Why Everton should keep hold of Anthony Gordon amidst Dortmund links

According to Football Insider (h/t Liverpool Echo), Bundesliga heavyweights Borussia Dortmund are set to reignite their interest in Everton academy prospect Anthony Gordon.

Dortmund had a bid turned down by the Toffees for the 18-year-old in the summer window, with Gordon putting pen to paper on a four-year deal to pledge his future to the club. However, the German giants are planning to come calling once again for the teenager’s services (Football Insider h/t Liverpool Echo).

Born in Liverpool, the homegrown starlet rose through the youth ranks at Everton before earning a surprise professional debut in a 3-0 victory over Apollon Limassol in the UEFA Europa League in the 2017-18 campaign, which remains his only first-team involvement till date. 

Gordon, who burst on to the scene in the U18 Premier League in the 2016-17 campaign, made the transition to the U23s after accumulating eye-watering returns of 14 goals and 4 assists in 15 appearances for the U18s over the course of the 2017-18 campaign. 

The 18-year-old scored only once in 14 appearances over the course of the 2018-19 Premier League 2 title-winning campaign but Gordon is making a massive impact under the guidance of David Unsworth this term. 

The teenager already boasts of 5 goals and 2 assists in 8 Premier League 2 appearances this term, with his impressive run of form leading senior manager Marco Silva to shower praises on the 18-year-old (h/t Liverpool Echo).

Gordon, who has also made his mark for England at U18 and U19 levels, is essentially an attacking midfielder by trade but he has showcased the versatility to play out wide as a part of a front three. 

To put things into perspective, Anthony Gordon has impressed in the youth setup at Goodison Park for a number of years now and Everton must be aware of his serious potential. 

They rebuffed Dortmund’s approach for his services back in the summer and there is no reason for them to change their stance on the player’s future. 

Everton would be well aware of the growing trend of youngsters heading to the Bundesliga, with Ademola Lookman completing a move to RB Leipzig in the summer and Jonjoe Kenny currently working wonders in his loan spell at Schalke. 

Others like Rabbi Matondo and Lewis Baker have also switched the English top-flight for Germany to varying degrees of success and the Toffees need to ensure that Anthony Gordon doesn’t have his head turned by the interest from the Bundesliga giants.

Verdict

Everton need to do everything in their power to convince the 18-year-old that staying put in his homeland would be in the best interests of his development while fast-tracking him into Marco Silva’s senior ranks could be another realistic option. 

Tom Davies has established himself as a key first-team player under Silva and Gordon certainly has the potential to follow in the footsteps of Davies at the highest level and evolve into the next poster boy from Everton’s widely-revered academy. 

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All in all, keeping hold of Anthony Gordon should be of paramount importance for Everton.