Newcastle travel to Everton in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, with one former star stressing the Magpies served his career ambitions better than the Toffees

Anthony Gordon maintained ambition, rather than desperation to leave Everton, was behind his 2023 transfer to Newcastle United. The 25-year-old's two former clubs face each other in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

Everton host Newcastle at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Thursday evening, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake. Gordon will not be involved after completing a £69million move to Barcelona in June, although he may be following the fixture from afar.

Having joined Everton's academy aged 11, Gordon spent more than a decade at his boyhood club before signing for Newcastle in January 2023. His departure drew criticism from some Toffees supporters, prompting him to challenge accounts of how the transfer unfolded.

"The whole process [of leaving Everton] was difficult," he told Gary Neville on The Overlap in 2024. "You said I am mentally strong and I think that has played a massive part of me being who I am now.

"I am very thankful but it was so hard at the time. Liverpool's biggest unity is everyone being together, Scousers looking after Scousers. And for someone to leave that environment, nobody is going to like it, and rightly so.

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"But ultimately, I am too ambitious to turn down the opportunity which was presented to me. Newcastle United were only going one way and looking from the outside they were flying. I think they were fourth when I was signing, so it's a no-brainer. My ambition is to be at the very top of football and I couldn't do that where I was."

It was only following Gordon's departure for St James' Park that Everton published a statement alleging their former player had requested a transfer. When Neville enquired whether the winger felt matters could have concluded differently, Gordon offered his own version of events.

"It didn't, that's the thing," he said. "A lot of what you see in the media [from Everton] is club-driven and I didn't care too much to change the perspective, because I'm very comfortable in myself and how it ended up, and ultimately, I got what I wanted. I joined Newcastle.

"I did want to leave, but also, the club did have to sell me. The way it played out was that I was desperate to leave and that was never really the case. I just wanted to fulfil my ambitions."

It was that same individual desire that led to Gordon leaving the north-east for Catalonia this past summer. His transfer to Barca was completed well before the summer transfer window even formally opened, highlighting his determination to pursue his own interests once more.

The forward is turning heads at the Camp Nou, having scored twice and registered five assists in his opening 12 appearances for Barcelona. He has also begun assuming a more influential role for England, netting three goals in as many matches during the most recent international break.