Frank Lampard admits that Everton need either a swift resolution to the Anthony Gordon situation or the player to remain at Goodison Park - while revealing that Dele Alli’s exit is now at an advanced stage.
The Blues boss was quizzed on Gordon’s future after the player was left on the bench for his side’s 1-0 win at Fleetwood Town in the second round of the Carabao Cup.
Lampard said: “He’s our player, everyone knows there’s interest from Chelsea but he’s our player, it’s as simple as that.” Questioned if Gordon had asked to leave, Lampard said: “I’m never going to go into conversations that me and Anthony have, we have a good relationship and I’m not going to go there.”
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Pressed on whether Everton needed the issue to be resolved quickly, Lampard added: “Yes, ideally or we carry on and he’s our player, it is what it is.”
In terms of Gordon position of being left on the bench, the Blues boss revealed the 21-year-old had been nursing a problem with his heel and he’d been reluctant to play him against their League One opposition unless the game situation became desperate.
Lampard, who insisted Everton don’t need to sell Gordon to further bolster their squad this window, said: “He actually had a small injury on his heel. He didn’t train yesterday, he hasn’t trained since Forest.
“I wanted him involved because it’s important he’s involved but I’d have only brought him on if I thought it was absolutely necessary to do so. I know people will read into that, people will have probably have read into it if I’d have left him at home with his heel and he was fit tonight but we didn’t need him to.”
One player who Lampard is ready to let go is Dele Alli who only signed for the club on January 31, the same day he was appointed manager. The former Tottenham Hotspur man was left out of the squad at Fleetwood and the Blues boss said: “He’s very advanced to moving to Besiktas. It’s not absolutely done yet but it’s very advanced.”
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