Anthony Gordon in action for Everton's under-23 side in the Premier League 2.(Getty Images)
According to the Liverpool Echo, Everton could decide to send academy prospect Anthony Gordon out on loan before the end of the transfer window if they fail to offload Bernard.
The Toffees had no plans to sanction a temporary exit for the 20-year-old this month. It was expected that Bernard’s departure would open the door for the youngster to progress with more playtime under Carlo Ancelotti.
However, with Everton finding it difficult to find Bernard a new club, they could be forced to change their stance on Gordon. (h/t Liverpool Echo)
It has been claimed that Gordon is attracting loan interest from Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End in the Championship while several others in Germany are also keen on the attacker.
Regarded as one of the best attacking prospects to come through Everton’s youth system in recent times, Anthony Gordon made his first-team debut for the Toffees in a Europa League tie against Apollon Limassol back in 2017-18. He struggled to break into the club’s senior setup but continued to impress at the U-18 and U-23 levels.
The 20-year-old eventually burst on to the scene in the Premier League last season, making his debut against West Ham in January 2020. Gordon finished the 2019-20 campaign with 11 league appearances under his belt, including 4 starts. The youngster has remained on the fringes of Everton’s first-team this term as well. (h/t Transfermarkt)
Gordon registered two assists in Everton’s wins over Salford City and Fleetwood Town in the EFL Cup back in September. He had to wait until October for his first involvement in the Premier League this season, coming on as a substitute in Everton’s 2-0 loss against Southampton.
The homegrown starlet made his first league start of the campaign against Sheffield United last month and has featured 7 times in all competitions so far.
Gordon has shown flashes of promise in the Premier League over the past 12 months but is yet to start delivering on his potential. Still very much in the developmental stage of his career, the winger needs to play regularly at the senior level to take his game up a notch. Realistically, that looks unlikely to happen at Everton, at least, for the time being.
With accomplished players like Richarlison, James Rodriguez, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Alex Iwobi and Bernard all competing for places, Gordon’s chances of playing regularly in the Premier League look very slim between now and the end of the season.
Indeed, Ancelotti can opt to hand him a few opportunities from the bench, but that wouldn’t really do his development a world of good.
Having said that, a loan move to the Championship would be a fair settlement for all parties involved. The English second-tier presents a highly competitive environment for youngsters to hone their skills and Gordon would benefit from completing a temporary move to a club in that division.
Everton have already loaned out the likes of Ellis Simms and Jarrad Branthwaite in the winter market to help their progress with regular game time elsewhere. Adopting a similar stance on Anthony Gordon, to that end, would make a lot of sense.
The youngster needs more polishing to realise his potential. The Toffees can have a more developed player on their hands next summer if Gordon goes on to enjoy a productive loan spell between now and the end of the campaign.