When Nottingham Forest sanctioned Elliot Anderson’s £116m transfer to Manchester City over the summer, many expected the Tricky Trees to delve into the market to replace the England star. After all, Anderson was Forest’s key man last season. In a season of inconsistency in the dugout, one consistency for the Midlands side was the 23-year-old’s performance levels.

Forest were backed to take a chunk of the fee they received for Anderson and splurge on a new central midfielder. Lucas Bergvall was linked with a move to the City Ground. So, too, was Tijjani Reijnders. The former remained at Tottenham Hotspur, and has since signed a new deal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The latter moved to Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah.

Oliver Glasner’s side weren’t necessarily forced to look from within in order to replace Anderson. However, rather than pay through the nose for a partner for Ibrahim Sangare of Xaver Schager, they opted to hand James McAtee a more prominent role as the former Crystal Palace boss sought to implement his favoured 3-4-2-1 system.

The 24-year-old departed Manchester City for Forest last summer, penning a five-year deal as the Nottingham powerhouse parted with £30m to sign the midfielder. To say McAtee struggled for regular first-team football would be a huge understatement. The former City trainee started just two league matches, making a further 12 Premier League outings off the bench.

It’s hardly a shock that playing time was hard to come by. Anderson was thriving in the middle of the park. Captain Morgan Gibbs-White was always going to be the first name on the teamsheet. The Europa League offered McAtee a chance for minutes, as he started nine European matches, but a lack of frequent action didn’t aid the Englishman.

Now, though, he’s gone on to become a mainstay in this Forest side under Glasner. 684 Premier League minutes is the fourth-most for Glasner’s side, with Matz Sels, Murillo (both 720) and Neco Williams (714) those to rank above McAtee. He’s taken to a role change with ease, filling the Anderson void in a way that few thought possible.

Using Gradient Sports, we can truly check to see if McAtee has replaced Anderson in the middle of the park. Crucial is finding the right player to operate as an effective distributor in the midfield of Glasner’s ideal setup. He wants one of the two in the middle of the park to act as a ball winner and another to set the tempo in a key area.

In his final season at Selhurst Park, Glasner had either Will Hughes or Daichi Kamada feature alongside Adam Wharton. He wanted Wharton’s partner to shine off the ball in order to allow the England star to maximise his vision. Schlager is carrying out this role to an impressive standard, with the summer signing averaging 4.1 tackles per 90.

In terms of passing grade, Anderson ranked in the 97th percentile, with 81. By comparison, McAtee is in the 87th percentile for the same metric, with 73.9 to his name. Anderson, though, was very much the heartbeat of this side and had moulded his game accordingly to suit the needs of whichever manager was at the City Ground helm.

For context, McAtee has been forced to adapt his game to suit Glasner’s demands. Last season in particular, a bulk of his starts came in a more attacking role, either through the middle or out wide. He’s not yet matching Anderson, but has made a fine start.

What’s key is that McAtee matches the one-touch passing gameplan that Wharton is famed for. The England star is renowned for his ability to take minimal touches before shifting possession on. McAtee is living up to that standard, and then some, with his one-touch passing grade sat at 73.3, which in itself is in the 87th percentile in England’s top tier this term. Last season, Anderson managed a grade of 73.4, a return that was in the 86th percentile in the 2025/26 Premier League season.

Anderson (643) managed more one-touch passing events than McAtee is managing in 2026/27 (122) but again - the latter has been forced to adjust his game.

Another key factor in McAtee replacing Anderson is the off-ball work. While there is a designated ball winner in the side, both midfielders need to pull their weight in a key area. This is where McAtee lets himself down a touch, with a tackling grade of 56.3 ranking in the 16th percentile. Anderson ranks far higher, with 72.7 in the 79th percentile for tackling grade.

In a 50/50 duel grade, McAtee is the one who fares better when it comes to winning possession against an opponent, 79 to Anderson’s 67.8, meaning you’d back the former to come out on top in a simultaneous opportunity to gain control of a loose or contested ball. There’s room for improvement, but McAtee is certainly on the right track.

So whether it’s clear that McAtee has fully replaced Anderson in the midfield, he has to an extent. What’s noticeable, though, is that McAtee has altered his game to play that Wharton quarter-back role. 102 forward passes is fourth for Forest. Remove the goalkeeper and centre-backs, and he jumps to top. He’s second to Gibbs-White for chances created (16). When Forest win the ball, they get it upfield quickly. Only Manchester United (15) have had more shots following a counter-attack than Glasner’s side (14) in the 2026/27 Premier League season.

The players have quickly bought into Glasner’s gameplan, even if the results haven’t quite gone their way. A xG underperformance of 10.28 is far and away the biggest in the Premier League. 16.28 xG generated is the third most in the division. Once it clicks, then Glasner’s side will move away from danger. And McAtee, as both a hybrid Anderson replacement combined with a new-age Wharton, is at the heart of everything Forest are now doing. 31 per cent of their attacks come through the middle of the pitch, the joint highest such proportion in the league, in part due to McAtee.

It’s been quite the change in fortunes for a midfielder who wasn’t getting a look in last season.