James McAtee reacts to Nottingham Forest ace Anderson after swap deal talk
James McAtee has paid tribute to Nottingham Forest ace Elliot Anderson following recent speculation about a move to join him at the City Ground.
Anderson himself only joined Nuno Espirito Santo’s side last summer, when he signed a five-year contract with the club.
That came after Newcastle had been forced to sell the midfielder to Nottingham Forest, as part of their efforts to avoid being punished for breaching PSR.
With the transfer window now once again in full swing, rumours have been emerging around a number of players, one of which is Man City’s McAtee himself.
James McAtee and Elliot Anderson star for England Under-21s
Earlier this month, Football Insider was told that Nottingham Forest were considering signing McAtee as part of a swap deal for Man City target Morgan Gibbs-White.
While it remains to be seen exactly where many players will end up come the start of next season, the likes of Anderson and McAtee have had their mind on other things recently.
On Thursday (12 June), the pair both started for England Under-21s as they began their Euro 2025 campaign with a 3-1 win over Czechia.
Taking to Instagram to reflect on that win, Anderson wrote: “The start we needed! +3”.
In response to that, McAtee was keen to hail the Nottingham Forest ace, with the Man City man commenting on that post with two raised hands emojis.
Man City exit likely even if swap deal chances diminish
Football Insider Verdict
It has recently been suggested that Man City have cooled their interest in Gibbs-White, which makes sense after they signed another attacking midfielder in the form of Lyon’s Rayan Cherki.
That may reduce the chances of a swap deal with Forest, although it would still be no surprise if McAtee moves on this summer.
The 22-year-old has already struggled for game time this season, and the addition of Cherki will only make it harder for him to get into Pep Guardiola’s side.
It would therefore still be best for him to further his career by moving elsewhere in search of regular first-team football.
Indeed, given other teams could still take an interest in Gibbs-White, the situation around McAtee is one that Nottingham Forest will no doubt want to maintain an interest in over the coming months.