Former Everton winger Pat Nevin believes Frank Lampard is the right man to move the club forward and has spoken of his relief that Anthony Gordon remained at Goodison Park this summer.
After a campaign that nearly resulted in relegation last season, Lampard’s side have started much stronger this time round. However, they are still awaiting their first Premier League win of the season.
One of Lampard’s strong points in his time at the club has been the bond he has formed with the club’s fanbase. The former England international has been viewed by many as a breath of fresh air since his arrival in January, with his name regularly chanted by supporters.
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And even though the Blues are yet to secure their first three points of the season, Nevin has explained why Lampard remains the right man to lead his former club, as well as hailing the former Chelsea man’s motivational skills.
“Frank Lampard is the right man to take Everton forward. The squad is looking better and they have more strength in depth than before,” he told Grosvenor Sport.
“What they need is somebody who can motivate them when times are tough and Frank is the man for that. He cares and has fallen in love with the club. Lampard's motivational skills are his strongest asset and everyone around the club needs to stick with him.”
One man who remained at the club despite continued speculation linking him with a move away during the summer was Anthony Gordon. The youngster was linked with Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United during the summer window.
Chelsea had held talks with Everton over a £60million move for the 21-year-old, but he remained at Goodison and has since scored twice this season.
“I'm delighted that Anthony Gordon is staying with Everton,” Nevin replied when asked about the England under-21 international.
“He's a different player to Mason Mount and Kai Havertz and it would've been very difficult for him to muscle his way into the Chelsea team.
“His stats before the start of this season weren't at the level of a top-four team. He is improving all the time and he'll almost certainly get to that level, but I was worried about him leaving Everton.”
One of Everton’s standout stars so far this season has been Nathan Patterson. The full-back completed a move to Goodison Park from Rangers back in January but initially struggled to make a meaningful impact.
But to his credit, Patterson has bounced back with renewed purpose this season and turned in an excellent display during Saturday's Merseyside derby draw with Liverpool. And Nevin believes the Scotland international has now made himself as important as Blues skipper Seamus Coleman.
He said: “When you add Gordon and Neal Maupay to Demarai Gray, who I think is one of the most skilful players in the Premier League, you start thinking they've got great quality going forward. They have great quality as well as fight and desire so I'm happy he [Anthony] stayed.
“Add to that defensively with Nathan Patterson, he's a cracker of a player and may well be as important as Seamus Coleman has been.”
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