Inside Anthony Gordon's toxic Everton relationship after brutal statement left him 'hurt'

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When Everton face Newcastle United this weekend, many eyes will be fixed on how Anthony Gordon is received by supporters of his former club. The England international came through the ranks at Everton but left for Newcastle in 2023, with the circumstances surrounding his exit leaving a bitter taste among a number of Toffees fans.

Gordon came on as a late substitute when Newcastle cruised to a 4-1 win at Hill Dickinson Stadium in November . He has featured five times against his former club, claiming victory on two occasions, though he is yet to win a match against Everton from the starting line-up.

The Liverpool-born winger netted seven times in 78 appearances for the club where he began his career, chipping in with eight assists along the way. He has since racked up 36 goals and 28 appearances for Newcastle, having commanded a sizeable £45million fee, including a first senior hat-trick against Qarabag in the recent Champions League play-off.

Everton head into Saturday's fixture two places and one point above Newcastle in the Premier League standings. However, it was a rather different picture during the 2022/23 campaign.

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Gordon had been a first-team regular throughout the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons but began missing training sessions as the January 2023 transfer window approached its conclusion.

Following an approved absence from the first session after manager Frank Lampard's sacking, he skipped two further sessions without any explanation offered. Gordon, who had remained an unused substitute for Lampard's final match in charge, returned to training on January 27.

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At the time, Everton and Newcastle were understood to be haggling over a price for the player, with the selling club looking for £60m and the buyers pursuing a £40m move. In the end, he went for closer to the lower end of that scale.

Gordon's departure was announced on January 29, with Everton taking the unusual step of referencing a transfer request from the player as they confirmed the deal. "The 21-year-old forward leaves Everton after having submitted a formal transfer request," the club said in a statement.

"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."

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This didn't sit well with sections of the support. Given Gordon's progress through the Everton academy, some regarded the transfer request as a betrayal of the club which provided him his Premier League breakthrough.

A few weeks later, Gordon would confess he felt wounded by the absence of recognition or gratitude in Everton's statement regarding his exit. "It hurt me a 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 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.

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"I won Players' Player of the Year, Manager's Player of the Year. For them to not really show me any credit or thank me a little bit, it hurt me a bit, yeah."

Relegation was a serious worry for Everton when Gordon departed but Sean Dyche - appointed that same week - led them to safety courtesy of a final-day victory over Bournemouth at Goodison Park. Gordon and Newcastle claimed fourth spot at the end of the same campaign but when the sides meet this weekend, they'll be far more evenly matched in the table.

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