Newcastle United have come on leaps and bounds under Eddie Howe’s wing, but the Toon have been hit with their fair share of adversity over the past few months.
Backed by PIF, Howe has worked wonders at St. James’ Park, transforming Newcastle from perennial relegation contenders to a force to be reckoned with both at the top of the Premier League and in Europe.
And, to boot, United ended so many years of searching for silverware last season, beating Liverpool at Wembley to lift the Carabao Cup and seal their first major domestic honour since 1955.
Liverpool have carried the battle on, however, having pushed throughout the summer transfer window for Magpies talisman Alexander Isak. The Reds landed their man on transfer deadline day, signing him for a record-breaking £125m fee.
It’s a cruel, cruel blow for Howe’s project, no doubt about it. Although that said, Newcastle have recruited well this summer and have equipped themselves with players capable of matching the outfit’s lofty ambitions.
How Newcastle are replacing Isak
Toward the end of the transfer window, Newcastle welcomed Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa to their ranks. There is an exciting contrast to the two forwards, one of whom is experienced and renowned within the Premier League, with the other hailing from Germany, and with a high ceiling ahead of him.
Both of them are talented goalscorers, who will contribute to the latest chapter at this wonderful football club. But neither of them is Isak.
Indeed, Isak’s influence reached beyond that of merely being a prolific frontman. The Sweden international was described by pundit Ally McCoist last season as being “the best all-round centre-forward” in the Premier League, with his lethal finishing merely the endpoint of a dynamic, snappy skillset.
Newcastle have replaced him in the aggregate, but it might be too much to expect either replacement to step up and offer the same level of quality from the get-go.
For Anthony Gordon, this is the perfect chance for him to step up and prove to those of a Toon persuasion that he can adopt the talismanic berth at St. James’ Park.
However, after a testing start to the season, the England international has it all to do, with more misery potentially pulling him away from a place as Isak’s proverbial successor and toward territory occupied by someone like Miguel Almiron.
Anthony Gordon needs to step up
Last season, Gordon left plenty to be desired at Newcastle. The 24-year-old had previously been crowned Newcastle’s Player of the Year for 2023/24 after an exceptional breakout season, but interest from Liverpool that summer knocked him out of kilter after the saga came to nought.
Gordon was on the fringes after joining from Everton for £45m in January 2023, but a full pre-season allowed him to grow into his skin and repay the faith, clinching 28 goal contributions across all competitions.
Almiron is fondly remembered for his contribution and passion on Tyneside, but there’s no denying he lacked clarity and incisiveness in the final third, with the lion’s share of his time in England yielding not-so-prolific returns.
Newcastle signed Almiron from Atlanta United in the MLS, enjoying his football for seven years before sending him back over the pond.
Tenacious and lively, the Paraguayan winger lacked bite in the final third, with an incredible purple patch during the 2022/23 campaign serving as the extent of his clinical form in the Premier League. But what form it was, with the maverick swishing this way and that, playing with such gusto as he timed his runs and found the right pockets of space at the right times.
24/25
9
0 (0)
23/24
33
3 (1)
22/23
34
11 (2)
21/22
30
1 (0)
20/21
34
4 (1)
19/20
36
4 (2)
18/19
10
0 (0)
Gordon will hope that he does not follow suit, having only scored six goals in the Premier League last season and starting the current campaign off wobbily, seeing himself sent off during that frantic fixture against Liverpool in August.
He has described himself as a “nightmare for anyone” he comes up against, and he shares with Almiron a sort of crackling energy when on the ball and in the danger area, one of the fastest players in the Premier League besides.
Howe has been forced into playing the left-sided forward in a makeshift centre-forward berth at times – including the opening weeks of the current campaign – and that has disrupted the player’s fluency, but the fact remains that this is a critical juncture for a player who needs to step up now that Isak has completed his move to Merseyside.
There’s no question that Gordon’s ceiling is higher than Almiron’s ever was. The Three Lions star has been priced in the ballpark of £100m in the past, after all.
And, of course, it’s important to remember Gordon has proven himself and then some within this Newcastle team before, and during a testing time for the club at that.
He is a forward who wears his passion on his sleeve, and though that has at times been to his own detriment, the winger will be determined to bounce back and prove he can lead this new-look frontline over the coming years.
Looking at it from a different, more sobering perspective, Gordon must ensure this campaign does not get away from him too, for if this is the case, his flash-in-the-pan prolific mess in the Premier League might leave him remembered in a similar way to Almiron.
Again, there is confidence from the Toon hierarchy that this will not be the case, but the time for action is now.