This article is part of Football FanCast’s In The Pipeline series, which takes a look at some of the most promising young talent either linked with clubs or emerging from their academies…
Everton manager Marco Silva has said that academy star Anthony Gordon is “really close” to getting his first taste of Premier League action.
To date, the 18-year-old Merseyside-born player’s first team experience amounts to just two minutes of Europa League football in December 2017.
However, the former Watford boss should certainly bring him in sooner rather than later, with the club’s recent transfer activity proving that splashing the cash doesn’t always guarantee success.
Over the last three seasons, Everton have spent extortionate sums on forward players, including £45m on Gylfi Sigurdsson, £50m on Richarlison and a whopping £24m on monumental flop Davy Klaassen.
In this time, Everton have twice finished eighth (2017-18 and 2018-19) in the Premier League, and have failed in their bid to secure Champions League football.
Similar to super clubs such as Manchester United, the Toffees have proved that buying players does not always work.
Not only is it far from a foolproof strategy, it’s a huge financial risk and one that can have a detrimental impact on the development of young players attempting to break into the first team.
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United’s decision to sell Romelu Lukaku in the summer depleted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s attacking options and seemingly opened the door for Mason Greenwood to challenge Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial for a starting berth.
Unai Emery, Frank Lampard and Solskjaer have all showcased a willingness to trust in their respective club’s academy products this season, and perhaps it’s time Silva did the same with Gordon.
Down in the youth ranks, the teenager has been taking most of the plaudits, scoring six goals in six games this season, and there are few bigger fans than his manager David Unsworth.
Following the 2-2 draw against Arsenal in August, the U23’s boss told Everton’s website: “They were two great finishes. If chances come along, you want them to come to Anthony Gordon because he is in such a rich vein of form.
“He’s grown in stature as a player. He can still be better physically, in terms of being able to go for 95 minutes – and he will do that. His desire and application is there.
“He is such an explosive player. He’s progressing really well and when he reaches his full potential, he’ll be some player. It’s not a question of if, he will do. He’s got that star quality.”
This summer, Everton invested £25.1m in Moise Kean, who has so far failed to even look like scoring, registering 1.1 shots per Premier League game for his new club.
More recently, the Daily Express suggested that the Toffees are keeping tabs on Yussuf Poulsen, who Transfermarkt value at £31.50m.
As the story of the season so far suggests, these expensive deals do not guarantee goals or Premier League points and, considering the club’s new stadium is set to cost a reported £500m, it seems unlikely that Everton’s period of spending can go on indefinitely; Tottenham Hotspur can attest to that.
And given Gordon’s ability to play in multiple roles across the attacking front-three, do Everton really need to fork out any more millions when the youngster is on the cusp of a senior breakthrough?
Silva’s suggestion that he fits a similar profile to Richarlison suggests not.
“I will tell you, unfortunately for him maybe it is the position on the pitch where we have most quality, where competition is hardest.
“He can play in the three positions in our attack line, more or less the same profile as Richarlison, who can play left, right, or behind the striker. Or even alone up front.”
Gordon has indeed proved to be a valuable asset for the U23’s and with the team scoring just six Premier League goals so far, it might not be too long before Silva shuffles the pack and introduces this fine talent into the first team.
After all, the local lad could prove to be a future star and save Everton millions in the transfer market.