Nottingham Forest have banked a huge fee for Elliot Anderson and now face the hardest part, spending it wisely. According to talkSPORT, former Forest man James Perch believes Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones is the obvious candidate to help fill the gap left by Anderson’s departure, and there is logic to that view.
Forest sold Anderson to Manchester City for £116m, a staggering return on the £35m they paid Newcastle two years ago. Financially, it is outstanding business. On the pitch, it leaves a serious problem. Anderson gave Forest control, energy, quality in possession and the sort of reliability that allowed the midfield to function. Players like that are expensive because replacing all those traits with one signing is rare.
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Perch’s argument is clear enough. “To try and replace Elliot Anderson and what he does is going to be very hard,” he told the Weekend Sports Breakfast. “I say it’s going to probably take two players to cover what he does because he does so much for Forest in that midfield. But the obvious one I think would be Curtis Jones.
“I think he’s proven. He’s an England international. So you’re not taking a gamble on him and hoping he hits the ground running. Hopefully with his experience and all the games he’s played for Liverpool, he will just walk straight into the team and almost kick on from where Elliot Anderson left off.
“I don’t think he’s as good as Elliot Anderson, but I think he’s a replacement where you can’t go wrong with him.”
Curtis Jones Transfer Case Makes Sense for Forest
That assessment is blunt and, broadly, accurate. Jones is not a like-for-like copy of Anderson, and pretending otherwise would be lazy. Anderson played with a level of drive and all-action intensity that made him central to Forest’s identity. Jones brings something slightly different. He is calmer in possession, tidy under pressure and experienced at operating in high-level games. He has also reached the point…
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