Tottenham fans will have their fingers crossed that Fabio Paratici can work his magic on the transfer front over the next week or so with the team's pre-season tour of South Korea edging ever closer. Set to depart on Saturday, July 9, the dream scenario is that the club will have done the vast majority of the transfer business by then and that their new signings are on the plane with their new teammates.
Moving early to sign Fraser Forster, Ivan Perisic and Yves Bissouma, Spurs are now interested in a deal for Everton's Richarlison with a Goodison Park exit looking likely. The Brazilian isn't the only Everton player the Lilywhites are eyeing up, however, as football.london understands that they are looking at the potential of bringing highly-rated Anthony Gordon to N17 as well.
The winger had a standout season on Merseyside despite their struggles at the wrong end of the Premier League table, catching the eye a number of times, including in Everton's 5-0 defeat against Tottenham at the start of March with his workrate and never-say-die attitude. While for some it may look like a straightforward move as Gordon would have the opportunity to play Champions League football and compete at the top of the Premier League, there are various factors that could really complicate matters for Tottenham.
READ MORE: What Everton ace Anthony Gordon did vs Tottenham to alert Fabio Paratici to transfer opportunity
The first is Gordon's connection to his boyhood club. Born in Kirkdale and coming through the system after joining as an 11-year-old, the England U21 international is an Evertonian through and through. That can be seen in his committed performances, doing anything he possibly could and leaving everything on the pitch last season in his attempt to keep the Toffees in the Premier League.
A shining light for Everton in an otherwise dismal season, the 21-year-old was rewarded for his performances by collecting the club's Men's Players' Player of the Season award and also the Men's Young Player of the Season award. Gordon may also have come out with the Player of the Season award had it not been for Jordan Pickford's heroics between the sticks.
It was some year for the player, especially after only making three Premier League appearances under Carlo Ancelotti the previous campaign and finishing the term on loan at Championship side Preston North End. Initially starting the 2021/22 season on the bench, Gordon came into the first team from the off around October time and went on to make 40 appearances in all competitions, scoring four times and assisting three goals.
Playing time could be another factor that may impact Paratici's transfer plans for Gordon, mainly because he will find himself down the pecking order at Tottenham compared to Everton. The amount of games coming up for the Lilywhites in 2022/23 means that Antonio Conte will have to rotate his players with four competitions on the agenda, but Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski will remain his favoured front three, with Richarlison, if he joins, and Lucas Moura next in line in the pecking order.
While of course opportunities will be there for the player as Conte will have to swap things about quite often, the regular minutes he wants to help his progression won't always be there whereas he will be one of the first names on the teamsheet at Goodison Park. At Gordon's age he does need to be playing regularly to help aid his development rather than playing a bit-part role off the substitutes' bench.
Thirdly, his relationship with Everton boss Frank Lampard could prove tricky for Tottenham. Lampard rates the Everton youngster incredibly highly and he has made that clear numerous times during his Goodison Park tenure.
Revealing that he had been watching Gordon closely earlier in the season, well before he took on the hotseat and that he loved things about his game, the winger was an automatic choice for the Chelsea legend and already such an integral player in their battle to stay in the top flight despite his tender age. Gordon was doing everything in his power to drag Everton to safety, standing up game after game and producing some towering performances despite the huge pressure facing the Blues.
On the losing side at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in March with Spurs running out 5-0 winners, the winger was Everton's standout player on the night and was the only positive Lampard could take from the crushing defeat. The Toffees head coach made that point perfectly clear when speaking to the media after the game.
"Anthony Gordon was our standout player because of his attitude and quality," the Everton boss told the BBC. "Some other performances were not up to scratch. I won’t name names. Today the team issue was we weren’t good enough."
Speaking to Sky Sports in May, the 44-year-old outlined how key Gordon had been for the team in their relegation fight and the leadership qualities that had started to become evident in his game.
"I've been really impressed. He's becoming more of a man, more of a leader with every game, with every day. His dedication and talent is huge," he explained. "His feeling for the club, to bring that across at such a young age is something pretty special. I love working with him, love him as a player.
"There are things he wants to improve and he can improve and that's absolutely normal in terms of development. But what he's doing for us at the minute, he's an absolutely huge player."
Everton's financial situation means that players will have to be sold this summer to help ease their issues, with Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin tipped to move on in big-money deals. While Lampard may be expecting one or both to depart ahead of the new term, he will be doing everything he possibly can to keep Gordon at the club as he is Everton's future and such a key member of his team going forward.
Gordon himself has struck up such a special bond with his boss in such a short time working together, with numerous images of the pair embracing after games and one in particular of them sat on the pitch at their training ground while deep in conversation doing the rounds towards the end of last season. Their bond is evident in the aforementioned photograph and it is one neither will want to end.
His relationship with Lampard, playing time and representing his boyhood club will all be deciding factors in the player's decision if Paratici and Tottenham are successful with a bid for his services.
READ NEXT:
- Tottenham could be handed £39m boost to help secure Richarlison transfer for Antonio Conte
- Tottenham news and transfers LIVE: Raheem Sterling hint, Djed Spence setback, Lenglet update
- Full Tottenham Premier League fixture list for 2022/23
- Antonio Conte's ideal Tottenham bench vs Southampton after Fabio Paratici transfer masterclass
Tottenham target Everton winger Anthony Gordon and it could spark transfer merry-go-round
