Anthony Gordon has made his feelings on Everton clear ahead of Newcastle United visit

Everything Anthony Gordon has said about his Everton exit ahead of a hostile return to Goodison Park.
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Anthony Gordon is set to return to Everton for the first time this week since his January transfer window exit.

Newcastle United make the trip to Goodison Park on Thursday evening (kick-off 7:45pm), and while there is a lot of stake for both teams, much of the pre-match focus centres around Gordon.

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The 22-year-old had been on the books at Everton since the age of 11 but his £45million exit left a bitter taste in supporters’ mouths. They plan to give Gordon a toxic reception, whether he is on the pitch or indeed among the substitutes.

NewcastleWorld takes a look at everything Gordon has said about his Everton departure so far as he prepares to face his former club.

‘I didn’t mean to disrespect or offend anyone’ - January 2023

In the days leading up to his Newcastle switch, the former England under-21s international failed to show up at Everton’s Finch Farm training base in a reported effort to force through a transfer.

The Toffees had just sacked Frank Lampard and were in the process of appointing Sean Dyche as manager when a fee for Gordon was agreed.

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“It was extremely difficult,” said Gordon in January. “I never imagined or wanted it to go like that. I’ve been at Everton my whole footballing career but this is an opportunity I couldn’t really miss out on.

“I didn’t mean to disrespect or offend anyone at Everton. I’m hoping they know that. Hopefully, they can reinvest the money and stay in the Premier League.”

‘It did hurt me a little bit’ - March 2023

Everton confirmed Gordon’s exit in a brutal 59-word statement that tellingly had no thank you or good luck message. Having risen through the academy ranks and helped the Toffees fight off Premier League relegation last season, Gordon admitted he was “hurt” by it.

In total, Gordon made 78 appearances for the Toffees and scored seven goals after making his debut as a 16-year-old in December 2017.

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“Yeah it did, it hurt me a little bit, I’m not going to lie to you,” he told Sky Sports.

“I thought I’m a 22-year-old lad I’m not going to handle every situation in life perfectly but as a club with thousands of people working for them, I think the effort I gave them last year, I was a massive part in keeping the club up.

“Players player, manager’s player of the year, so for them to not really show me any credit or thank me for anything it hurt me a little bit.

“My whole life has been at Everton. I grew up in Everton, I wasn’t going out with friends and stuff when I was younger, I was always in Everton so it was a massive place in my heart and in my life which I’ll never forget. From afar I will always be rooting for them and wishing them the best.”

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After losing to Southampton on January 14, Everton fans stepped up their protests against the club’s board. Gordon was among the players targeted outside Goodison Park as some supporters surrounded and screamed at his car and put road blockers in the way.

“I think it is really difficult [to come back from supporters being unhappy],” Gordon added. “Once things like that happen it’s hard to recover from, especially because I’m from them there, I grew up on those streets.”

‘A lot of media stuff is not true’ - April 2023

Ahead of his return to Goodison Park, Gordon defended the way in which he joined Newcastle - insisting “a lot of media stuff is not true”.

Asked by the United matchday programme if he had ‘ever read, seen or heard anything about yourself in the media that blatantly wasn’t true’, Gordon replied: “Probably everything from the last year, I think!

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“I don’t blame the media because it can happen, and they can get fed from outside sources. But yeah, especially with how I got this move and stuff, a lot of that wasn’t true. It was misconstrued.

“A lot of media stuff is not true and it’s difficult at times being a player because you can’t affect public opinion but you learn to block it out and it doesn’t really affect me anymore.”

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