Anthony Gordon will be the big focal point in tonight's Premier League clash between Everton and Newcastle United.
It will be Anthony Gordon's first visit to Goodison Park since his acrimonious departure almost a year ago and the welcome is likely to be anything but warm.
The Everton fans already turned on Gordon before he left the club, literally chasing him out of the ground on one occasion before being stunned at the fact he'd handed in a transfer request.
Bitter Toffees (the fans, not some new limited edition Werther's Originals) have held a grudge against Gordon since he moved to Newcastle for £45million in January, feeling he'd gone against his word after saying in an interview he loves the club and wants to fight to keep them in the league.
Arguably, you could say that by forcing a move and putting £45million back into the club he did help them stay in the league - although now they've got that fight on again thanks to a points deduction.
It was inevitable then that Sean Dyche would be asked about Gordon ahead of tonight's clash, but the Everton gaffer expertly dodged the question in his press conference.
“I don’t know much about him in the sense of working with him on a daily basis.
“It seems like he’s settled into life up there. They’ve collected some very good players, put an amount of money into the team that’s helped, a good manager as well. It’s a good mixture and they’ve shown that.
“It’s not about one player. I think they’re a good side and, other than their injuries, I think they’ve got a good squad actually.”
Sean Dyche was brought into Everton the same day Anthony Gordon left, so the two never got a chance to work together, so it makes sense that Dyche would be keen to avoid saying too much,
He will definitely be aware of the situation and will no doubt tell his lads to get out there tonight and wind him up - at least, that's what I'd do.
We've said it a few times in the build-up to this one, but Gordon's temperament is going to be tested like never before and we just hope he can keep it together and let his football do the talking for him.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
13 | 18 | 34 |
2 |
Arsenal
|
13 | 12 | 25 |
3 |
Chelsea
|
13 | 12 | 25 |
4 |
Brighton
|
13 | 5 | 23 |
5 |
Manchester City
|
13 | 3 | 23 |
6 |
Nottingham Forest
|
13 | 3 | 22 |
7 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
13 | 14 | 20 |
8 |
Brentford
|
13 | 3 | 20 |
9 |
Manchester United
|
13 | 4 | 19 |
10 |
Fulham
|
13 | 0 | 19 |
11 |
Newcastle United
|
13 | 0 | 19 |
12 |
Aston Villa
|
13 | -3 | 19 |
13 |
Bournemouth
|
13 | 1 | 18 |
14 |
West Ham United
|
13 | -7 | 15 |
15 |
Everton
|
13 | -11 | 11 |
16 |
Leicester
|
13 | -11 | 10 |
17 |
Crystal Palace
|
13 | -7 | 9 |
18 |
Wolves
|
13 | -10 | 9 |
19 |
Ipswich
|
13 | -11 | 9 |
20 |
Southampton
|
13 | -15 | 5 |