Gordon on the rise and now set for Reds move
KAIDE Gordon has been described as one of the most exciting 16-yearold players in the country.
The attacking midfielder looks set to join Liverpool after the Reds made a bid.
There has also been reported interest in him from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Gordon, who is still at school, cannot sign a professional contract until this summer and so any move would see Derby receive compensation having developed the player from a young age.
It has been reported that Liverpool will pay £1m plus add-ons up to £3m. Any compensation fee will be undisclosed but the Rams turned down £1m, the Burton Mail understands.
A similar example of this happened with Liam Delap, the son of former Rams, Southampton and Stoke City player Rory Delap.
Liam Delap joined Manachester City at the age of 16 in the summer of 2019 having been part of Derby’s Academy since the age of seven. Derby received compensation.
Signing up young talent for significant compensation fees is a gamble but one the biggest clubs can afford to take.
Delap had not made a first-team appearance but Gordon has.
He came off the bench in the 4-0 victory over Birmingham City at St Andrew’s on December 29. In doing so, at 16 years, two months and 24 days he became the fourth youngest player in the club’s history after Mason Bennett, Lee Holmes and Steve Powell.
He is the younger brother of former Derby Academy player and current Mansfield Town player, Kellan Gordon.
Kaide, an England Under-16 international, was named Academy Player of the Year last season.
Academy Director Darren Wassall said at the time: “Kaide was the most exciting and creative player throughout the year and has shown a real improvement both in and out of possession but we believe there is more to come too.”
Rams manager Wayne Rooney has been impressed by Gordon.
“I brought Kaide up with the firstteam initially to train with us for a week to see how he reacted to it, and he was one of the best trainers,” Rooney said.
“I kept him with us for a couple of weeks and he’s been training at the same level if not to a better level to a lot of the other (first-team) players.
“As I said to the players, if you train hard and train well, I will give you your chance.”
Gordon was born in October 2004, two months after Derby boss Rooney signed for Manchester United.