Anthony Gordon has revealed how incoming England manager Thomas Tuchel tried to persuade him to sign for Chelsea and “made me really want to play for him” during a post-game chat while he was still an Everton player.
Tuchel wanted to sign Gordon in the 2022 summer transfer window, with Chelsea making a bid for the player just over a week after beating Everton on the opening day of the season at Goodison Park.
It seems Tuchel took the matter into his own hands, as Gordon said: “I spoke to him after the game, when I played for Everton and we played Chelsea.
“I spoke to him after the game when I shook his hand. That was about it. He said some really complimentary things to me, which I’ll keep to myself. But, yeah, I spoke to him and I felt a lot of warmth from him, which then made me really want to play for him. I didn’t get that chance.
“It was quite close to be honest. I was desperate to go at the time and work with him, especially. I felt like my style would suit his style of play, the way he was playing at Chelsea which was very exciting for me. It was a big opportunity for me that didn’t end up happening and I’m looking forward to getting to work with him a couple of years later.”
Tuchel was sacked by Chelsea just a month after their opening day victory over Everton, but Gordon is relishing the prospect of playing for him with England.
Asked if he could have imagined that Tuchel would have later become England manager, a job the German officially starts on Jan 1, Gordon said: “No, definitely not. He was doing so, so well at Chelsea at that point, that it’s hard to imagine what’s going to come in the future.”
Tuchel famously played with a back three and wing-backs at Chelsea, and there were suggestions that he would have tried to convert Gordon into a left wing-back at Stamford Bridge.
Gordon was unaware of such a plan, but would be happy to test himself in the position should Tuchel ask him to play as a wing-back for England.
“I wasn’t aware of it,” said Gordon. “I never really spoke to him in depth about those sorts of things. I don’t really care where I play. As long as I’m on the pitch I feel like I can perform. That’s what I really want to do, just perform at a high level. So if he wants to play me there, I’d be more than happy to.”
Tuchel did not have a say on Lee Carsley’s squad for his final games as interim manager and will not be in Athens or at Wembley to watch the Greece and Republic of Ireland games.
Asked if he was surprised that Tuchel would not be in attendance, Gordon said: “Not really, I think he can watch the games back wherever he is in the world, which I’m sure he’ll be doing. He’ll be wanting to take a look at the squad and the players available to him when it comes to that point. So no, I’m not surprised by that.”
Gordon, however, dismissed the suggestion that he and the rest of the England squad would use the two Nations League games to try to impress Tuchel.
“I wouldn’t say [we’ll try to put on a performance] for the new manager, to be honest. Because that’s way too far into the future and we’ve got to be present on what’s in front of us,” said Gordon.
“We’re facing a Greece team that recently just beat us. And we’ve still got Lee in charge who we need to impress. He’s still the manager, so I think all our focus is on right now and to put that game right from last time we played them.”
