Everton and Newcastle United have formed a strange faux rivalry in recent years, owing to a few odd recent events.
The latter were a relatively quiet bunch before the takeover, and were quite happy to support their struggling club through thick and thin, a few boycotts aside.
Their continued fight against Mike Ashley was arduous, but it eventually paid dividends when they were taken over by the Saudi PIF in 2021. They were rich, and they wanted everyone to know it.
Seemingly picking the Toffees as their top target for scorn, they have sought to ramp up the tension between them by making ludicrous claims regarding the respective size of the clubs among other things.
However, undoubtedly the biggest bone of contention that remains is Anthony Gordon, who jumped ship from his boyhood club for the financially secure Magpies.
Former Everton coach analyses Anthony Gordon
Speaking to BBC Sport, Neil Dewsnip, who was once the head coach of Everton’s academy, has given fans the lowdown on Gordon’s development.
Taking a keen interest in an 11-year-old winger, he would oversee his progress throughout the youth teams before reconnecting as he stepped up the become manager of England’s U18s.
He has revealed what the 23-year-old was really like throughout this period, noting: ‘Anthony was my last signing at Everton. He was a boy we looked at a few times, as did Liverpool. He was a little bit of a late developer, physically immature.’
Then, another former Everton academy coach, who wished to remain anonymous, also weighed in: ‘We could see he had potential. The academy did well to stick with him. It was about being patient and keeping him in the system. In the past, players like Anthony might have been left behind but, as he got stronger, he came into his own.
‘He was always very single-minded even back then. He knew what he wanted and what he needed.’
He would rise into the senior squad, and was eventually sold for a mouth-watering £45m fee to Newcastle United.
Anthony Gordon continues to develop at Newcastle United
It is actually quite frustrating for Everton fans to see how Gordon is flourishing on Tyneside after giving so little on Merseyside.
His potential, as the aforementioned coach notes, was always there, but for the Toffees he seemed unable to convert that talent into tangible progress.
In his final six months at the club, he had scored just three league goals. Fast forward to today, and he has ten goals and ten assists in the Premier League for the European-chasing Magpies.
His progress has been stark, and making his debut for England back in March marked the pinnacle of his rapid rise thus far. According to one report, only a sum close to £100m would convince them to sell Gordon now.
For the Toffees, the money gained was crucial. However, for Evertonians, the manner of his exit was certainly unceremonious, hence the tension felt between both parties.