When Nottingham Forest sanctioned Elliot Anderson's £116 million move to Manchester City last summer, the assumption was straightforward: spend big to fill the void. Anderson had been the most consistent performer at the City Ground across a turbulent season, and his departure left a glaring gap in the heart of midfield.

Names such as Lucas Bergvall and Tijjani Reijnders were linked with moves to Nottingham. Neither materialised — Bergvall signed a new deal at Tottenham Hotspur, while Reijnders headed to Al-Qadsiah in the Saudi Pro League. Yet Oliver Glasner's side has found its solution much closer to home.

McAtee steps into the spotlight

James McAtee arrived at Nottingham Forest from Manchester City in the summer of 2025, signing a five-year deal for a reported £30 million. His debut campaign, however, was largely spent in the shadows. The 24-year-old made just two Premier League starts, chipping in with 12 substitute appearances, as Anderson and captain Morgan Gibbs-White monopolised the central positions. Nine Europa League starts offered McAtee some playing time, but it was far from the platform he needed.

Under Glasner's preferred 3-4-2-1 system, the two central midfield roles carry distinct responsibilities — one player acts as a ball-winner, the other controls tempo and distributes. Xaver Schlager has shouldered the defensive burden, averaging 4.1 tackles per 90 minutes. That has freed McAtee to operate as the creative conductor — the role Anderson once owned, and the one that Adam Wharton perfected alongside Glasner at Crystal Palace.

The numbers behind the transformation

The statistics paint a compelling picture of McAtee's growth. His passing grade sits at 73.9 — in the 87th percentile across the Premier League — compared to Anderson's 81, which ranked in the 97th percentile. It is a gap, but a narrowing one, and context matters: McAtee has been adapting his game from a more attack-minded role to this deeper, tempo-setting function.

Most striking is his one-touch passing grade of 73.3, placing him in the 87th percentile in the Premier League this season. Anderson recorded a comparable 73.4 in the 86th percentile during the 2025/26 campaign — an almost identical return. This quick-release, single-touch style is precisely the currency Glasner values in midfield, and McAtee is delivering it with authority.

His defensive contribution remains an area for improvement, with a tackling grade of 56.3 ranking in just the 16th percentile, against Anderson's 72.7 in the 79th percentile. But in 50/50 duels, McAtee outperforms his predecessor — posting a grade of 79 to Anderson's 67.8 — meaning he is more likely to come away with the ball in a contested situation.

Driving Forest's attack through the middle

McAtee's influence extends beyond individual metrics. His 102 forward passes rank fourth across the squad, and when goalkeepers and centre-backs are excluded, he leads the team. He is second only to Gibbs-White for chances created with 16, and 31 percent of Nottingham Forest's attacks travel through the centre — the joint-highest proportion in the Premier League — in part a reflection of McAtee's positioning and decision-making.

Glasner's side have also shown genuine cutting edge on the break. Only Manchester United, with 15, have recorded more shots from counter-attacks than Nottingham Forest's 14 in the 2026/27 Premier League season. Forest's xG underperformance of 10.28 — the largest in the division — suggests the results will eventually catch up with the performances.

McAtee has not yet fully replicated what Anderson provided, but he has constructed something new and arguably more suited to Glasner's blueprint. After a season spent waiting, he has become central to everything Nottingham Forest are building.