England star Jordan Pickford is closing in on a new deal at Everton and the Toffees have been forced to fire back after some controversial comments from pundit Lee Dixon
Lee Dixon
Lee Dixon's comments have landed him in hot water(Image: Getty Images)
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Everton have fired a brutal reply to Lee Dixon after he questioned why Jordan Pickford had not quit the club. The ITV pundit was on duty on Tuesday night as England cruised past Latvia to book their spot at next summer’s World Cup.
Everton stopper Pickford was selected between the sticks by boss Thomas Tuchel, keeping his ninth consecutive clean sheet for his country on his 80th appearance. And while ex-Arsenal star Dixon was full of praise, he questioned why Pickford had not chosen to move to a ‘bigger club’.
Everton fans hit back at that claim, while the Toffees themselves also fired back at Dixon. Writing on Twitter, the Merseysiders said: “9 top-flight titles, 5 FA Cups, 1 European title, One of football’s most passionate fanbases, A world-class new stadium. Everton FC - a big club: past, present & future, @LeeDixon2.”
Pickford appears unlikely to go anywhere any time soon. He is on the verge of signing a new long-term deal that will see him extend his stay at the club for another four years.
“Obviously everyone knows how happy I am at Everton but I’m not going to go too much into it, “ he said of his new contract. “I’ve got my England head on for the next two days.
“I just want to get the qualification, get the win tomorrow and hopefully get another cap and hit number 80. That’s my sole focus at the minute.”
In all, Pickford has made 322 appearances for Everton since his arrival from Sunderland in 2017. He was signed by former Toffees boss Ronald Koeman, albeit David Moyes has revealed the role he played in the goalkeeper moving to Merseyside.
He said: “When I lost my job at Sunderland, at the end of the season, I said to Bill (Kenwright): ‘You have got to sign the goalkeeper at Sunderland’ – and he did. He went on and signed him at that time.”
Jordan Pickford
Jordan Pickford enjoyed an impressive fortnight with England
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“He was a fabulous young goalkeeper at the time,” Moyes added. “Mature enough in some ways – funnily enough, he wasn’t as giddy in his younger days.
“I thought he was a bit more settled, but he was probably still mad off the pitch! But, seriously, he was a really good goalkeeper.”
Having enjoyed a productive time with England over recent days, Pickford will now turn his attention back to his club commitments. Everton will take on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Moyes’ side have enjoyed a positive start to the new season having won three of their opening seven games, leaving them eighth in the table.
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