- Newcastle can improve with Gordon replacement
- Gordon vs Barnes
- Why both Newcastle and Gordon will benefit from a sale
The news of Anthony Gordon’s reported personal agreement with Bayern Munich caused quite a stir in Newcastle United spaces.
There seems to be quite a split between fans. Some who are against losing Gordon in any capacity and some who are of the opinion that taking something close to the £75m valuation would be excellent business.
For me personally, the latter of those two resonates most. Whilst Gordon has shown glimpses of brilliance in a black-and-white shirt, his heroics have been few and far between and have been mixed with moments of madness that have somewhat tarnished his stay on Tyneside.
Gordon vs Barnes
A lot has been made of Gordon’s output, namely in the Champions League. In fact, that seems to be a main factor in the interest from across Europe.
But let’s just park that for a second and look at Gordon’s stats in comparison to Harvey Barnes across the Newcastle career of both.
Gordon has spent three full seasons at St James’s Park. In the 23/24 season Gordon got 12 goals and 10 assists in 48 games; in the 24/25 season it was nine goals and six assists in 42 games. This season, Gordon has 17 goals and five assists in 46 games.
In the 23/24 season, Barnes managed five goals and three assists in just 23 games, with the 24/25 season bringing nine goals and four assists in 40 games. This season has seen 16 goals and five assists in 55 appearances for the winger.
Those stats, with no context, position Gordon as the superior option. But we mustn’t forget that Barnes has been the backup or forced to play on his less favoured right-hand side for the majority of his time at Newcastle.
Take this season’s stats, for example: Barnes has seven goals in just 18 starts, whereas Gordon has six goals from 24 starts in the Premier League.
Furthermore, of Gordon’s 17 goals this season, just over half of them were penalties. For Barnes, none of his have come from the penalty spot.
Gordon flatters to deceive
Let’s move away from just his numbers.
I implore any Newcastle fan reading this to rack their brains and think about the last time Gordon produced a performance that made you say ‘wow’.
In fact, let’s take it one step further: when was the last time Gordon produced a moment in a game that made you say ‘wow’?
Whilst his Champions League tally has caught the eye, Gordon has been almost anonymous in a season where Newcastle have desperately needed their big players to step up.
Lewis Hall has done it. Bruno Guimaraes has done it. Even Sandro Tonali has put in commanding performances at times. But, Gordon? I’m not even sure you would have noticed had he not been there this season.
Of course, he was moved through the middle for a good chunk of the campaign, which cannot be remembered as his fault. But for a player set to sign for one of the world’s elite clubs for a mammoth sum of money, you would expect to see a lot more.
Questions about attitude
Gordon’s determination to succeed can’t be questioned, nor can his belief in his own abilities.
But there has been a theme throughout his time at Newcastle that suggests when things aren’t going his way, he has a tendency to enter self-protection mode.
Perhaps the most prominent of scenarios that can be attributed to that is his seeming reluctance to move to the right wing.
Harvey Barnes was in an exceptionally rich vein of form, with five goals and assists in four games. But, instead of remaining on the left-hand side for the foreseeable future, as would usually be the case, Barnes was instead both dropped and moved to the right when he did play in favour of the returning Gordon.
Whilst Howe can also be implicated for not being ruthless enough in his decision-making, with the manager stating Gordon was ‘less comfortable’ playing off that side, the noise around the club at the time suggested Gordon didn’t want to switch.
Similarly, there have been many occasions where fans have noticed he goes in a huff when he doesn’t receive the ball and often only tracks back if it is in his best interests.
Whilst those may be slightly harsh observations, they do all contribute to the idea that Gordon’s sale would be the best course of action for Newcastle United.
Gordon also has a tendency to desert Newcastle in the moments they need him most.
The red card against Liverpool, which ultimately lost his side the game; the stupid red card against Brighton, which saw him miss the Carabao Cup final – in his three years there have been some rather costly moments of madness that have brought his mentality in big moments into question.
Southgate’s shortcomings
Whilst this has largely been a negative representation of Gordon’s time at Newcastle on the side of letting him go, his positives in black and white can’t be ignored.
The 2023/24 season specifically saw Gordon at his most potent; in fact, the winger was electric throughout the campaign.
This saw a call-up to the England squad for the Euros, which looked set to be Gordon’s break on the biggest stage.
But Gordon instead spent the majority of the summer on the bench, getting barely any minutes from Southgate across the tournament. Gordon was openly frustrated by this and headed back to Tyneside in a negative headspace.
That was obvious on the pitch. In fact, since then, Gordon has looked a shell of that exciting, direct and dangerous winger who lit up the Premier League.
Why Newcastle must sell Gordon
So, why does any of that matter?
Well, I truly believe a big move could give Gordon his mojo back. The winger has such a strong belief in his own ability to reach the top that, when something goes against him, he seems to struggle to regulate himself and remain on track.
So, with Bayern Munich, PSG and Barcelona all interested, Gordon could gain back the confidence he lost from that failed Euros and get back to his brilliant best.
But, with no European football next season, remaining at Newcastle would be no good for any party.
Newcastle would continue with the same low-confidence, often seemingly disinterested Anthony Gordon, and the player himself would remain entrenched in the feeling that his ability should have him playing for an elite-level club.
That isn’t to say Gordon will go and succeed; in fact, I don’t believe his ability is of the standard to challenge Diaz and Olise or to produce the moments in big games that elite players do.
But for Newcastle United, selling him whilst his stocks are so high and removing the possibility of Gordon further spiralling his reputation with the fanbase is an absolute no-brainer.
