Here are your Everton morning headlines for Thursday, September 29.
Anthony Gordon breaks silence on 'crazy' Chelsea transfer interest and makes firm Everton claim
Anthony Gordon has branded the numbers involved in Chelsea's summer pursuit of him as 'crazy' while admitting it was never his intention to force a move away from Everton.
The 21-year-old was targeted by the Londoners during the summer transfer window, who saw two bids rejected for the youngster and were reportedly willing to offer as much as £60million to secure the services of the Everton academy graduate.
This interest arrived on the back of a breakthrough season for Gordon, who was a standout figure in an otherwise dismal season for the Toffees. He made a total of 40 first-team appearances during the 2021/22 campaign, developing into a key player in attack.
Speaking out on his summer of speculation for the first time, the Everton star has admitted the reported figures floating around were challenging to comprehend. "It's absolutely crazy. Personally, I don't think any player is worth that amount of money but I'm also not going to talk myself down. The money in football, that's just how it is nowadays," he said.
To read the full story, click here.
EXCLUSIVE: Anthony Gordon avoided 'worst decision ever' in Chelsea transfer chase says Everton legend
Everton legend Trevor Steven believes joining Chelsea would have been “the worst decision” that Anthony Gordon could have ever made and has backed the Blues home-grown hero and his team-mates to come good this season because of the changes Frank Lampard has implemented.
Former England World Cup player Steven was part of Everton’s most-successful team in the 1980s, winning two League Championships, an FA Cup and European Cup-Winners’ Cup, scoring both in the final and semi-final of the latter, which were among the 60 goals he netted in 299 appearances.
Despite Lampard declaring that Gordon was “going nowhere” in July after the player had been linked with moves to both Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, the 21-year-old was pursued aggressively by Chelsea in the latter weeks of the transfer window with claims that the west London club were prepared to offer up to £60million for his services – a figure that the Everton manager denied – but Goodison Park chiefs are understood to have maintained their stance that they were not interested in entertaining any offers for their prize asset, having already sold Richarlison. Steven believes a move to Stamford Bridge would not have been in the player’s best interests anyway and told the ECHO: “Anthony Gordon is a natural talent that is still working out to be the best he can be.
“We know Gordon can be that, it’s just a case of getting there. He’s got to learn stuff, cut some things out and add some things but his natural abilities are there and he’s got a lot to work with, plus he’s got a manager who thinks he’s capable of going a long, long way."
Chris Beesley has more, here.
READ NEXT:
- Everton forward signs new contract after call-up to first-team training
-
Frank Lampard should prepare for major Everton change with squad balance set to shift
-
Everton forward Salomon Rondon pays emotional tribute to late father after Venezuela goal
-
Frank Lampard gets glimpse into Everton future after behind-the-scenes evolution
-
Everton issue Nathan Patterson injury update and potential recovery timeline
