Newcastle forward Anthony Gordon will face his former employers on Saturday
(Image: Matthew Ashton – AMA, Getty Images)
When Everton take on Newcastle United this weekend, all eyes will be on how Anthony Gordon will be received by his former club’s supporters. The England international rose through the ranks at Everton but left for Newcastle in 2023, and the circumstances of his departure left many Toffees fans feeling bitter.
Gordon came on as a late substitute in Newcastle’s 4-1 win at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in November. He has played five times against his former club, winning twice, but has yet to start and win against Everton.
The Liverpool-born winger made 78 appearances for the club where he started his career, scoring seven goals and providing eight assists along the way. Since then, he has scored 36 goals in 28 appearances for Newcastle, including scoring his first senior hat-trick in the recent Champions League play-offs against Qarabag, earning him a huge fee of £45 million.
Everton go into Saturday’s match two places and one point above Newcastle in the Premier League table. However, the situation for the 2022/23 season was quite different.
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missed training
Gordon was a first-team regular throughout the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons, but began missing training as the January 2023 transfer window drew to a close.
After being confirmed absent from the first session following Frank Lampard’s sacking, he then missed two further sessions without any explanation. Gordon did not feature as a substitute in Lampard’s final game as manager, and returned to training on January 27.
Gordon has continued to improve since joining Newcastle from Everton (Image: Aziz Karimov, Getty Images)
At the time, Everton and Newcastle were understood to be haggling over the player’s price, with the selling club seeking £60m and the buying club £40m. Ultimately, he aimed to approach the lower end of that scale.
Transfer request
Gordon’s departure was announced on January 29, and Everton took the unusual step of mentioning the player’s desire to leave when approving his contract. “The 21-year-old forward will be leaving Everton after submitting a formal transfer request,” the club said in a statement.
“Gordon joined the club’s academy at the age of 11 and made his first team debut in December 2017 at the age of 16 in a Europa League match. He has since made 78 appearances for the first team, scoring seven goals.”
This didn’t sit well with some of the support. Given Gordon’s development in Everton’s academy, some saw the transfer request as a betrayal of the club that had helped him make his breakthrough in the Premier League.
‘cruel’ remark
Weeks later, Gordon admitted he was hurt by the lack of appreciation or appreciation in Everton’s statement regarding his departure. “It hurt a little bit, I’m not going to lie,” he told Sky Sports.
“I’m a 22-year-old lad and I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle every situation perfectly, but as a club with thousands of people working, I think the effort I gave them last year played a big role in keeping the club afloat.”
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“I won the Players’ Player of the Year Award and the Managers’ Player of the Year Award. It hurt a little bit for me that they didn’t give me any credit and didn’t appreciate me in the slightest, yes.”
Relegation was a serious concern for Everton when Gordon left, but Sean Dyche, who was appointed in the same week, steered them safely away thanks to victory over Bournemouth at Goodison Park on the final day. Gordon and Newcastle finished fourth at the end of the same season, but if the two teams meet this weekend they will be much more even in the table.
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