Everton can choose to be masters of their own destiny when it comes to Anthony Gordon and if they don’t want to sell him then all they need to do is say a simple no to Chelsea. Everton have said they have “no interest” in entertaining bids for their home-grown hero so if that really is the case then that should be the end of the matter given that we’re told that Gordon loves the club and has not pushed to leave.
Back in 2015, Chelsea came calling for John Stones but Everton did not want to sell and the Yorkshireman stayed put. Adapting the lyrics of a famous Beatles song, the Goodison Park faithful proclaimed: “Money can’t buy you Stones.”
The England international ultimately got his big move, to Manchester City rather than Chelsea, a year later and for a larger fee. Everton have already parted with one of their most-prized assets so far this transfer window but as much as it was done begrudgingly, Richarlison left on the Blues’ terms.
Everton valued Brazil’s number nine at a higher price than they got for him but considering that he’d already given them four years’ service, had two years remaining on his contract and was not willing to commit his future beyond that, they were satisfied with the deal they struck with Tottenham Hotspur that could eventually be worth around £60million as it helped enable Frank Lampard and Kevin Thelwell to start reshaping their under-achieving squad. That was six weeks ago now, before any Everton incomings had even been officially announced but with just a fortnight left until the window closes and the team already a couple of games into the new campaign, there is no appetite for parting with another fan-favourite.
Ever since Lampard – who was well-known at Chelsea for his commitment to youthful talent – was appointed Blues boss, he’s made a point of putting an arm around Gordon’s shoulder and nurturing the promising youngster. He made him one of focal points of his team, defended him steadfastly when the player was accused of diving – to the detriment of his own pocket – and then this summer handed him the coveted number 10 jersey as tangible reward for his more elevated status.
Back in January, Gordon, who has been with Everton since the age of 11, told the ECHO : “I’ve never wanted to leave Everton. It’s my home, I’m a Scouser and a home bird as well. The thought of leaving home scares me. It probably wasn’t for me and I never really considered it.”
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Following interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United earlier in the summer, Lampard told evertontv from the club’s pre-season training camp in the USA: “He’s going nowhere. He’s our player and that was a hugely-important thing to me, he’s the sort of player we want to build to go forward with. I’m delighted that he’s got his number 10 but now I want him to continue to earn it.”
The manager clearly has Gordon at the forefront of his plans and does not want to be undermined or left with egg on his face while scrambling around for potential replacements in the final days of the transfer window from clubs equally as reticent to sell as Everton. There are warnings from history on this score though as Michael Ball revealed in his ECHO column this week.
Back in 2001, when Ball was just a few months older than Gordon is now, the lifelong Blue says he reported back for pre-season, hoping to pen a new contract that would commit his future to the club only to be told that Goodison Park chiefs had accepted three offers for his services and that if he chose to stay put then he would no longer be part of the manager’s first team plans. Ball adds that much to his shock, the three clubs that Everton were prepared to sell him to were Rangers, Middlesbrough and local rivals Liverpool!
Considering that he couldn’t even comprehend playing against Everton at the time – hence his choice of the Glasgow giants over Boro – the prospect of him crossing Stanley Park, after the club had already sold Nick Barmby and Abel Xavier to the Reds over the previous year, was never going to be a realistic proposition for him. Whereas Ball, who had made 139 first team appearances by the time he was sold having made his debut aged 17 and made played at least 25 games per year over four consecutive seasons was a long-established player at just 21, Gordon has come a long way in a relatively short space of time.
This time last year he had just come back from a loan spell in the Championship with Preston North End and there were still doubts over whether he would even make it in the Premier League. While everyone at Everton is delighted with the progress that he made in what was a breakthrough season for him personally amid huge frustration and disappointment for his team, there have to be significant doubts over whether his development would even be best served right now by heading to Stamford Bridge.
Under their new owners, Chelsea have been spending big money but their scatter-gun approach sees them pursuing attacking options as varied as Gordon and Barcelona’s former Arsenal veteran Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at the same time. Although the England Under-21 international offers huge promise for the future, would he even get much of a look in with Thomas Tuchel’s team right now, who have recently added Raheem Sterling to their ranks?
If the Londoners really are determined to make an offer that they feel Everton cannot refuse, it also has to be noted that seeing as they’ve splashed out £62million on a left-back with just one season of Premier League experience this summer (Marc Cucurella from Brighton & Hove Albion), given the premium for English talent, the fact that Gordon is an attacking player and the Blues’ desire not to sell, the logical conclusion would surely be that you’d need a greater price than that for business to even be considered at this stage. If Everton do not want to sell then they need to be tough, stand up to Chelsea again and then follow that up with a formal contract offer for Gordon who has the potential to be one of their shining lights by the time they move into their new stadium in a couple of years’ time.
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