Former England international Chris Waddle has had his say on Jordan Pickford and Everton after Lee Dixon questioned why the goalkeeper hadn't moved to "a bigger club"
Jordan Pickford doesn’t need to leave Everton as he’s already proven himself as one of England’s best ever goalkeepers. That’s the verdict of former Three Lions star Chris Waddle.
Pickford’s new contract at Hill Dickinson Stadium, which commits him to the Blues until 2029 was announced on October 16, with the player declaring: “We’ve started well and we want to keep building that momentum and get Everton Football Club back to a team that competes in Europe. We know it’s tough to do but it’s a journey we want to go on and it’s hard work that we’ll put in as a club. We want to have that direction and, hopefully, one day we’ll lift some silverware as well.”
However, earlier in the week as Pickford was winning his 80th cap – doubling the previous record for an England player while at Everton (Phil Jagielka) – and helping Thomas Tuchel’s side to a 5-0 win in Latvia to become the first European nation to qualify for next summer’s World Cup finals, Lee Dixon, who was an international team-mate of Waddle, prompted the Blues call him out on social media after he questioned why the goalkeeper hadn’t joined a “bigger club.”
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Waddle – who hails from Felling, just six miles from Pickford’s birthplace Washington – told Boyle Sports, who offer football betting: “Of course Jordan Pickford is up there as one of England’s greatest keepers. He’s kept his shirt for a long time now.
“People ask why he hasn’t moved to a big club, but he’s playing for a big club. I know they haven’t won trophies, haven’t been in the top four or Champions League, but he’s playing Premier League football every week, which is enough practice.
“You don’t have to play for a great team to be a great goalkeeper. You don’t have to be winning the league every year to prove yourself.
“Being in the best team in the Premier League doesn’t mean you’re the best goalkeeper. He’s settled at Everton, playing Premier League and international football.
“I don’t agree with those who say they wouldn’t pick him because he doesn’t play in Europe. He’s played for England every week and when he’s been called upon, he’s done well.
“So, for me, there’s no problem with the goalkeeper. People always find a reason to say, 'if only'.
“They suggest he’d play more games in Europe if he moved but he’s played for England many times, in World Cups and Euros. Why does he need to play in the Europa League, for example?
“He’s playing every week in the Premier League, which is harder than the Europa League. I don’t see the sense in saying he needs to move to a bigger club.
“He doesn’t. He’s a goalkeeper, playing for England, and doing well.”
Waddle won 62 caps for England and scored six international goals, becoming the third most expensive player in the world when he moved from Tottenham Hotspur to Olympique de Marseille in 1989.
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