Frank Lampard has warned Chelsea they are running out of time to sign Anthony Gordon and said that Everton will set their own deadline for the deal to be completed, rather than waiting for the end of the transfer window.
Chelsea have made one offer for the winger but Lampard, who is desperate to keep him, is adamant that, as it stands, Gordon is staying at Goodison Park and thinks that his former club will have to match Everton’s asking price over the weekend for that to change.
And he said the difficulty in replacing a player of Gordon’s calibre means Everton need to know where his future lies long before the window shuts at 11pm on Thursday.
Lampard said: “It is absolutely not happening at this point and that is where we are at. The situation we are in [now is] Anthony is not leaving this club. There absolutely has to come a time where we have to understand what the squad is going to be and especially a player of the level of Anthony, I have to know he is going be here. We are at that situation. We have drawn a red line.”
Lampard has no worries about Gordon’s reaction if he is denied a lucrative move to Stamford Bridge, adding: “He is a very good lad. He appreciates what this club has done for him and he loves the club and I know from the conversations I have had with him that that will not be anything but this has to be a positive for Anthony.”
Lampard has urged Gordon to make sure he emerges stronger from the saga, whether or not he stays at Everton.
He said: “I care for Anthony. He has been a dream to work for since I got here and from day one, he has been a standout in terms of application and performance and he is only going to get better.
“This has to be a positive for Anthony. My feeling is Anthony is going to be a top, top player for club and country and these are all experiences he is going to gather over his career so what he will have to do is just take those experiences and get a bit better for them
“He just has to get his head down and keep working the way he is working and the way he has done since I have been here and his career is going to go in one direction after that.”
Lampard reflected on his own playing career to argue that a player can benefit from not swapping clubs. He went from West Ham to Chelsea in 2001 but was then wanted by Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan in 2008 and instead remained at Stamford Bridge.
He explained: “I nearly signed for Inter Milan, at 29 years of age, and stayed at Chelsea so I understand both sides, the time I moved and it was great for me and the time I didn’t move and it was great for me.”
