Anthony Gordon starred over both legs as Newcastle United, frankly, took Arsenal to the cleaners in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
He’s shaped into one of the best wingers in English football, winning Newcastle’s Player of the Year award in 2023/24, his first full season at the club.
There’s no love lost between Everton and their former starboy, who rose through the Finch Farm ranks before becoming a regular feature for the Blues during the 2021/22 campaign,
Pundit and one-time Tottenham keeper Paul Robinson’s verdict was that the young Toffee was “not enough of a goal threat” and failed to “hit the heights” of his breakout campaign, with Everton struggling and Gordon tempted by mounting interest in his services.
He got his wish and left in acrimonious circumstances. Everton banked a pretty penny for his sale, with Newcastle forking out £45m after Gordon’s transfer request, but Everton lost one of their finest youngsters before he could truly hit his stride on Merseyside.
It would be nice if David Moyes could bring another top talent through to the senior squad.
Everton's best current youth prospects
Gordon completed 78 senior appearances for Everton after graduating from Finch Farm but only scratched the surface of his lofty potential, scoring only seven goals.
The fact remains that he is one of the club’s finest prospects over the past decade, however, Moyes will be delighted to note that there is an abundance of quality pushing through to the fore right now.
Within the U21 set-up, right-back Roman Dixon, 20, has already made three senior appearances due to injury issues earlier in the campaign, while 19-year-old midfielder Jack Patterson will be looking to feature under Moyes after making headway over the past few years.
Up top, forward Omari Benjamin, poached from Arsenal’s Hale End, is pushing to make his senior debut before the end of the season, comfortably leading the club’s scoring charts with six goals to his name this term, notably scoring both as Everton beat Liverpool 2-0 before Christmas.
Benjamin was hailed for his ‘explosive finishing ability’ by The Guardian before joining Everton’s youth system and will be confident that he can emerge as the club’s finest prospect since Gordon.
However, that’s easier said than done when he’s competing with Braiden Graham.
Everton's most exciting star since Gordon
Sometimes, an up-and-coming forward emerges with a natural ball-striking ability that bespeaks top-level success. Graham might only be 17 years old but he has that knack for finding the back of the net.
Linfield boss David Healy once hailed Graham as a “deadly finisher” before his Everton transfer and he’s yet to let his former gaffer down in England. Graham scored twice for Linfield’s first team before leaving Northern Ireland and signing for the Toffees last summer.
He’s yet to be promoted to the U21s, but Graham is hardly failing to impress in the U18 Premier League, firing seven goals home across 11 matches, also racking up two assists.
Graham’s positional flexibility further suggests that he could be Moyes’ own version of the above-discussed Gordon, for he has been placed across a variety of roles this term.
Attacking midfield
4
3
1
Centre-forward
3
2
0
Right winger
2
1
0
Left winger
1
1
1
Perhaps more curiously, Graham seems to retain his clinical value wherever Leighton Baines, U18s manager, places him. The Northern Irish prospect is endowed with natural speed and an athletic ability that allows him to confuse defenders and link up with teammates before finding space and rifling well-struck shots into the inside netting.
Such transferrable skills are perfectly evidenced through his goals across every area of the frontline this term, and a larger sample pool would be needed to reach conclusive data.
His grace and balance do suggest that he would be well suited to a permanent role on the flanks or behind the centre-forward, dropping off opponents’ shoulders, bursting away and causing chaos.
Everton and Moyes like to play with a physical and focal number nine, and while Graham’s finishing ability suggests he could play such a role, the teenager may actually benefit from creating a dynamic partnership with a profile such as Beto or Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
There’s also the matter of Wayne Rooney, who was prodigiously promoted to the Everton senior set-up way back in 2002 by a certain Scottish manager.
Graham obviously won’t be expected to hit the same heights in the maiden stage of his career, but there’s little question that Moyes is the right type of manager to equip him with with confidence needed to earn opportunities among more senior teammates.
Where the Irish talent’s best position lies remains open to question, but with such an exciting and prolific start to life at Everton, there’s every chance that he will emulate Gordon and emerge as a talented and high-value member.
Let’s just hope that this time, the prospect in question won’t seek a future away from Merseyside while still developing their quality.
Moyes is looking to build a dynasty at the outfit for the second time, and if his start to life is anything to go by, he’ll steer Everton away from the dysfunction that has dominated the recent years.
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