Plenty of football fans scoffed at Newcastle’s decision to spend £45m on Anthony Gordon in January. The winger had been in the Everton team for some time, having made his debut as a 16-year-old, but he had never really set the Premier League alight so it seemed like a better deal for the selling club. The big surprise was that Everton were able to coax such a high fee for a player who had just seven goals and eight assists from 78 games at the club.
Arriving at the midway stage of a season is not easy for any player and Eddie Howe eased him in slowly. Twelve of his 16 appearances for Newcastle last season came as a substitute as he adjusted to his new surroundings and adapted to Howe’s demands. Gordon did not have a big impact at his new club, but he was outstanding for England as they won the Euro U21s in the summer.
Gordon played in all six games – which England won without conceding a goal – and was voted player of the tournament. “I’m absolutely delighted,” said Gordon, who contributed with two goals and an assist in Romania and Georgia. “I feel I have had a good tournament, but the individual trophy is down to my teammates and the staff. The squad is really unselfish. Six or seven of us might have won it, which shows how good we’ve been.”
When Gordon signed for Newcastle he claimed that “people haven’t seen what I’m capable of yet”. His performances for England gave Newcastle fans a glimpse of what was to come. The 22-year-old has maintained that form for his club this season and is now first choice on the left flank. Last season he faced competition from Allan Saint-Maximin, Joelinton and, to an extent, Jacob Murphy. He has now started six of Newcastle’s opening seven league games.
The one exception was the 8-0 win over Sheffield United – yet he ended up winning the player of the match award. Gordon was rested for the trip to Bramall Lane, having started for Newcastle at Milan in the Champions League a few days earlier, but he came off the bench in the 12th minute to replace the injured Harvey Barnes and ended up scoring and setting up a goal.
Callum Wilson, his teammate, was impressed, saying: “Anthony Gordon got man of the match and it was well deserved – definitely. As somebody who wasn’t even starting the game to put in the performance he did shows his mentality: staying focused, staying prepared. He came on and changed the game, got himself a goal, got himself an assist.”
With Barnes out until the new year, Gordon will have a clear run in the team. Newcastle will benefit from his tenacity and graft on the left flank. Gordon works harder than most players. He is making more tackles – 2.5 per 90 minutes – than any of his Newcastle teammates this season. And only two other wingers in the league – Bukayo Saka (19) and Jordan Ayew (18) – have made more tackles than him (15). Gordon’s attacking output has also improved markedly. He is taking more shots, making more key passes and completing more dribbles.
Gordon has a greater understanding of Howe’s tactics and demands, and is making an impression in his first full season at the club. There are still areas for improvement though. Two goals and two assists is a modest contribution and his aggressive approach still lands him in hot water with officials. Gordon still has the unwanted record of having more yellow cards (16) than goals (11) in the Premier League. He has picked up five yellow cards this season already – no player in the division has been booked more often – and is suspended for Newcastle’s testing trip to West Ham at the weekend.
He needs to channel his aggression better but his graft, determination and increased attacking output are endearing him to Newcastle fans. If he keeps improving, no one will be wondering why Newcastle were willing to match Everton’s big asking price.
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