Elliot Anderson's Impact at Nottingham Forest: A Rising Star
Elliot Anderson arrived at Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2024 as a talent with promise rather than proof. A North East lad swapping Tyneside for Trentside, a big fee on his shoulders, and a fair few question marks over what he would actually become at Premier League level.
Those questions have largely been answered.
Regular minutes at Forest have turned potential into presence. Anderson now sits among the division’s most effective ball-winners, leading recovery numbers and dictating games from midfield. He has forced his way into the England setup too, already collecting seven senior caps and riding the wave of a rapid international breakthrough with the Three Lions.
None of that has shocked Henri Lansbury.
Lansbury’s seal of approval
The former Forest captain, who knows the demands of that midfield role and that stadium better than most, has been watching closely. Anderson, he says, has changed the feel of this Forest side.
"He's been probably my favourite player when I've been watching Forest. He's really come in and set the team alight," Lansbury told GOAL, drawing a clear line between his own days at the City Ground and the new standard-bearer in the middle of the park.
He quickly brought another key name into the conversation.
"To be fair like Morgan Gibbs-White as well – them two connect well. I think they've really helped, but Elliot for me is a standout player and I think going forward – he's only just starting really isn't he – he could really step up and be a shining light."
That’s the crux of it. Anderson is already central to Forest’s identity, yet those who have worn the armband believe this is only the beginning.
The one gap in the numbers
For all the control, the pressing, the relentless energy, there is one obvious statistic that still lags behind: goals. Just four for Forest in 89 appearances is a modest return for a player with his technical quality.
Lansbury, though, refuses to let that define the conversation.
"Possibly but you're picking nits out of it," he said when asked if scoring is the next step. "The stuff he does during the game, you'd always want him in your team. He's got a bit of magic and he plays forward, which I like as well, and he's not afraid to keep getting on the ball. If he makes a mistake, he puts his foot in. He's just everywhere on the pitch, which is brilliant."
That last line could double as a job description for the modern Premier League midfielder. Always available, always aggressive, always brave enough to demand the ball again after an error. Anderson has made that his trademark.
A relegation fight and a different kind of check
The next test comes on Sunday, when Burnley arrive at the City Ground for a meeting loaded with jeopardy. Both clubs are locked in a relegation scrap, every point heavy, every decision magnified.
Normally, fans want as little to do with VAR as possible. The long waits, the cold replays, the tension. This weekend, they might feel differently.
Lansbury is helping to front the ‘Check Your Bally’s’ campaign, which will use Testicular Cancer Awareness Month to turn every VAR stoppage into something more meaningful. For every VAR check across the Premier League this weekend, Bally Bet will donate £100 to The OddBalls Foundation.
"Hopefully it works in our favour," Lansbury said with a smile. "They're going to donate £100 every time VAR is checked over the weekend so if everyone can start doing the VAR screen sign and try and get the referee there as much as possible, the donations will be greatly received."
The message is simple: if the game has to stop, let it count for something beyond offsides and penalty calls.
A captain who led by example
Lansbury’s connection with Forest runs deeper than a few quotes and a charity campaign. He lived some of his most difficult days while on the club’s books, having been diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2016 at the age of 25.
Across five years at the City Ground, he wore the armband and tried to embody what he now sees in players like Anderson – leadership through actions, not noise.
"Someone that led by example on the pitch," he said when asked what kind of captain he wanted to be. "Obviously I had Chrissy Cohen in front of me and he was a great role model and such a shame that he had to finish early with his knees because he was someone that I really looked up to when I first went there and he welcomed me with open arms.
"Obviously taking the armband was amazing for me, but personally I wanted to do it on the pitch. I'm not really a shouter in the changing room, my motivation is for them to see me working hard on the pitch and I felt like I gave that to Forest."
For Lansbury, the best captains don’t just talk about standards; they live them.
"I think so, I like to see someone step up and really take the game. If you're wearing the armband, it does come with a bit more pressure because you are the captain of the team and you do have to perform.
"Some players do scream and shout to get themselves going but for me, I prefer someone that you look around, he's got the armband on and he's grafting, he's doing well, he's playing, he's doing everything and I feel like you get a positive connection off that when you're playing with someone like that."
It is not hard to see why he warms to Anderson – a midfielder who covers every blade, hunts the ball, and never hides.
VAR, awareness and a takeover at the City Ground
This weekend, the City Ground becomes the focal point of the ‘Check Your Bally’s’ drive. Bally Bet will stage a dedicated matchday takeover for Nottingham Forest vs Burnley on April 19, using the habits of football fans to push a very different kind of checking.
VAR breaks, usually a source of groans, will double as prompts. Every time the referee heads to the monitor or the game pauses for a review, £100 goes to The OddBalls Foundation, tying the act of checking a decision on the pitch to the importance of checking yourself off it.
The message will be everywhere: stadium LEDs, big screens, the matchday programme. The OddBalls Foundation will be on site, with trained professionals available for supporters who want to talk or learn more.
Forest need Anderson to drive them through a relegation fight. Lansbury needs fans to turn irritation at VAR into something that might save a life. One game, two battles – and a reminder that some checks matter far more than whether a flag should have gone up.
