"He is the man of the moment" – Steve McManaman offers glowing assessment of Chelsea target
Former Liverpool forward Steve McManaman has claimed that both Chelsea and Everton require the services of Anthony Gordon. He heaped praise on the winger in light of his performance during the Toffees' 1-1 draw at Brentford in the Premier League on August 27.
Gordon, who has three years left on his current deal at Goodison Park, has emerged as a transfer target for the Blues this month (via The Athletic).
The Thomas Tuchel-coached side are currently in pursuit of a forward to fill the void left by the exits of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner. The duo returned to their former clubs Inter Milan (on loan) and RB Leipzig respectively this summer.
Gordon, 21, helped his side notch up their second point of the season by opening the scoring at the Gtech Community Stadium in London. Vitaly Janelt equalised for the hosts in the 84th minute, much to the dismay of Toffees boss Frank Lampard.
@anthonygordon ✨ @anthonygordon ✨ https://t.co/NUDmVYg18K
Speaking to Premier League Productions (via HITC), McManaman lauded the efforts of the England U21 international. He said:
"Lovely finish from him, wasn't it? He is the man of the moment. Everton want to keep him. Chelsea want to buy him. Chelsea need him after their performance. Everton need him as well after this performance."
Gordon is a tireless runner adept at operating on either flank. He shot to prominence after registering four goals and three assists in 40 matches across all competitions for the Toffees during the 2021-22 campaign.
According to the aforementioned Athletic report, Chelsea are prepared to dish out £50 million plus £10 million in potential add-ons for Gordon. The Englishman has already informed his club about his desire to pursue UEFA Champions League action at Stamford Bridge this season.
Would #EFC miss Anthony Gordon? 📊 https://t.co/1lyfurOJwm
The Blues have made six major additions to their squad during the ongoing transfer window. They have signed Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella, Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei and Gabriel Slonina for a combined sum of over £180 million.
Chelsea are expected to announce the signing of Wesley Fofana from Leicester City for a fee of £70 million in the coming days (via Fabrizio Romano).
Frank Lampard claims Chelsea-linked Anthony Gordon is 'worth triple figures'
Everton head coach Frank Lampard has labeled promising forward Anthony Gordon as a player who is worth over £100 million in the transfer market. Speaking to Sky Sports (via The Sun), he said:
"He is a huge player for us. Not only is he of great value to the club financially, but more importantly of great value to the squad and to me. I can't put a number on his value to the club."
He continued:
"I've been fortunate enough to work with fantastic young players at Derby and Chelsea, seen them develop and become England internationals and Champions League winners, worth triple figures in terms of their personal values. Anthony is in that bracket."
Everton have already seen Richarlison depart this season to Tottenham Hotspur. Hence, it will be interesting to see if they sell Gordon in the same window, especially with just a couple of days remaining in the transfer window.