CONFIRMED: Everton sell Anthony Gordon to Newcastle

Everton have completed a piece of transfer business with just a few days left in the January transfer window, selling Anthony Gordon to Newcastle United for a princely sum of £40 million plus £5m in add-ons, with a sell-on clause rumoured to be be part of the deal as well.

The 21-year-old is an Academy graduate, having joined the club a decade ago, and first broke into the senior team squad during the 2019-20 season and got his first start in the Merseyside Derby played behind closed doors at Goodison Park that season. He’d gotten his first appearance during the 2017-18 Europa League campaign just shy of his 17th birthday.

Former manager Frank Lampard appeared to have taken Gordon under his wing last season in a mentoring role, and the youngster went on to feature in 40 games in all competitions, scoring four times with three assists. A boyhood fan of the Blues, he leaves having played 78 times for the first team across various competitions, scoring seven times with eight assists in all.

With Everton having sold Richarlison over the summer and not replacing the Brazilian forward, there was a lot more pressure on Gordon this season. Charged with shouldering the attacking burden along with the mercurial Demarai Gray, Gordon appeared to wilt under the pressure even though his three league goals makes him the joint top scorer for the club this season.

The Toffees had come under pressure from Tottenham and Chelsea over the summer with the London clubs interested in the player but Everton would not budge from their £60m valuation. However once the January transfer window rolled around it appeared the club had resolved to sell the player to boost their transfer kitty, with Profit & Sustainability rules severely hampering their business otherwise.

Gordon’s behaviour this week when he reportedly downed tools by missing training to force through a transfer did not endear him well to the fans who have backed him vociferously from when he first broke through.

Photo by DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images

In the end, this is a move that could work out well for both sides. It allows Everton to bring in much-needed reinforcements that will strengthen the squad to fight for Premier League survival, and Newcastle get a player that has bags of potential that can be nurtured and hopefully realized in less of a pressure cooker atmosphere where every point matters. The Magpies seem set for European competition next season which will give more opportunities for Gordon to get playing time under Eddie Howe who appears to have worked magic with a number of struggling players in the Newcastle squad.

Here’s wishing Gordon all the best in his career!