And so we must bid farewell to the best player to have pulled on the Garibaldi red in the last two decades.In just over 20 years of writing about Nottingham Forest, starting with the dreadful days in League One under Gary Megson, through the play-off frustrations and tinder box of drama under Billy Davies, and the joy and blessed relief of promotion under Steve Cooper, many good players have come and gone.Andy Reid should own the trademark to the combination of the words ‘wand’ and ‘left foot’. Lewis McGugan was a mine of raw, brilliant talent, Michail Antonio was simply a nightmare to try and stop, and Wes Morgan was a pure defender.Wes Morgan was a first-class defender (Images via Getty Images)And since Forest returned to the top flight in 2022, the level has gone up again. International quality players like Morgan Gibbs-White, Murillo, Chris Wood and Neco Williams have helped fade the memory of men like Adama Diakhaby, Lica and Nicolau Dumitru, who, bluntly, impressed rather less.Dozens of players have come and gone who were all armed with an outstanding trait, with a particular quality that made them stand out. But none — in the humble opinion of this reporter at least — have had quite the same level of all-round brilliance of Elliot Anderson.The 23-year-old arrived at the City Ground as a young man armed with a fierce sense of self-belief and quiet determination. He departs two years later as a man who is on the cusp of establishing himself as one of the best midfielders in world football.Anderson joined Forest as a 21-year-old with a decision to make, having represented Scotland at under-16, under-17, under-18 and under-21 level. He leaves two years later as an important figure within Thomas Tuchel’s England side, as they plot a course through the knockout stages of the World Cup.Forest fans — and surely Newcastle’s too — will still take pride in any part Anderson has to play between now and the end of the tournament.Anderson has become crucial to Thomas Tuchel’s England (Photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)For Manchester City, signing world-class players is nothing new. Their supporters are long accustomed to watching the biggest names play for their club.The £116million deal they have agreed for Anderson has broken numerous records, not least the highest fee ever paid for a British player. But it will surely prove to be worth every penny.But the £15million Forest effectively paid to sign him, with backup keeper Odi Vlachodimos moving as a £20million makeweight, also remains one of the best deals struck by Forest in the modern era.The fairness of a system that effectively forced Newcastle to cash in on one of their prize assets — just as Forest had to when they sold Brennan Johnson to Tottenham in 2023 — to remain on the right side of profit and sustainability rules is a different matter.Newcastle’s loss was Forest’s gain. Now it is Manchester City’s turn to benefit from being in a position to make an offer that was too good for Evangelos Marinakis — a man with a history of striking a hard bargain — to turn down.The “Geordie Maradona” nickname Anderson was endearingly handed by Newcastle supporters and that was maintained by Forest fans is starting to look slightly less tongue-in-cheek. He is a very different player to the Argentinian legend — and direct comparisons between the two would still be unrealistic — but in his own way, Anderson is equally capable of having a profound influence on every game he plays.He has fluidity on the ball, gliding beyond opponents. And, while he makes carrying it look effortless, he is just as capable of picking out a pass. But perhaps his biggest quality is his understanding and reading of the game, knowing where to position himself to break up opposition play and win back possession.Last season, Anderson registered 306 possessions won, which was 94 more than any other player in the Premier League. An incredible 154 were won in the middle third: 44 more than anyone else. He had the most touches of any player in the top flight (3,300), with Virgil van Dijk — a central defender who builds play out from the back with Liverpool — next with 3,261.Elliot Anderson came through the ranks at Newcastle (Photo: Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)Anderson produced 376 line-breaking passes — again the most in the Premier League — including 176 under pressure. He completed 50 dribbles, which was 11th-best in the division.He is an all-round midfielder who can slot into several different roles, within numerous different tactical approaches. He isn’t just a jack of all trades; he is a master of them all.When he joined Forest, Anderson was initially a quiet, reserved figure in the dressing room; somebody who preferred to do his talking on the pitch. He still is that, to some degree, but amid the chaos of four different managers taking charge at Forest in the space of a season, he has become part of the leadership group at the club.Anderson is somebody who leads by example, rather than by screaming and shouting — but on the pitch, he is often a whirl of kinetic energy; somebody who never stops pointing and guiding the players around him.Anderson made 53 appearances in two seasons in all competitions as a first-team player at Newcastle. He played 50 games for Forest last season alone, including starting 37 of Forest’s Premier League games. He came off the bench in the other. He has not missed a game through injury, only through suspension following his red card, for dissent, against Braga in the Europa League.Forest’s own standing has risen dramatically since promotion, with Nuno Espirito Santo having led them back into Europe — and Vitor Pereira taking them into the semi-final of the competition. They have also surely become a tempting destination for any other young players who are looking to progress their careers in the same way as Anderson.It can feel as though Forest’s role in his progress can be overlooked outside of this city. There seems to be a notion that, when they effectively spent that £15million to sign him from Newcastle, he was already the player he is now. But part of the reason he left Newcastle was because of a lack of opportunity; his growth was being hindered in the north east, rather than nurtured. He arrived at the City Ground armed with bucketloads of potential, with the natural talent and attitude to thrive.And it has been at Forest where he has been given the room to flower into the player he is now. When they were attempting to persuade Anderson that a move to Forest was the right step for his career, that is precisely the selling point that the club offered — the promise of a stage on which to grow.Newcastle fans mourned the loss of a player who they knew might have something special. After the last two years, Forest fans now know with absolute certainty they are saying goodbye to an outstanding talent.