Anthony Gordon opens up about failed Chelsea move and working with Thomas Tuchel for England

Former Liverpool starlet has expressed , having been eager to join the new England boss during his tenure at .

The 23-year-old, who has made a name for himself in the national team since his debut in March and through his , was on the brink of signing with Chelsea the summer before his high-profile move from Everton to St James' Park in January 2023.

Tuchel, then at the helm of the Blues, had shown interest in the forward, and now the pair will finally have the opportunity to collaborate when Tuchel takes over as England head coach in the coming year. "It was quite close to be honest," Gordon, who joined the Everton academy after being released by Liverpool when he was just 11 and was reportedly close to reuniting with the Reds in the most recent transfer window, said of the failed Chelsea move.

"I was desperate to go at the time and work with him especially. I felt like my style would suit his style of play, the way he was playing at Chelsea which was very exciting for me. It didn't end up happening. It was a big opportunity for me that didn't end up happening and I'm looking forward to getting to work with him a couple of years later."

When asked if he had spoken to Tuchel, Gordon shared: "Spoke to him after the game, we played Chelsea when I played for Everton. I shook his hand and that was about it, he said some really complimentary things to me that I'll keep to myself. "I felt a lot of warmth from him which then in turn made me really want to play for him, but I didn't get that chance."

As keen as Gordon was to team up with Tuchel at Chelsea, he was taken aback when the suggestion came up that the German coach had plans to use him as a left-wing back. However, the winger pointed out that he doesn't care where he plays and emphasized he is ready to bring his A-game to any position for Thursday's pivotal Nations League match against Greece.

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At Athens' packed Olympic Stadium, anything less than victory could spell the end of automatic promotion hopes to the Nations League's elite, leaving Tuchel's squad facing playoffs in his maiden gathering. Gordon downplayed any notion of surprise over Tuchel's absence from this month's games and dismissed the thought that players were under pressure to catch the eye of the 51-year-old new manager.

"I wouldn't say for the new manager, to be honest, just because that's way too far into the future," Gordon remarked. "We have got to be present with what's in front of us. We're facing a Greece team who have just beaten us, and we've still got Lee in charge and we have to impress him. All focus is on that right now and putting that game right from last time we played them."