Elliot Anderson deadline day question asked amid 'significant' Nottingham Forest transfer response
Italian side Roma reportedly had their eye on Nottingham Forest ace Elliot Anderson in the final hours of deadline day.
The midfielder has been superb for the Reds since joining from Newcastle United last summer. Such form had apparently not gone unnoticed by others as they plotted late transfer business.
According to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, Roma turned to Anderson as they sought midfield reinforcements before the winter window closed. However, it appears they were given short shrift by Forest.
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It is said Roma were forced to turn their attention elsewhere when it became clear they would get nowhere with Anderson. The report claims Reds chief executive Lina Souloukou, who previously worked at the Serie A outfit, “asked for a significant sum” for the 22-year-old.
Anderson has been a regular starter for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side this season and has made himself almost undroppable with a string of impressive displays. He scored his first goal for the club in last month’s 3-2 win over Southampton and has registered five assists on his way to helping Forest to third in the Premier League.
Head coach Nuno emphasised several times that the club’s priority during the winter window should be to keep his squad together. For the Portuguese, retaining the core of the dressing room was more important than adding signings.
The Reds came through the window without any significant outgoings. Defender Andrew Omobamidele and midfielder James Ward-Prowse were the only two departures from the senior squad, with the former joining Strasbourg on loan and the latter returning to parent side West Ham United.
“While the window is open, it is open. Anything can happen,” Nuno said after his team’s emphatic 7-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion last weekend. “But I will reinforce what I have been saying, not only to you (the media) but also to the club, more than anything our priority was to keep the players."
