Anthony Gordon returns to Goodison Park for the first time as a Newcastle United player tomorrow night.
Gordon moved to Newcastle from Everton for £45m in January. His departure upset some Blues supporters, and he is expected to receive a heated reception at Goodison.
And the winger, who left the Blues having scored seven goals in 78 appearances for the club, has had plenty to say about his time at Everton since heading to the North East.
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Gordon’s first comments about leaving came when he was shown around Newcastle’s training ground. Speaking to Nick Pope, the winger could be heard saying: "I feel bad a little bit for him."
The comments were made after Pope revealed he had been speaking to Blues defender James Tarkowski. Then, speaking for the first time since his move was confirmed, Gordon revealed he never wanted to 'disrespect Everton'.
He said: "It was a really difficult decision and it’s been a really tough week for me. 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."
While taking to social media following his transfer, Gordon moved to thank those involved at the club for helping him achieve his childhood dreams, while the 21-year-old also thanked supporters for giving him 'some of the best nights' of his life.
"To Everton.... I came to this club at the age of 11 and not only did it give me a place to play football but it gave me a second family," he wrote on Twitter.
"The club has shaped me into the footballer and more importantly the person I am today, it has given me everything I could have asked for and more.
"Like any young scouser living 2 minutes from the stadium, I dreamt of scoring inside Goodison, in front of thousands with the fans cheering my name.
"I remember travelling to away games with my mates, singing the players songs and dreaming it would happen to me.
"Last year felt so surreal because all of my childhood dreams were becoming reality. I wish I could relive some of them days but I'll settle for the memories, which will last a lifetime for me.
"To the fans, you gave me some of the best nights of my life. You made me a better player. I have always thrived off your energy and you always made me run harder and faster.
"There has been some difficult moments this year but I never took any of it personally; stick by the team because they need you.
"I've built so many good relationships over the years with Players, Fans, Coaches and other members of staff and am going to miss everyone deeply.
"Although the past 2 years have been tough at moments, the people inside Finch Farm always made me come in with a smile.
"I want to thank everyone that has helped me over the past 11 years I've been at this amazing club, there are way too many people to name but I will forever be grateful for the time people have invested in me.
"I love this club and I always have from the day I joined but the time has come for me to leave. I know many won't understand but the next chapter awaits. I will always wish the best for this club and always be watching on. From the bottom of my heart thank you and good luck. Anthony."
Speaking last month, Gordon admitted he felt he deserved more of a farewell as he felt his boyhood club should have given him 'credit'.
"Yeh it did; it hurt me a little bit, I'm not going to lie to you," he remarked about Everton's leaving statement.
"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.
Gordon also said in the same interview: "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. I think it is really difficult [to come back from supporters being unhappy] once things like that happen it's hard to recover from, especially because I'm from them there, I grew up on those streets."
And then speaking ahead of tonight’s game, Gordon defended the way in which he sealed his move to Newcastle - insisting speculation about refusing to train at Finch Farm was "misconstrued".
"Probably everything from the last year, I think!" said Gordon, when asked if he had ever read anything about himself in the media that wasn't true.
"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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