Anthony Gordon was a shining light in a dull, disheartening season for Everton fans.
The unrest amongst Everton fans began when Farhad Moshiri made the bold decision to allow former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez to take control of his Everton side.
Understandably, this decision didn’t go down well with the Everton faithful, and the performances that followed validated their disgust at the decision made by Moshiri.
Benitez was sacked in January of this year, but unfortunately, the bulk of the damage had been done, and Everton were in a relegation battle. The fans turned against some of the players who appeared to have downed tools, but one man stood out from the rest, Anthony Gordon.
The young academy graduate struggled in a previous loan spell with Preston, but since breaking into the Everton first-team, he didn’t look out of place.
If you take a look at Gordon’s contributions in front of goal, it doesn’t make for spectacular viewing, but what he gave through intangible variables was vastly appreciated by the Goodison Park faithful.
His connection with the fan base, his passion for the badge, his work rate and his determination, quickly made him a fan favourite towards the end of the season.
Now, with news breaking that Chelsea could be offering around £60m for Gordon (Sky Sports), many Everton fans have been demanding that their club bite Chelsea’s hands off and accept what is seen as such a ludicrous offer.
This may seem crazy to some neutrals, after the way Everton fans have hailed Gordon over the last six to twelve months, but every player has a price, and Chelsea appear to be willing to offer an extortionate sum.
Despite the plaudits that Gordon has rightfully earned during his short spell at Everton Football Club, there’s no doubt that Frank Lampard needs to add goals to his team. This is something, as it stands, Gordon is failing to offer to Everton.
Everton fans appreciate hard work, they appreciate determination. You only have to look at how fans at Goodison reacted to the performances of Denis Stracqualursi, a player who scored just once in 20 Premier League games, but gave his all for the shirt.
It doesn’t take a lot to get the Everton fans onside. Work hard, be passionate, and earn the right to play for the club. As much as Gordon fits this criteria, these attributes will only take Everton so far, and without goals added to this depleted side, another season of struggle is on the horizon.
£60m could completely transform Everton’s attack, for the better, and Lampard could have a stronger squad than what he started the window with if he spends the money wisely.
There’s a huge difference between wanting Gordon to leave the club, and understanding that a player must be sold when the right offer comes in, and Everton can’t afford to be waiting on potential in their current situation.
You have nailed the most widespread view among Blues fans. The decision is such a key one for Everton. Not the selling of Gordon but whether they can reinvest the money wisely on players that can bring the goals that Gordon, so far, has failed to deliver. If this fails then the Board will face a storm of criticism. A defining moment for Moshiri, the Board, Thelwell and Frank