Manchester City's confirmed £116million move for Elliot Anderson is being read as the latest reason the Premier League's 115 charges case looks painfully slow to settle. The hearing ended 19 months ago, and the verdict is still outstanding. City, meanwhile, have carried on spending like a club with no immediate restraint hanging over them.

City's spending while the case drags on

The Mirror's line is blunt. It called the £116million figure for Anderson's move to City ironic, and pointed out that it would have looked even sharper at £115million. That is the hook, but the bigger point is the timing. Since the 12-week hearing ended in early December 2024, City have spent well over £500million on new players.

That spending does not prove anything about the charges themselves. It does show why the delay is now the story around the story. A club can still act boldly while a case sits unresolved, and City have done exactly that.

Anderson's own numbers help explain why he has become such an expensive target. He has averaged 7.24 across his last five matches, and he has 4 appearances this season, with 1 goal contribution. It is a small sample, but it is enough to suggest City are paying for a player they rate highly right now, not just a long-term project.

Nottingham Forest and the next talking point

Nottingham Forest are the club on the other side of the deal, and the size of the fee makes the move a prominent one even before any debate around the 115 charges starts. There was also speculation in the Mirror's reporting that Anderson's camp likely believe any punishment, if it arrives, will not be draconian, but that remains speculation rather than certainty.

The other argument floating around the deal is whether Anderson might have ended up at Manchester United instead of City. The reporting presents that as a live possibility rather than a settled fact, which is about as far as it should go.

For now, the concrete detail is the one that keeps cutting through the noise: £116million for Anderson, 19 months since the hearing ended, and still no verdict from the Premier League.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →