Sometimes, even in difficult financial circumstances, it's not all about the money.
Everton fans will hope Newcastle United find out that fact swiftly and effectively in the very near future, if breaking news reports are true. It is being claimed that the Magpies are interested in a potential swoop for Blues hero Anthony Gordon. No sooner has talk of one interested club seemingly died down, then another rears its head.
That's to be expected when you have such a strong talent on your hands, of course. Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur - who expressed their admiration for Gordon during transfer negotiations over Richarlison - probably won't be the last two teams to come calling over one of the finest prospects the Everton academy has produced in a long time.
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And, reportedly, the Magpies will offer much more to the Blues than Spurs - with a figure in the region of £35m being rumoured. On the face of things, and if you had no context about the respective situations of the two clubs, that would actually seem like a pretty reasonable price - at the very least as a starting point to try and push things further.
But it's not about that. Everyone might have their price in this modern footballing world, but this is absolutely not the time to be testing what Gordon's might be.
Last week, Everton's best player left. Looking at the pictures of Richarlison saying his goodbyes at Finch Farm earlier this week, you could see a sad scene - this could easily have been someone who didn't want to leave the club but was forced to by the financial situation and form of the first team over recent years.
Not only was Richarlison the absolute top quality that the squad had to offer, he was easily one of the most popular players among the fanbase, too. Not just his performances on the pitch, but his exemplary attitude off it helped endear him almost instantly on Merseyside and he continued that right through until his £60m transfer to Spurs.
Gordon also fits into this mould. Throughout the course of what was a shambolic season in 2021/22, the one shining light that so many were often clinging to was the winger.
It was clear he is still something of a raw talent in terms of Premier League football, but he was learning on the job - and catching a lot of eyes while doing so. Where his quality might have lacked in some areas, he made up for it completely with the dedication that he showed every time he took to the pitch.
It's not often that a player so young leads by example in such a manner but the 21-year-old certainly achieved that. Every time he pulled on the Everton shirt he embodied everything that fans wanted to see.
He's the local hero that has been missing for so long, the academy graduate that supporters have been waiting for, and his development will surely be a joy to watch over the coming months and years. All of that means he becomes priceless. Maybe not to the club in a literal sense, but he certainly is to the majority of the fanbase.
Everton quite rightly took a strong stance when rumours of Tottenham's potential interest sprung up, saying that they had no intention of letting Gordon leave the club this summer. Despite the price reportedly going up this time around, everyone will hope the club's stance stays the same - and thankfully early indications seem to suggest that is the case.
Work is still going on behind the scenes to try and replace Richarlison, which is already going to be a huge task in itself. He has been one of the most influential players in the side for four years. Finding individuals who can step up to that mantle will not be easy.
This will only increase the pressure on the recruitment team to find the right quality players for a reasonable price. That's something that you can't often level toward the Blues over recent years. So to potentially lose Gordon, too? He was just as influential to the club staying in the Premier League last season as Richarlison, so it would be almost unthinkable.
This is another player who loves the supporters at Goodison, a player who has spoken so highly of the club in the recent past, and a player who clearly wants to make a name for himself at the club. Frank Lampard has also lavished Gordon with praise since he arrived at Goodison in January, quickly realising the quality of the player he had inherited.
This is a player you should be looking to build your side around for the future. Someone who is fully dedicated to the club, has the love of the fans and is only going to get better as time goes on.
Yes, there could be a lot of money available to Everton if they were interested in selling, but what use is that if you don't reinvest it properly? That has happened far too many times and, while manager Lampard and director of football Kevin Thelwell may change that trend, selling Gordon would unnecessarily gut the team of another one of its most important and well-loved players.
£35m? It's not worth it.
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