‘He’s an Everton boy and he plays for us’: Frank Lampard sends warning to Chelsea over transfer speculation

Frank Lampard has dismissed claims that Chelsea have made a £60 million bid for Everton forward Anthony Gordon. 

The 21-year-old has been the hot talking point of the transfer window, with the London club reportedly eager to sign him on a permanent deal this summer. 

Other potential suitors, including Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, have also been eyeing up a move for the young winger, but it is still Chelsea who are the front runners, with Sky Sports reporting that Everton had rejected an initial bid of £40m-£45m from Thomas Tuchels side earlier this August. 

While speculation grows that Chelsea are willing to up their price and pay £60m for Gordon, Lampard has today cleared up any rumours that a potential bid had been made, saying: “No, it hasn’t come in.”

“He’s our player and remains so. He’s in the squad for tomorrow. He’s a huge player for us, and I said it last week, not only is he a huge value to the club, not only if you want to talk financially, but more importantly, he’s a huge value to the squad and the team.

“They haven’t bid 60 million. So let’s not talk about a number that’s not there.”

‘The bid hasn’t come in, he’s our player!” 🔷❌

Frank Lampard on Anthony Gordon and potential incomings at #EFC 🔄 pic.twitter.com/Q4yuiKedah

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 26, 2022

Gordon was one of the Toffee’s stand-out performers during the club’s previous season, that saw them narrowly escape the relegation zone.

Scoring four times, including a goal in Everton’s 1-0 win over Manchester United, the winger’s high work rate and skill on the ball saw him win Everton’s Young Player of the Season Award and attract the attention of multiple clubs around the Premier League.

But his value is clear to the club, as when asked if he could put a price tag on Gordon, Lampard, who has experience coaching and playing with some of the world’s best talents, delivered a blunt answer, saying: “No.”

“I’ve been fortunate to work with fantastic young players in my time at Derby, my time at Chelsea, seen them develop and seen them now become England internationals, Champions League winners and be worth maybe triple figures in terms of some of their personal values.

“Anthony is in that bracket, and he’s ours. He’s an Everton boy and he plays for us.

“The crowd relate to him and it’s understandable that people would be interested in him because of the level of player he is but the facts remain the same.”

Reports from Alan Myers on Twitter also suggest that the Merseyside club are racing to sign Brighton forward Neal Maupay, with Everton trying to register the French striker before tomorrow’s 12-noon deadline, which would make him available to play against his former club Brentford. 

While Lampard didn’t want to speculate on potential signings during his press conference, when asked whether a forward would be coming in, he said: “It will happen.”

Maupay having second part of medical as we speak and is likely to be registered by 12:00 noon deadline, enabling him to be available for the game v Brentford

— Alan Myers (@ALANMYERSMEDIA) August 26, 2022

In terms of outgoings, earlier this week, Everton agreed a season-long loan deal with Beşiktaş for midfielder Dele Alli. 

The 26-year-old, who joined the Blues from Tottenham last January, has had a frustrating time at Goodison Park, making only one start in 13 appearances for the club while failing to find the back of the net. 

During his press conference, Lampard asserted that the move was beneficial for both parties and confirmed that the door has not closed yet on Dele’s future at Goodison Park. 

“I think it’s the right thing. It hasn’t worked out for Dele here for different reasons and he can go there now hopefully play games, have success, help him personally and help us and we’ll review it through the year and obviously at the end of the season.”