Simon Jordan questions Newcastle's ambition amid Anthony Gordon sale
Barcelona are due to officially confirm the signing of Anthony Gordon on Friday, sealing a £70m exit from Newcastle United.
You aren't likely to find many Newcastle fans who are weeping into their Brown Ale over the loss of Gordon after this season, but talkSPORT's Simon Jordan has a slightly different take.
Most people see £70 million, rising to nearly £80 million as a good bit of business considering Newcastle paid £45 million for Gordon three and a half years ago. The addition of a sell-on clause also means we'll get some money back if Barcelona are able to sell him for a profit again.
That kind of money for a player who has underperformed all season seems like a great deal for Newcastle, and one that they'd have been crazy to turn down, especially as Gordon clearly wanted a way out of the club.
Simon Jordan is missing the point
Bayern Munich were the favourites to sign the England star before Barcelona swooped in and got a deal done in double-quick time. which is exactly what Newcastle wanted going into the summer - a quick resolution and a sale on their terms.
Simon Jordan, however, feels Newcastle's owners are showing a lack of ambition by allowing Gordon to leave.
"I mean, Newcastle getting £70million. He's a good player, but we're talking about £70million and two of the biggest names in domestic football wanting to sign him.
"So it's sad for Newcastle that they have to lose players but, in return for that, they're getting a big fee and he's getting a wonderful opportunity.
"I don't personally see him at that level but then what do I know? I'm not a football person, I'm a bitter, old, failed chairman!
"If you're trying to build something successful, then you need to keep the best players, not sell them.
"That will all fall hand-in-hand with how ambitious the Saudis are, what they're actually going to do, because the expectation was that Newcastle were going to be a highly competitive force.
"We've enjoyed watching them at certain times, but this season has been a little bit of a flatline for them. Not only have they lost (Alexander) Isak, now they're losing Gordon. They probably will lose Tonali and a few other players.
"So it's difficult to see how Newcastle build this 2030 vision that we're being sold. That they're going to be dominant in domestic football, when you're constantly selling players that might help you get there."
No wonder things didn't work out for Simon Jordan at Crystal Palace
If Simon Jordan is really this short-sighted, then it's no wonder he's a 'failed chairman'. There would be no point in trying to keep a player who doesn't want to be at the club. We tried that last year, and look what happened.
Beyond the discontent, though, Newcastle's squad had grown stale and with the current financial regulations, the club couldn't just throw money at the problem to go out and buy new players without raising money first, and sometimes that means selling some of your top players to enable you to go out and find the next generation.
A big part of Newcastle's 2030 vision is finding uncut gems and turning them into world-class players. While we still think 2030 is an overly ambitious target, we do appreciate that we're trying to go about it by building our own stars rather than forking out extortionate amounts of money on already known entities.
As long as Newcastle doesn't go too wild with selling off its better players in one window, we're sure things will be fine.
