Anderson Chooses Manchester City Over United After Golf Pitch
Ryan Giggs spotted the chance on a fairway, not a football pitch.
There, on a Portuguese golf course earlier this summer, the Manchester United icon and former Red Devils defender Phil Bardsley made a late, almost old‑school attempt to swing one of the biggest transfer battles of the window. Their target: England midfielder Anderson, the man both sides of Manchester knew would command a nine-figure fee and reshape a midfield.
They saw him, walked over and made their pitch.
“I was in Portugal earlier in the summer playing golf with Giggs and we saw Anderson on the golf course and had a chat with him to try and persuade him to join United,” Bardsley told Casinolyze.
For a brief moment, United had a foothold. Anderson, 23, was still weighing up his future, still unsure which shade of Manchester blue or red would define the next stage of his career. United, with Giggs as an emissary and Bardsley alongside him, were very much in the conversation.
The pull of Old Trafford, though, was not enough.
Soon after, Anderson completed a record-breaking move from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City, briefly becoming the most expensive British player in history. Then he poured petrol on the rivalry. On his first outing in City colours, he described his new club as the “kings of Manchester”.
If the transfer fee had not already done it, that line drew a clear line in the sand.
United walk away, City go all in
United had tracked Anderson closely, interested in hijacking the deal before it landed at the Etihad. But once Forest’s valuation moved beyond the £100m mark, the mood in the Old Trafford boardroom changed. The club’s hierarchy stepped back, unwilling to follow City into nine-figure territory for a defensive midfielder.
Bardsley made his own feelings plain.
“He was still unsure what he wanted to do but north of £100m for a defensive midfielder like him? If I’m spending that money, I want a player who will add 30-40 goals to my team a season. That’s what I’m looking for at that fee. That’s value for money.”
United shifted their gaze. Michael Carrick, now tasked with rebuilding a midfield in his own image, turned to different profiles and different price points. Deals for Chelsea’s Andrey Santos and Aston Villa captain Youri Tielemans followed, reshaping the centre of the pitch without smashing the British transfer record.
For Bardsley, Tielemans in particular looks like a shrewd move.
“Signing Youri Tielemans for £35m is a great bit of business. He is a proven Premier League player, he can deliver and he’s won trophies,” he said, pointing to the Belgian’s experience and medal collection as exactly what Carrick’s squad needs.
That contrast in strategy was stark. City and Tottenham, Bardsley argued, had pushed the market to extremes.
“I think Manchester City and Tottenham certainly overpaid for Anderson and Sandro Tonali. I knew it was getting to a stage with Elliot where he’d be £100m plus and I just didn’t feel comfortable about going to that sort of price for him as a player. Listen, he’s outstanding. I really like him.”
The admiration is clear. So is the belief that United were right to walk away.
Anderson chooses the champions
From Anderson’s side, the picture looked different. Fresh from a standout 2026 World Cup under Thomas Tuchel with England, he saw a pathway at City that matched his ambition. The champions, even in transition, offered trophies, Champions League nights and a system built to dominate the ball.
Despite the late charm offensive from Giggs and Bardsley, his mind gravitated towards the Etihad.
“As soon as I knew City wanted me, I was absolutely determined to make this move happen,” Anderson said after signing a five-year deal. “You want to test yourself at the highest level. Being at City means I have that opportunity.”
The rise has been rapid, but not accidental in his eyes.
“It’s happened quite quickly, but I think I always believed I could get to this point, and this is where I want to be.”
Those words will sting on the red side of town. United once routinely hoovered up the brightest British talents; now one of the country’s leading midfielders has chosen the blue half of the city, even after a personal appeal from one of United’s greatest.
Maresca’s first major piece
For City, Anderson is more than a marquee signing. He is a statement in a summer of change.
Life after Pep Guardiola was always going to demand clarity and conviction. Enzo Maresca, stepping in after his stint at Chelsea, inherits a squad used to winning and a fanbase expecting nothing less than continued domestic dominance.
Anderson arrives as the first major piece of Maresca’s new puzzle. A record fee, a World Cup pedigree, a player in his early twenties ready to be moulded into the heartbeat of a new-look City midfield.
The midfielder is already relishing the prospect of working with his new coach, having heard glowing reports from former colleagues about Maresca’s methods and tactical detail. City believe they have secured a long-term anchor for their next era; Anderson believes he has found the perfect stage.
The immediate tests will come quickly. City face Arsenal in the Community Shield next weekend, a curtain-raiser that will offer the first glimpse of how Anderson fits into Maresca’s plans, before they launch their Premier League title defence at home to Bournemouth.
One side of Manchester will watch their record signing stride out at Wembley and then at the Etihad, convinced they have paid for the future. The other will look at Tielemans and a different kind of rebuild, equally sure they have spent wisely.
The fairway in Portugal is a memory now. The next chapter in this rivalry will be written on grass that really matters.
