We could see Anthony Gordon as a first-team regular for Everton next season.
Appalling defeat at Molineux, preceded by abhorrent displays against Spurs and Southampton act as evidence how seismic the Everton team is right now. The midfield and the wings do not need plastering, they need complete surgery. The players aren’t performing to expected standards, piling up hideous and unsatisfactory performances one after the other.
Tom Davies, Andre Gomes and Gylfi Sigurdsson have been horrendous since the restart. Tom Davies, in particular, has failed to put up one good performance in the central midfield role. The notion that he isn’t suited for the central midfield role saves some pride but there’s no running away from the fact that he looks soulless on the field.
Andre Gomes deserves some credit to recover before the stipulated time from his broken ankle but he can’t hide away from the criticism he is inviting with his performances. If you think the state of midfield is bad, you should assess the situation at the flanks.
Theo Walcott’s speed and agility are diminishing day by day. Alex Iwobi often looks like a lost kid in the park on either flanks and Bernard has looked uninterested going forward. Carlo Ancelotti has some serious work cut out if he wants to take Everton to the top halves of English Football. Every Everton fan might also feel that the Toffees will be bracing for a busy summer of ins and outs.
Yes, it is true that the Merseysiders will have a busy summer but there’s a ray of hope amid the clouds of problems. It’s Anthony Gordon. The 19 year old has burst onto the scene making the most of the opportunities thrown at him.
The Merseyside derby is fierce, feisty with tempers and emotions flaring high. A derby where the coolest and most experienced heads lose the calm, Anthony Gordon had the nerves of ice. Not only did he make his Premier League and Everton first team debut, but was better than most of his colleagues in the game.
Ancelotti had recognized the sparkling gleam in Gordon’s play and the Italian was startled with the 19 year old’s displays. The Toffees have played 5 gmaes since the derby and Gordon has featured in all of them. Starting against Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City, Wolves and Southampton, it is safe to say that Gordon has quickly risen up the ranks and fixed a spot in the team.
When the team looked toothless against Southampton, Gordon was the one who caught the eye. Ever confident on the ball, never afraid to take on the defenders, he and Alex Iwobi look like paradoxes of one another.
The immediate slingshot to prominence trussed by solid performances on the pitch means Gordon could actually be destined to be a regular starter in the first team. His exponential rise in the team could save the club from spending millions over a player.
He could possibly be the left winger that the club is desperately searching for. Right wing still remains to be sorted but with Anthony Gordon outperforming everyone in his department, Ancelotti could hand a more regular role to the youngster next season.
He has shown that he can handle pressure and demands of the Premier League and in fact do it better than most of the players in the current team and such bravery needs to be rewarded. Gordon has in fact done a tremendous job when slotted in midfield as well.
All in all, the rise of Anthony Gordon does solve some problems for the next season and Everton may alter the transfer plans.