Anthony Gordon: Why our £40m man has all the tools to be a huge hit on Tyneside
With a £40m deal for Anthony Gordon completed over the final few days of the January transfer window, in this article I’ll take a deep dive into Eddie Howe's latest addition in our match towards a potential top four finish.
This transfer has divided opinion within our fanbase, however, I firmly believe it’s a deal of huge potential as Gordon has, at times, demonstrated he is a serious talent.
Additionally, the England Under-21 International wouldn’t take one of our home grown player slots, something of great importance in the modern registration of a Premier League Squad.
During this piece, I will look at what Gordon could add to our squad, the wingers style of play, character and the metrics behind his performances. Let's get into it.
Style of Play
Gordon is known for his raw pace, direct attacking play and ability to play with both feet. The Liverpudlian speedster bases his game around quick feet and aggressive, penetrative dribbling towards opposition defenders, cutting inside onto his favoured right foot to create or score chances.
Sky Sports recently revealed that only Chelsea’s new signing Mykhailo Mudryk has reached a faster top speed this season (36.63 km/h vs 36.61 km/h), highlighting what electric pace he has in his locker.
Although Gordon isn't the finished product at present, I am sure Howe will extract his best football, much like he has done with various players in our current squad. Our coaching staff must feel they can develop Gordon into a superb talent for the future.
The winger is also renowned for his relentless running and pressing from the front, an attribute that Howe and co will absolutely love and utilise to suit our high energy system, defending from the front system.
Profile and Character
Gordon’s fits into the current ethos under Eddie Howe with a never give up, run yourself into the ground attitude. The scouser strikes me as the kind of player who is extremely ambitious in his career and will give everything to a club and manager that believes in him. He has been renowned for his charitable work in and around Liverpool which is also admirable.
However, he has repeatedly got into scuffles with our players when we have played Everton in the past and it will be interesting to see how Gordon gets on with his new teammates when he moves to The Magpies. Moreover, Gordon has a questionable disciplinary record, picking up regular yellow cards for his over zealous tackles.
Metrics
In terms of scouting metrics, Gordon’s defensive stats stand out and are likely to appeal in Eddie Howe's high-energy system. The notable metrics when compared to players in his position are: top three percentile in tackles per game, top one percentile in blocks.
In terms of attacking metrics, Gordon ranks in the top two percentile of touches inside the opposition penalty area and in the top three percentile in Non-Penalty expected goals. These stats demonstrate Gordon’s enormous potential and willingness to defend from the front, a key factor for any player playing in Howe’s high intensity pressing system.
Howe will be extremely pleased that it will not take much to get Gordon to buy into the pressing from the front as this is what a lot of the young man’s game is based around.
For a player that possesses incredible raw pace, if Howe can shape his attacking play and sharpen up his decision making, I’m sure we will have a serious player on our hands.
Transfer Fee
The reported fee for Gordon is £40m. Whilst this seems like an inflated outlay, let’s not forget it is extremely rare to find a player of quality for any less than that nowadays, never mind one who is an England U21 international attacker with Premier League experience.
He hasn't come cheap, but we are paying for his potential. I am sure that with his age and potential, this will prove to be extremely good value in years to come if Eddie Howe can work his magic with the raw but talented winger.
Summary
I think Anthony Gordon could be a fantastic signing. In our three attacking positions, we now have considerable strength in depth which is imperative when fighting across multiple competitions during long seasons.
Howe and Ashworth have been attempting to secure Gordon since last summer, returning in January window after a pre-season approach was seemingly snubbed by Everton. That itself highlights how highly the recruitment team on Tyneside rate Gordon and how desperate they are to make him part of our project.
At 21 years old, Gordon holds enormous potential. He will certainly have plans to break into the England squad in the coming years and I’m of the opinion the young winger feels like Eddie Howe is the man to develop him into the player he has the potential to be.
If Gordon maintains his hunger, raw aggression and channels his talent to the correct areas, his potential is infinite. I for one can’t wait to see him tear it up in the Black and White, especially later this season at Goodison Park.
