Newcastle United are believed to be leading the race to sign Everton forward, Anthony Gordon, with the Englishman seemingly trying to engineer an exit from Goodison Park before the end of the window.
What’s the word?
The Magpies have been chasing the 21-year-old in recent weeks – alongside Premier League rivals Chelsea – with the Toffees academy graduate having since irked his current club after failing to report for training in recent days.
CBS reporter Ben Jacobs – speaking in a Q & A on Twitter – has now provided his verdict on the youngster’s decision to try and force a move, with the respected journalist also stating that it is currently the Tynesiders who are at the front of the queue.
The transfer insider revealed: “Newcastle frontrunners at the moment. It’s a shame he’s missing training and trying to exit in this manner. He’s been frustrated in the past by Everton putting such a high price tag on him and now Lampard is gone he clearly wants to force a move.”
This comes amid a report from the Telegraph that suggested the Merseysiders may well be forced to lower their asking price to around £40m due to the player’s antics, with that figure seemingly set to be closer to the St James’ Park outfit’s own valuation.
Fraser 2.0
The one-time Preston North End loanee has clearly warranted such interest due to his on-field displays over the past year or so, having notably been dubbed “frightening” by pundit Paddy Kenny in the recent past.
That being said, despite the attraction of bringing in a figure who has three top-flight goals to his name this season, Eddie Howe and co may well be concerned at Gordon’s behaviour at his current club, having arguably shown a level of disrespect to take such drastic action in a bid to seal move elsewhere.
That may spark fears regarding the player’s attitude among those at Newcastle, with it far from ideal circumstances to secure the signing of a player who is enduring what appears to be a sour end to his time on Merseyside.
Such an acquisition could well evoke memories of the capture of Ryan Fraser back in the summer of 2020, with the Scotsman joining on a free transfer following an acrimonious climax to his seven-year stay at Bournemouth.
The former Aberdeen speedster had opted not to sign a short-term contract extension to help the Cherries – then managed by Howe – in their bid for survival during that Covid-disrupted 2019/20 campaign, having been fearful of sustaining an injury with his existing deal nearing its expiry.
As the player himself admitted, he got “battered” by fans and pundits alike as a result of the decision not to partake in that relegation dogfight at the Vitality Stadium, having been branded “disgraceful” by Dorset Live’s Daniel Davis.
Although it is difficult to determine whether that scenario had any bearing on Fraser’s subsequent struggles on Tyneside – with the 28-year-old currently tipped for a departure after scoring just three goals in 59 games to date – it was no doubt far from the ideal manner in which to end one club stint and begin another.
The fear will be that any negativity surrounding Gordon’s possible exit from Goodison could feed into his performances at St James’ Park if he is to seal a move before deadline day, with the Magpies hoping that the dynamic gem does not follow in Fraser’s footsteps and fail to make his mark at the club.