It was as brutal and cold as it can get.
A mere 59 words long. No thank you or good luck message. This was Everton’s statement confirming the departure of Anthony Gordon.
Plenty of Blues supporters will say he was lucky to get that after the way he has conducted himself over the last few weeks. But now he is gone.
READ MORE: Anthony Gordon claims he never meant to 'disrespect Everton' as he pens farewell letter
In the end, both sides got what they wanted. Gordon gets the move he has clearly long craved and Everton get the fee they were holding out for.
But, it should never have ended like this. The fact Gordon leaves in the same manner in which Francis Jeffers, Wayne Rooney and Ross Barkley all did speaks volumes.
This whole sorry episode is one that could have been avoided. In fact, it should have been avoided.
Gordon has scored as many Premier League goals this season as he missed training sessions last week. Three. Only one of those was cited as a 'planned absence' by the club.
Nothing perhaps sums up the position Everton find themselves in by the fact one of Gordon’s final moments as a Blues player saw him surrounded by a small number of angry fans as he left Goodison Park following the 2-1 loss at the hands of Southampton. That came after a sit-in protest in which supporters expressed their displeasure towards the running of their club.
The whole thing was a sad conclusion to his time at Goodison Park. It leaves supporters outside the Everton bubble asking how the England under-21 will be remembered by Blues fans.
Talking to Newcastle’s own in-house media team, Gordon attempted to heal the rift between him and Everton, who, in their own statement confirming his departure, revealed he had handed in a formal transfer request.
“It was a really difficult decision and it’s been a really tough week for me,” he said. “I’ve been at Everton for my whole footballing career so far, so it’s been difficult, but this is an opportunity that I couldn’t really miss out on.
“I didn’t mean to disrespect or offend anyone at Everton, and I’m hoping they know that and hopefully they can reinvest the money now and stay in the Premier League.
“I never imagined it or wanted it to go like that, that’s why it’s been such a tough week for me. But I just couldn’t miss out on this opportunity and they got a lot of money for me, so I’m hoping they can reinvest it into the squad.”
But a quick glance on social media following the release of those comments and it appears all Gordon has managed to achieve is to add fuel to the burning fire rather than build bridges.
Ultimately, the departure of Gordon provides a clean state for all. Both sides can move on with the different challenges in front of them.
However, reading between the lines of those 59 words, one imagines there will be a lot of people involved at Everton sitting there angry at the way things have turned out. Some, on the other hand, will be relieved the whole saga has come to an end.
But while the sorry situation may be over, for Gordon, the damage of the last few weeks may never be repaired.
READ MORE:
- Sean Dyche's first five Everton fixtures as toughest start possible awaits
- Sean Dyche's strongest Everton line-up as Conor Coady and Alex Iwobi decisions made
- Dele Alli responds to Besiktas boss' brutal comment amid honest Everton loan admission
- What Everton players can expect from 'master psychologist' Sean Dyche on first day
- Everton set for £64m windfall but new transfer challenges are on horizon
