In an interview with Gary Neville, Anthony Gordon revealed his true feelings about leaving Everton.
The 23-year-old moved to Tyneside on January 31, 2023, the deadline. It was far from a smooth exit from Goodison Park, with reports claiming he was attempting to push a trade and refusing to play.
Evidently, leaving Merseyside was the correct decision. Gordon has 18 Premier League goals this season and is currently in a strong position to compete at the European Championships next summer.
Anthony Gordon sets record straight on Everton exit
As previously stated, Gordon’s departure was far from amicable, and the former Toffee has now spoken out about what actually happened.
Gordon stated: “The entire procedure was difficult. You mentioned that I am psychologically strong, and I believe it has contributed significantly to who I am today. I am grateful, but it was quite difficult at the time. Liverpool’s greatest unity is everyone coming together, Scousers looking after Scousers.
“And for someone to leave that atmosphere, no one will like it, and rightfully so, but I am too ambitious to pass up the opportunity that was provided to me. Newcastle was only going one way, and from the outside, they were flying; I believe they were fourth when I signed, so it was a no-brainer. My objective is to reach the pinnacle of football, and I couldn’t do so where I was.
Everton issued a short statement confirming the winger’s departure, which Neville questioned the Newcastle United attacker about.
Neville inquired: “How it ended didn’t have to be like that; the statement – I don’t even know what you’d call the statement they issued – was little. It was almost as if they were playing to the crowd; Anthony wants to leave, and we’ve let him go; it felt like they were discarding you a little bit. It didn’t have to be like that, right?
Gordon responded, “It didn’t.” That’s the thing: a lot of what you see in the media is club-driven, and I didn’t care too much about changing the perspective because I’m really satisfied with myself and how things turned out, and I eventually got what I wanted. I joined Newcastle.
“I wanted to leave, but the club needed to sell me. The way it played out was that I was frantic to go, which was never the case; I simply wanted to achieve my goals. But I never cared about changing people’s ideas; if they believe what they read, that’s OK with me.”
Anthony Gordon Everton exit the best for all concerned
Gordon’s exit was not ideal, but it is clear that the decision was best for everyone involved. He’s now a regular at St James’ Park and has a good chance of reaching Gareth Southgate’s squad for the European Championships this summer.
If Gordon had stayed at Everton, it would have been difficult to see him making a meaningful push for the end-of-season tournament.
Furthermore, the £45 million sum has surely benefited the Toffees. Significant transfer fees will go a long way toward balancing the books in a season marked by point deductions and PSR.
