The Rise of Elliot Anderson - The data behind his remarkable 2025/26 season

It’s been a tumultuous start to the season for Nottingham Forest. Three different managers in a 90-day span have left them sitting 19th in the Premier League. Add a busy midweek schedule of Europa League football, and things get even more difficult. But amidst all the chaos and dramatic shifts in playing style, Elliot Anderson has emerged as one of the most important players for both club and country.

It’s been a rapid rise for Anderson, who received his first senior England call-up from Thomas Tuchel on August 29th for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Andorra. Since his call-up, he’s started every game and looked right at home in Tuchel’s system. With the England manager having this to say after Anderson’s international debut:

‍

“He’s just a very, very good football player… He has the physicality, he’s very mobile at No. 6. He has the body, he loves to defend … he loves passing, he loves to break the lines, he’s very mobile in this game.”

‍

Let’s dive into our 2025/26 Premier League data set, featuring player grades, event data, and physical metrics to see if the recent hype is justified.

‍

Control

‍

Despite playing in three contrasting systems for a struggling side, Anderson has exerted remarkable control for Forest. He leads the Premier League this season in total possessions (863) and touches (2,315) — an astonishing 484 more than the next closest midfielder, Declan Rice (1,831).

‍

Anderson averages 2.68 touches per possession, behind only Ryan Gravenberch (2.93) and Eberechi Eze (2.72) among central midfielders. And these touches aren’t just passive ones. Anderson leads all Premier League central midfielders in possessions in both the middle third (505) and the final third (210).

‍

‍

Progressive Passing

‍

Perhaps Anderson’s most impressive trait is his ability in transition. He leads the league in total targets (693) and passes received while opening his body (99), showcasing his ability to receive on the half-turn and progress play at tempo.

‍

Anderson also tops the Premier League in line-breaking passes completed (101) and passes breaking multiple lines [9]. He’s the heartbeat of Forest’s attacking phases, responsible for an incredible 30.6% of the team’s completed line-breaking passes. It's incredibly rare to see a player sit so high in these metrics whilst playing in a side sat 19th in the table.

‍

‍

Player Grades

‍

Another way we evaluate performance at Gradient Sports is through our player grades, we grade every player involved in every event (both on & off the ball) with over 2,000 grades awarded per game across 25 different grade categories.

‍

We grade on a 9-point scale from -2 to +2 in 0.5 increments, a 0 or neutral grade is awarded for an expected performance & positive or negative grades are awarded for a performance that is better or worse than expected. This grading scale was initially developed by the minds at our forebear, PFF,  and was quickly adopted by all 32 NFL teams as well as more than 150 NCAA College Football Teams. (For more information on this, read this article).

‍

In Elliot Anderson’s case, he’s a player dominating both traditional metrics and our player grading model. Anderson’s 92.9 Pressured Passing Grade ranks 1st among all players, with his 92.0 Overall Passing Grade ranking 3rd. Anderson grades above his positional average in every single passing facet this season, with 51 of his passes receiving a positive grade (3rd among all players).

‍

‍

He has also shown his strengths in other areas, including a 77.7 Defending Dribbles Grade (4th out of 77 eligible central midfielders), a 70.7 Challenge Grade (22nd out of 90), and a 72.4 Ball Carry Grade (28th out of 87).

If you can perform above the Premier League positional average in every major facet while being a statistical outlier in passing and progression, that’s something special. In fact, Anderson is one of just 19 central midfielders this season to grade above average in both Challenges and Passing — arguably the two most crucial aspects of the No. 6 role.

‍

‍

Physically Ready

‍

Anderson’s rise to both Premier League and international recognition has been swift, but the numbers suggest it’s entirely deserved. Physically, he looks up to the task, having played every available minute for Forest in both the Premier League and Europa League so far.

His 110.32 km total distance covered ranks second among all Premier League players, while he’s first among central midfielders for high-speed running distance (7.63 km). It’s remarkable to think that this time last year (GW10), Anderson had completed only one full Premier League match for Forest, often appearing off the bench.

It’s a credit to his development and fitness levels that he was able to ramp up to a plug and play starter at the highest level in just one season.  

‍

How rarely do you see a Premier League player playing for a club in 19th place, rank 1st in the entire league across:
‍

Total possessions (863)

Possessions in the middle third (505)

Possessions in the final third (210)

Total touches (2,315)

Total targets (693)

Passes received while opening the body (99)

Line-breaking passes completed (101)

Passes breaking multiple lines [9]

Pressured Passing Grade (92.9)

High-Speed running distance (7.63km)
‍

Anderson has been incredibly fun to watch this season, and the data so far suggests he should be in Thomas Tuchel's starting XI for the 2026 World Cup.