Everton will be ‘determined’ to keep Anthony Gordon after goal – Ian Wright
Everton clung on to take a point away from the Brentford Community Stadium as Frank Lampard’s side opened their account.
Anthony Gordon put his ongoing transfer speculation behind him to fire the Toffees ahead in the capital but despite Jordan Pickford’s heroics in between the sticks, Thomas Frank’s side found a way through.
Vitaly Janelt poked home from a set-piece to level the game as the Bees pushed for a winner but could not break the Everton backline.
Saturday’s goal could well be the last for Gordon if he does leave to join Chelsea but Ian Wright thinks the club should be doing everything they can to keep him.
“It should make them more determined to keep him,” Wright said on Match of the Day. “Because judging by what they’ve got at the moment, they’re going to need everything they will need, for want of a better word.
“They looked like they were holding on, very much so.”
Season-defining
The next few days are what are going to define how Everton will perform this season and it all comes down to whether Gordon is sold and who may come in after the fact.
Wright is not wrong that the Toffees are almost reliant on Gordon’s enthusiasm to carry them to results in some games and if he leaves before the 1 September deadline then things will become incredibly difficult for Lampard.
They only just managed to keep their heads above water last season and the loss of Richarlison has had a big impact on the side despite a number of other additions.
The striker situation has seemingly been resolved now with Neal Maupay brought in from Brighton to cover the always injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin but the Frenchman alone is not enough.
It is going to have to be a huge final few days of transfer activity for this squad to reach some kind of place where Lampard can be confident of a surge in form to keep them away from relegation trouble this time around.