Michael Ball questions Anthony Gordon transfer fee ahead of Everton v Newcastle United clash
Michael Ball insists Everton could have held out for more than £45million for Anthony Gordon when selling the midfielder to Newcastle United.
Gordon made the switch between clubs in January, with the fee made up of a £40m payment upfront and the rest in add-ons [Sky Sports].
While that was the second-highest sum ever played by Newcastle for a player, former Everton defender Ball believes he was worth more at the time.
“I was always in the minority over the sale of Anthony Gordon,” Ball said in his column for the Liverpool Echo [5 December]. “I know everyone thought £45million was a good deal at the time for an Everton graduate and a bit-part player.
“It was a huge credit to the academy to develop this kid and sell him for that kind of money. But you’ve got to put the heart to one side and look at things as a business.
“What’s happened with the independent commission – you understand why they took the £45 million. Still there were a couple of teams in for Gordon – Newcastle and Chelsea. And Chelsea spent almost £70million on a left-back!
“I was a left-back, but there is no way a left-back should be more expensive than a winger. I don’t think we got as much as we could out of the situation.”
Bitter exit
From those watching this transfer saga from the outside at the start of the year, it may have seemed like a steel when Everton took £45m off Newcastle.
Gordon had started 42 Premier League games for the Toffees, which was enough for Everton supporters to know they had a real gem on their hands.
Newcastle agreed, and that is why they were willing to spend – relatively speaking – such a large sum on the youngster.
While it would have been nice to hold out for even more, it must be remembered that Gordon handed in a transfer request and missed three days of training to force through a move.
The circumstances surrounding Gordon’s exit leave a sour taste in the mouth, with many feeling he could have gone on to be a club legend.
As it is, he will return to Goodison with Newcastle this week as an enemy of sorts. Let’s just hope he has nothing to smile about come full-time on Thursday [7 December].
In other Everton news, Chris Sutton factored in Gordon’s return with his score prediction for the Newcastle match.