Rodri instantly fitted into Guardiola’s set-up when making a £62.6m move a reality from Atletico Madrid in 2019.
This might well have been viewed as a high amount to fork out for a holding midfielder at the time, but he has displayed season after season in Manchester why he is considered a “world-class” star, as he was once labelled by Sky Sports’ Paul Merson.
So impressive has the Spaniard been that he’s won a whole host of team honours and individual honours, most famously picking up the Ballon d’Or in 2024.
As his own manager has labelled him, the Spaniard is a “complete holding midfielder”, with 27 goals and 32 assists coming his way across 277 games under Guardiola’s wing, being constantly backed up by a hunger to fight and battle from the middle of the park.
Indeed, while he did collect a stunning eight goals and nine assists during the 2023/24 season in the Premier League, he also averaged a tenacious 6.9 ball recoveries per match, alongside winning 5.9 duels per game, with Rodri equal parts gritty and skilful, to be seen as a remarkable one-of-a-kind figure.
Anderson will hope to follow in his footsteps in being taken to that next level under Guardiola, with another midfield maestro in Arsenal’s Declan Rice already stating that the Nottingham Forest ace “can play at a higher level” when starring for England.
Unfortunately, it will cost City a substantial amount to land the Tricky Trees’ much-talked-about talent, but with Anderson already being talked up as a “world-class” star for a team loitering near the foot of the Premier League by Statman Dave, it’s frightening to contemplate how much more the 23-year-old could have in his locker, surrounded by better quality teammates.
Anderson’s PL numbers for Forest
Stat (* = per 90 mins)
24/25
25/26
Games played
37
21
Goals scored
2
1
Assists
6
2
Touches*
54.2
92.4
Accurate passes*
28.7 (82%)
58.6 (86%)
Big chances created
7
1
Ball recoveries*
5.6
8.4
Total duels won*
6.5
7.8
Stats by Sofascore
Across two Premier League seasons for Forest, Anderson has stuck out as a forceful, yet skilful presence, much like Rodri when he’s fit, with his lively ball recovery numbers and duels won per 90 minutes immediately sticking out.
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He also can change games with his output, with the standout number eight collecting an assist last time out as Forest won a pivotal clash at the bottom of the division versus West Ham United, with Anderson surely itching for a big move now to test himself higher up the league.
Anderson will be aiming to be as decorated as Rodri has become, if a daring £100m move does get over the line, as United’s immense disappointment could be their rivals’ unbelievable joy.
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