Anthony Gordon tells Gary Neville exactly what happened when leaving Everton for Newcastle United | OneFootball

Anthony Gordon joined Newcastle United on 29 January 2023.

Newcastle United had been repeatedly linked with the Everton winger during the summer 2022 transfer window but couldn’t compete with Chelsea, who made a number of bids and were willing to pay £60m+ for the player, only for the Goodison club to turn all bids down that window.

By the time we got to January 2023 though, Everton were desperate to sell one of their (very!) few remaining assets, as they belatedly tried to stay within FFP/PSR rules.

Newcastle United taking advantage of this desperation from the Everton owners and picking Anthony Gordon up for £40m plus £5m in future potential add-ons.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Both the Everton owners and many of the Everton fans behaved disgracefully. The Everton owners trying to make out that they hadn’t wanted to sell Anthony Gordon, which was the very opposite of the truth, as they were desperate to sell him due to the financial situation. Whilst as is often the case in these situations at struggling clubs, the Everton fans had long before the NUFC January 2023 interest became known, turned on a (very young) local lad as a scapegoat for the wider problems at the club, including embarrassing video footage showing Everton fans harassing and abusing the then 21 year old and surrounding his car when leaving Goodison Park after a match.

Now speaking to Gary Neville on The Overlap, Anthony Gordon has spoke at length about what he is all about AND what happened when he left Everton AND why he was so keen to join Newcastle United.

Anthony Gordon talking to Gary Neville:

“The whole process [of leaving Everton for Newcastle United] was difficult.

“You said I am mentally strong and I think that has played a massive part of me being who I am now.

“I am very thankful but it was so hard at the time.

“Liverpool’s biggest unity is everyone being together, Scousers looking after Scousers.

“And for someone to leave that environment, nobody is going to like it, and rightly so, but ultimately, I am too ambitious to turn down the opportunity which was presented to me.

“Newcastle United were only going one way and looking from the outside they were flying, I think they were fourth when I was signing, so it’s a no brainer.

“My ambition is to be at the very top of football and I couldn’t do that where I was.”

A very brief (terse?) statement from Everton, where they ‘forgot’ to wish Anthony Gordon well, on the day he signed for Newcastle United.

Only three lines in the official statement and they did make sure they included the fact that Anthony Gordon had submitted a ‘formal transfer request’ in order to escape the shambles on the blue half of Merseyside.

Everton official statement – 29 January 2023:

The 21-year-old forward leaves Everton after having submitted a formal transfer request.

Gordon joined the Club’s Academy at the age of 11 and made his senior debut as a 16-year-old in a Europa League tie in December 2017. He went on to make 78 First-Team appearances, scoring seven goals.’

Anthony Gordon had been at Everton for ten years, cost them nothing, then making them a £45m profit. Plus the reality was that they wanted to sell him, were desperate to.

Gary Neville now asking Anthony Gordon about that pathetic Everton statement from their owners:

“How it ended, didn’t have to be like that.

“The statement… I don’t even know what you would call the statement they put out?

“It was small. It was almost as if they were playing to the crowd, Anthony wants to leave, we have let him go, almost like they were discarding you a little bit. It didn’t have to be like that, surely?”

Anthony Gordon:

“It didn’t.

“That’s the thing.

“A lot of what you see in the media [from Everton] is club-driven and I didn’t care too much to change the perspective, because I’m very comfortable in myself and how it ended up, and ultimately, I got what I wanted. I joined Newcastle.

“I did want to leave, but also, the club did have to sell me.

“The way it played out was that I was desperate to leave and that was never really the case.

“I just wanted to fulfil my ambitions.

“But I was never bothered about wanting to change people’s minds, if they believe what they read, it’s fine by me.”

What a player Anthony Gordon is and what a stunning signing by Eddie Howe, amongst the many by the NUFC boss.

Already 18 direct goal involvements (scoring 10 and eight assists) in the Premier League this season having started 29 PL games so far, plus now surely a certainty to go to the Euros this summer in Germany, as part of the England squad.