Everton midfielder Anthony Gordon has praised the impact Joe Edwards and Paul Clement have had on his game since joining the club as coaches under Frank Lampard.
The coaching duo had previously worked for Chelsea, Edwards leaving in January to join Lampard at Everton, and Clement in 2011 to work not only for Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich but also as manager for Derby County. The Trio are all back under the same roof on Merseyside and have been tasked with keeping the club in the Premier League.
But given the history of Edwards and Clement, Edwards was a part of the coaching set-up at the Stamford Bridge outfit which developed the likes of Mason Mount, Reece James and Calum Hudson-Odoi from promising academy players to full England internationals and first-team players at Chelsea, they will also be expected to develop some of the more promising talents coming through Goodison Park.
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One of the brightest starts currently in the first-team is 21-year-old Anthony Gordon, who has spoken openly about the role the pair have had on him since arriving in January.
“Joe [Edwards] has massively impressed me, his football knowledge is second to none, among the best I’ve known,” says Gordon. “He is very approachable and I am always trying to learn from him. “Every day, he’ll speak to me about little details. Ahead of a game, he might tell me to receive the ball on an angle that is different by a few inches. Or that if I run at a particular defender on a different angle, it will make a massive difference.
“As he says it, I am thinking [taps temple with forefinger], ‘That is right’ – and it is really impressive, because I would never have thought of those things. He’s told me about top players he worked with who converted weaknesses into strengths – and he wants to help me do the same.”
With Clement, Gordon has been working on his set-pieces and how to improve his delivery. Admitting that things aren't good enough as it stands, the youngster has said that he is 'constantly' working on improving and hopes to 'do Paul proud.'
“Paul has shown me some new things, short corners that have been really interesting,” Gordon added. “The consistency of my set pieces needs to massively improve. At the minute, probably about one in three is good. It should be two in three, at least.
“Every game I watch – and this is new – I look at what players are doing with set pieces. I am constantly practising and trying to establish a routine I can rely on, no matter what happens. I want to get that right and do Paul proud.”
