The message was clear, loud and passionate.“Don’t sell Armstrong! Don’t sell Armstrong! I just don’t think you understand,” the away end sang at Bournemouth. “If you sell Armstrong, Harrison Armstrong, you’re gonna have a riot on your hands.”The news that prompted this outpouring, as broken by The Athletic earlier on Saturday, was that 19-year-old midfielder Armstrong, the finest player produced by Everton’s youth academy in years, was close to a move to Nottingham Forest. Wary of breaching squad cost ratio rules (SCR), the club’s leadership were reluctantly willing to sanction the England youth international’s exit for some £40million.Everton owner and chairman Dan Friedkin was not present at this weekend’s game on the south coast. Physical attendance was not a prerequisite for understanding the depth of anger felt by a fanbase at the prospect of their top talent’s departure — a pain particularly keenly felt by the notion of a club who finished lower-mid-table last season, rather than a member of the ‘Big Six’, taking away that jewel.Armstrong is one of the most promising Everton academy graduates in years (Peter Tarry/PA Images via Getty Images)Friedkin and the club’s leadership spent much of Saturday locked in discussions. That evening, they accepted a written offer from Forest, giving the teenager permission to travel to the East Midlands for a medical. The decision was made — until it was not.Early on Sunday morning, The Athletic reported that Everton had opted to pull out of the deal — citing Armstrong’s importance to the club’s project — a move that in turn blindsided Forest’s decision-makers, who were convinced they had landed their top target.Had the Bournemouth game not taken place, giving Everton supporters the platform to vent their frustrations, Armstrong would likely be posing for photos holding a Garibaldi-red Forest shirt now. Instead, he will remain in the royal blue of Everton.For all of the owners’ billions, the episode shows that fan power remains in the Premier League — and represents somewhat of a marker.