The day Anthony Gordon went over his handlebars on a gravel track in the east German countryside, his world was turned upside down – and it had nothing to do with his bike accident.
The cuts, bruises and bloodied chin graze have long since cleared, but the impact of events of that week in June were felt for some time after. It was – and this pun is intended – destabilising.
Twenty-four hours earlier, in Cologne, two things happened. Gordon came on for the last six minutes of England’s goalless draw with Slovenia in the final group match of Euro 2024. He was electric, much like the bike that later jettisoned him.
But it was something else that would send Gordon’s head into orbit. There, on a sunny Tuesday in that medieval city on the banks of the Rhine, the first murmurings of Newcastle’s plot to sell him to Liverpool emerged. Conversations took place that day suggesting a deal could be done.
By the time Gordon got on his bike for a recovery session back at England’s Blankenhain base, he was fully aware of the situation. In his mind, his club were trying to offload him, albeit against their best wishes and only to satisfy a PSR deficit, but the player’s head was turned. It was little wonder he pressed the wrong brake, causing the crash.
Did Gordon want to go? At no point had he thought about leaving Newcastle. He was, and is, happy in the North East. But this was Liverpool, his boyhood club, the Champions League and a move home, closer to his parents and two brothers. So yes, he would have gone, had a deal been agreed.
Anthony Gordon went over his handlebars on a gravel track in the east German countryside during the Euros
Gordon was gifted a helmet and some stabilisers by Mail Sport after the incident (above)
The impact of events of that week in June were felt for some time after for the Newcastle star
Mail Sport broke the story that it could happen, but only after 24 hours of triple checking whether a transfer that seemed barely believable was actually possible. Multiple sources confirmed that it was, but with Liverpool unwilling to go north of Newcastle’s minimum expectation of £80million, or include defender Jarell Quansah as part of the package, hope faded as the week went on.
Crucially, and this is why the effect of those few days lingered, Gordon’s own hopes had been raised. He confided in some of his England team-mates, and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold was soon singing, ‘He’s coming home, he’s coming home…’. It became the talk of the Three Lions camp.
Two days after the bike incident, Gordon met the media at Blankenhain Castle. He told the story of his crash with honesty and humour. He was in good spirits. His cameo against Slovenia had given rise to talk of more involvement. The Liverpool move was still in the offing.
Afterwards, as he waited for Bukayo Saka and Ollie Watkins to finish their media duties, he sat in a side room glued to his phone. That was a little unlike him, so social and engaging is he. At the time, I suspected that communications between Merseyside and Tyneside were his likely focus.
So what then played out over that weekend and, indeed, the following fortnight, left Gordon feeling far more battered and bruised than any bike accident. He was told the Liverpool move was off after Newcastle had found an alternative solution to their PSR dilemma. He was also told he would remain on the bench for the last-16 tie against Slovakia. Remarkably – and to the cost of England, you have to say – he did not play another minute in Germany.
Sources say Gareth Southgate and assistant Steve Holland were miffed by Gordon’s forthright media comments, in which he declared that he was the player who could break England’s ‘predictability’. They were also said to be irked by him admitting to using his phone during the bike fall. He had wanted to tell the truth and revealed he was FaceTiming his family. Then there was Liverpool and what England staff feared was a distraction.
But Gordon was primed and ready to go. He had just enjoyed the season of his life with Newcastle and, knowing that Liverpool wanted him, he felt invincible. After all, that bike had thrown him 10ft in the air and he cheated injury, bar the superficial cuts. He and Cole Palmer also became close, magnetised by a shared belief that they could be the difference-makers.
So, when Gordon left Berlin after watching the final defeat by Spain from the bench, he felt lower than the gravel track into which he had face-planted a couple of weeks earlier.
Gordon came on for the last six minutes of England’s goalless draw with Slovenia in the final group match of Euro 2024
Earlier on the same day, the first murmurings of a possible move to Liverpool had emerged
Gordon played his way into the England squad last season as one of Europe’s best left wingers, scoring 12 and assisting 11 (pictured playing the Republic of Ireland in November)
He went on holiday with his partner and young daughter and read the self-help book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, in a bid to reaffirm his inner belief. But, physically and mentally, he was robbed of the good feeling that had built all year.
Have those levels of well-being recovered? Not yet, and that is what we are seeing at Newcastle right now. Gordon’s season has been some good, some bad and too much indifferent. On reflection, those close to him believe the Euros was a waste of time – he would have been better taking a break and hitting the ground running with Newcastle.
Staff were gentle with him upon his delayed return to pre-season, and Eddie Howe put him straight in the XI for the opening day, despite playing only 45 minutes of one friendly the weekend before. It showed, and things came to a head following a performance during a 3-1 defeat at Fulham in September.
Gordon’s body language – shrunken shoulders, head bowed, giving up on runs – was uncharacteristic in the extreme. He was not alone in that, and Howe let it be known that such application would not be tolerated.
The 23-year-old listened, tweaked his training programme and responded with a display of guts and endeavour in a 1-1 draw at home to Manchester City, including a penalty that he won and converted. In the absence of Alexander Isak, however, he was used at centre forward – and therein lies the biggest cause of this malaise, one that endures ahead of the visit of Liverpool, the club who retain an interest in their former academy prospect.
Gordon played his way into the England squad last season as one of Europe’s best left wingers, scoring 12 and assisting 11. This campaign, just six of his 13 starts have come from the left side of a front three. Even then, several of those have involved a mid-game positional change.
During Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace, Gordon was again moved to striker after Isak was injured in the first half. He had begun on the right. Indeed, Newcastle’s failure to sign a right winger in three years of Saudi ownership has seen him start on his less-favoured flank six times already this season.
Howe and his staff have wondered whether he can be happy there over a prolonged period, and the expectation is he will be back on the left against Liverpool, especially given the feeling he has the measure of Alexander-Arnold. Which of them will be singing at St James’, you wonder?
Mail Sport broke the story in the summer that a shock switch to Liverpool could happen
Staff were gentle with him upon his delayed return to pre-season with Newcastle after the Euros
It should also be noted that, when switched to the right during the recent 2-0 home defeat by West Ham, Gordon was involved in an animated exchange with assistant boss Jason Tindall. He was substituted in the 68th minute – his earliest withdrawal of the season – and cut a lone figure during a post-match lap of appreciation. There was no issue but there was frustration, at how his night had played out and a missed chance at 0-1. It can never be levelled at him that he does not care.
But another reason for Gordon’s fluctuating form, it is believed internally, is England. Howe and his staff support and champion his inclusion, but just when they feel he is close to rediscovering his best, he leaves for a week or more of international duty.
The October break, in particular, felt like a setback, when he played just one hour over two games and returned at a reduced level. That would not have been the case on the back of a full pre-season but, when you’re playing catch-up like Gordon, an interruption to the intensity of your work rewinds the clock.
Meanwhile, the club hoped that a new contract, signed in late October, would smooth any irritation from the summer. His pay rise was just reward for his improvement and impact since joining from Everton nearly two years ago, and Newcastle won the next three in which Gordon played. During the 1-0 home victory over Arsenal, he was outstanding.
But then came two games with England last month. When he returned there was the disappointment of West Ham and Palace. He was substituted in the 75th minute at Selhurst Park, and that would not have happened last season.
But his relationship with Howe is strong, like it always has been. The head coach is adamant that the best way to help Gordon is to keep him in the side. He appreciates the turbulence of the summer and the unsettling nature of it. However, a frank chat regarding his best use is perhaps needed.
Some well-placed sources believe Gordon’s willingness to be versatile, for the apparent good of the team, is actually to the detriment of the team.
As a left winger, they say, he is far happier and far more likely to be the player of last season.
Gordon’s relationship with Howe remains strong despite the winger’s indifferent season so far
But what does the future hold beyond this year? When he signed his contract last month, there was a phrase he used repeatedly that was telling.
‘I want to win a trophy here,’ he said, and by that it was felt he did not mean the Premier League or Champions League.
Why? There has been a realisation, among players, that soundbites from the hierarchy about winning such competitions within ‘five to 10 years’ of the 2021 takeover – and of being ‘No 1 in the world’ – were premature, at least in terms of what will likely be their time at the club.
Gordon – and Bruno Guimaraes said the same when signing his new contract – is thinking more in the short-term, of winning a domestic cup or lesser European prize and making history for the club. That is achievable. The other stuff? Well those ambitions will probably have to be satisfied elsewhere.
He and his team-mates have seen no improvement to the starting XI during the last two transfer windows, as well as delays to plans for a new stadium and training ground. A player’s career is short and Gordon has ambition to travel as far as he can.
For now, he needs to get back on the bike that has brought him to this point. There would be no better time to rediscover top gear than against Liverpool.
