Anderson left the City Ground in the summer for a reported £116 million, becoming Forest’s record sale and one of the most expensive British players in football history. His performances in the East Midlands helped establish him as an England regular and attracted Manchester City’s interest.
Pereira, who took charge of Forest in February after replacing Sean Dyche, told GIVEMESPORT that Anderson’s natural ability was clear, but felt the environment created during his time at the club had also contributed to the midfielder’s rise.
“I think Elliot is a good example of a player whose value we helped to raise. There's no doubt he has a lot of quality. He's a top-class player who could play for any team in the world.
“But in my view, a manager's main job is to make the players, and everyone around the club, better. To make them more capable, so that by the end of the work everyone has improved.
“With Elliot, among others, we clearly feel that we helped them grow, because that's just how it works. When results come, players start playing better, their confidence is on another level, and their individual value goes up. So that's what we felt: that we helped everyone at the club grow and raise their value individually.”
Pereira’s own Forest tenure was short but eventful. He guided the club away from relegation trouble in the Premier League and into the Europa League semi-finals, where they were eliminated by Aston Villa.
Forest’s European run included victories over Fenerbahçe, Midtjylland and Porto, while the side also secured top-flight survival with three matches remaining.
The Portuguese coach believes the achievements went beyond results, pointing to the unity established between the squad, supporters and club.
“Honestly, the work we did was quality work. We managed to bring the team together, and bring the fans and the club together too.
“We reached the Europa League semi-finals, which is no easy feat, knocking out strong sides like Fenerbahce, Midtjylland and Porto along the way. In the league, we secured survival with three games to spare, battling for position with very strong clubs like Tottenham, West Ham and Leeds.
“Above all, we managed to create a positive atmosphere while playing good football.”
Forest dismissed Pereira during the summer and appointed Oliver Glasner. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers manager is now seeking another Premier League opportunity, but remains convinced that the work at the City Ground helped increase the value of players such as Anderson.