Jack Grealish or Anthony Gordon? That could be one of the biggest questions for England manager Thomas Tuchel ahead of the 2026 World Cup – but there is no doubt about who Everton fans would rather have in their squad.
Grealish, 30, has arguably been the Premier League signing of the season so far after his loan switch from Manchester City.
The left-winger scored his first Everton goal in a dramatic win over Crystal Palace over the weekend, notching in the 93rd minute to complete the Toffees’ turnaround to win 2-1, which leaves them eighth in the Premier League table.
Grealish has quickly become a fan favourite at Everton, and many argue that he is one of the best players to have donned the Royal Blue jersey in the club’s recent history.
Along with his goal, Grealish has notched four assists in the Premier League so far – the second-most of any player in the division.
The playmaker was deservedly given the Premier League Player of the Month Award for August. However, to many people’s surprise, Tuchel has decided against naming him in his last two England squads.
Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon, formerly of Everton, is one of those who has been picked ahead of Grealish by Tuchel. But when you look at the stats from this season so far, there is really only one choice between the pair…
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Gordon, 24, signed for Newcastle from Everton in January 2023 for £45m including add-ons. The move came at a difficult time for Everton as they battled relegation, and it destroyed the relationship he once had with Toffees supporters.
Gordon had a particularly impressive campaign in 2023/24, notching 11 goals and 15 assists in the Premier League that season, and impressed in the following campaign too, but he has so far failed to notch a single goal contribution in the Prem this term.
He has scored three goals in the Champions League for Newcastle this season, with two of those being penalties.
Gordon may have been more potent in front of goal, but when it comes to creating goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates, Grealish is far superior.
Grealish has created 17 chances in seven Prem appearances this term, only second behind Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes for all players across the division. He also has a far better pass success rate, with 85.6% compared to Gordon’s 71.4%.
The only area Gordon betters Grealish in is shots per game, with the Newcastle star registering three per game compared to the Everton man’s 1.4.
If Grealish can continue his excellent form and add a few more goals this season, Tuchel will struggle to avoid bringing him back into the England fold.
Speaking in a recent press conference, Tuchel said: “Jack is very close to be the best version of himself, a very special player, a very special character.”
However, Tuchel claimed he and his staff decided to “keep with the straightforward decision of inviting the same group” from the last camp.
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Meanwhile, TEAMtalk transfer insider Dean Jones has revealed that Everton are keeping tabs on Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee.
The 24-year-old has struggled to make a big impact at Old Trafford and finds himself out of the starting XI, and could be on the move in the January window.
Zirkzee is open to joining another Premier League side and West Ham are also interested in the Dutch international.
In other news, Everton have been linked with a move for Celtic forward Daizen Maeda, who could be available for £25m in January, while Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus is also reportedly on their radar.
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