RBM Roundtable: Should Everton sell Anthony Gordon to Chelsea?

As multiple sources have reported, Chelsea are very interested in purchasing Everton youngster Anthony Gordon during this transfer window. While some sources say no bid has been made, other reports seem to indicate that an initial offer of £42m has been declined by the Toffees.

There has been interest in the forward earlier this summer from both Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United as well, but Everton have stuck to their valuation of £50m for the 21-year-old.

On one hand the player is one widely admired by fans and Frank Lampard alike as a boyhood Blue born in the area and a fan all his life, and plays with his heart on his sleeve. He could turn out into a gamechanger like Wayne Rooney, but is not nearly the finished product as yet.

On the other hand, there is a distinct possibility that his valuation might never be as high again and Everton selling him could also ensure that they will complete their climb out of the Premier League Profit & Sustainability hole that they had dug themselves into, and even strengthen the side with a couple or more shrewd purchases in the remaining weeks of the transfer window.

Chelsea are rumoured to be interested in coming back with another bid for Gordon, and we took the opportunity as a team at RBM to discuss whether the Blues should sell or not.

Photo by ANTHONY DEVLIN/AFP via Getty Images

Pete

It all comes down to what can we do with the money in this window. Can we find and fund a replacement winger, a striker to challenge DCL and another midfielder? If we can bring in 3 quality players that can improve the first team right now, we have to seriously consider any bid over £50m.

For Anthony, this move would be career suicide. My bet, though, is that this is a contract negotiation tactic from him and that he’ll be signing a hefty new deal before the end of September.

Geoff

In an ideal world we’d probably want to keep and further develop Antony Gordon but it’s far from an ideal world. There will no doubt be outcry from sections of the supporter base but I think he’s way overhyped. For me, whilst his desire and workrate and pace were a highlight of last season, I also lost count of the number of poor free kicks or corner kicks he took and then in a shot shy attack his end product of goals or assists is really poor.

I’d ordinarily say take a £40m bid but the obvious thing is that we can get £50m or near it from Chelsea or Newcastle so I’d definitely sell but hold out for nearer 50. I would then hope to reinvest in a few players who are goalscoring strikers as well as a number 6. Make no mistake this is a gift horse.

Kevin

Gordon is a great kid and very popular with the fans. Frank clearly loves him. If he had goals in his game, I would refuse all offers, but they haven’t been forthcoming as yet and Everton’s need is urgent. Whilst he’s improved immensely over the past year, he isn’t a generational talent, as Rooney clearly was at just 18.

Lampard and Thelwell are reconstructing the squad whilst operating under tight financial conditions. That the club have rejected a serious offer shows how valued Gordon is, but in our position every player has a price and surely for £50m they will (and should) start a dialogue. A straight swap for the likes of Armando Broja should not be countenanced as we need guaranteed production and in my opinion the Chelsea striker is overvalued. Likewise, surplus such as Ross Barkley or Michy Batshuayi. However, straight cash or a significant amount plus someone like Conor Gallagher would present a good deal.

Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images

Tom

That the club is even contemplating selling a talented academy graduate is yet another sorry consequence of the financial mismanagement over recent years. Gordon is a raw yes, but his potential is there for all to see and the fans love nothing more than a local lad thriving in royal blue. He also stood up to be counted when the team struggled last season while other more experienced players hid. That says a lot about his character.

However, could this potentially be the final price to pay for Everton’s wasteful spending over recent seasons? Because if Chelsea’s bid is upwards of £50m it would all but erase the club’s financial issues and give Lampard and Thelwell more room in the transfer market.

If they are confident of bringing in 2-3 players before the deadline with the proceeds then Everton would be the stronger for it. But with only two weeks to go until the window shuts it is a high-risk strategy, especially with the club already short of creativity and goals.

Brian L

Gordon’s got a good engine and he’s really improved over the last year, especially on the defensive side. If this was a squad from five years ago it’d be worth hanging on to him to see how he develops. But if we do sell for £50m or so we have to have a plan.

Granted I saw someone say we should hold out for £50m plus Broja on loan with an option to buy and a 25% sell on fee, which seems a bit overvalued.

Calvin

Really torn on this one. Selling him could fund a couple of key purchases that should immediately improve the side. But at the same time, you are not going to get a pair of players that bleed Blue and leave it all out on the pitch like Gordon and Richarlison do. They were the soul of the team last year.

The counter argument there is that it’s time to change the psyche of this team from the lovable and hard-done losers they were last season to a more hardened fighting unit. At the end of the day, no one player is bigger than the club, and if we could all say with ultimate certainty that we trust Everton to use the funds in a manner that would get us to become top six challengers again, then by all means go ahead and sell him. It won’t hurt any less in the interim however.

Trent

Ahhh, this is a difficult one. He and Dwight McNeil are two young wingers who could provide lots of quality for years to come; with or without Dominic Calvert-Lewin going forward, the Toffees need a good deep squad.

On the other hand, what is allegedly being offered for Gordon is a lot, and that money could go into purchasing more good, young players to fill the squad from top to bottom. I wouldn’t sell Gordon unless the deal was for money like has been reported, and even with it, it’s a difficult trigger to pull.

I like Anthony Gordon; if Frank Lampard believes in him going into the future then I don’t think we should sell him. If he doesn’t see him in the future plans of this team, then make the sale and line up some good purchases before the summer window slams shut.

Garrett

With recent reports indicating that Gordon has refused to sign a contract extension as well as his desire to join Chelsea, it seems like selling would be in the best interest of Everton Football Club, in my opinion. If Chelsea comes in with a new bid worth £45 million, Kenwright, Lampard, and Thelwell must put their love for the player aside and consider what that kind of money could do to improve the team.

The first two games of the season have shown that there are clearly still many areas of need within the squad, and the pure profit that comes from selling an academy player would be massive in looking to secure the future of the club. Obviously, the way in which Thelwell spends that money will be paramount and closely scrutinized, but bringing in players with potential to grow who also immediately improve the team more than the loss of Gordon weakens it seems sensible.