Everton’s transfer stance on young prospect Anthony Gordon may be cause for Bernard to sweat over his future at Goodison Park.
According to the Liverpool Echo, the Blues rejected loan bids from a number of unspecified clubs during the summer transfer window and are expected to resist any further offers for the young English winger in the January winter window also.
The 19-year-old’s career is still in its infancy, but Gordon is highly regarded in spite of his lack of game-time under Ancelotti. He has featured just once this season in a half-hour cameo off the bench in a 2-0 defeat to Southampton.
Despite the lack of playing opportunities, Everton’s signal of intent to retain Gordon’s services could spell bad news for a number of players, including Brazilian winger Bernard.
Although some fans are concerned by Gordon’s lack of opportunities, the Liverpool Echo understands that Everton are relaxed about the situation and trust the youngster to impress in training, thus forcing his way into Ancelotti’s thinking.
With Richarlison serving as the primary option on the left for Ancelotti, Bernard is seen more as a backup. With the likes of Alex Iwobi as competition for places, as well as Everton pledging to stand by Gordon, Bernard may find himself on his way out on Merseyside.
Despite opening the scoring in a 3-1 defeat to Manchester United, the 28-year-old Brazilian has only managed seven goals and seven assists in 71 appearances during his career at Goodison Park. He joined from Ukrainian side Shahktar Donetsk on a free transfer in 2018 but has a TransferMarkt value of £13.5m.
Read Everton Verdict
With four players competing for the same left winger role, competition is fierce.
With Gordon thrown into the mix, the academy product is emblematic of Ancelotti’s wildcard choice and he may well leapfrog players like Bernard. It will be interesting to see who gets the nod to start whenever Richarlison is absent in the future.
