IN A GAME OF CHANCE, IT’S TIME FOR 3 LIONS STOPPER TO LEAVE THE TOFFEES
JORDAN PICKFORD has been in some scrapes in his time.
Like finding himself the subject of death threats from Liverpool fans after wrecking the knee of Virgil van Dijk and putting him out of action for eight months.
He also lost his cool with Newcastle fans and taunted them during an Everton game at St James’ Park, and he was mocked for weeks on end after a high-profile error at Anfield, which allowed Divock Origi to score a stoppage-time winner.
His brawl on a night out in Sunderland in 2019 which forced the Toffees to launch an investigation into his behaviour was not one of his finest moments, either, it has to be said.
But the pickle Pickford now finds himself in appears to be one he might really struggle to extricate himself from. Let’s be clear, it’s not Pickford’s fault the Toffees have come so unstuck that relegation is staring them straight in the face ahead of today’s visit of Chelsea.
The goalkeeper has been one of the few stars to emerge from the wreckage of this season with some semblance of credit.
Not that this will count for much come the summer when Pickford should be thinking about his next move, irrespective of which division the Toffees happen to be in.
Pickford will either find himself a Championship keeper less than six months before a World Cup starts, or one still marooned at Goodison Park with no obvious escape route.
He is 28 and still has his peak years ahead of him, but if he remains on Merseyside these will be spent achieving nothing more significant than just surviving.
He won’t win trophies and his greatest ambition might be managing to keep his spot in the England side.
The best of luck with that if he’s in the Championship while rival Aaron Ramsdale is competing in the Champions League with Arsenal.
But where would Pickford go if he presses the ejector button?
Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United and the Gunners have no need for him. And so we have the alarming possibility of the Three Lions’ No.1 keeper heading into the summer feeling like nobody wants him, other than the club he should be now desperate to leave behind.
Pickford has never let England down and remains the man with the gloves at international level.
He will be crucial to England’s chances of winning the World Cup in Qatar but Gareth Southgate will not want to be heading there with a keeper in the second tier.
Football agents have long been derided for plundering the game of millions they don’t deserve.
But if Pickford’s can manage to find him a suitable alternative to the Toffees this summer, it will be some of the best money he’s ever, ever
spent.