Newcastle United can come out fighting from the Anthony Gordon transfer saga - unlike the Alexander Isak situation 12 months ago.
Anthony Gordon, like Alexander Isak before him, will leave Newcastle United. But that is where the comparison ends.
Barely a murmur of frustration will echo around Tyneside when Gordon departs in the coming days. Toon chiefs had two European heavyweights - Bayern Munich and Barcelona - jostling for his signature.
This presented the Magpies their first win of the window. The La Liga and Bundesliga champions expressing genuine interest was music to Newcastle’s ears.
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But on the bigger picture, Newcastle are already in the driving seat compared to this time last year. For starters, they were willing sellers. Gordon was up for grabs to any potential suitor who had £75million to splash - with Barcelona winning the race as he jets for a medical later today.
There was denial and delusion in the air when Isak downed tools 12 months ago. Newcastle believed - wrongly - that the Swede’s frustrations at a reneged contract extension could be resolved and, with Champions League qualification secured, he would stick around for another season.
However, the same desperation never applied to Gordon. In truth, Newcastle were always hoping to conclude the saga early to avoid an Isak 2.0 situation.
Isak’s departure smashed a wrecking ball through the first-team squad but also to the overall Saudi-backed project. This was laid bare by Newcastle’s dismal 12th-placed finish.
As the best player, goalscorer and talisman, his influence was irreplaceable. By contrast, Gordon has netted just three times from open play in the Premier League since January 2025.
While a good player - he is an England international - Gordon is far from indispensable. If the Magpies do their homework, they could scout his successor on the continent for half of his expected transfer fee.
When pressed by The Gazette earlier this month, Eddie Howe hesitantly accepted the idea that a Gordon departure would deal a blow - albeit potentially not as fatal. He said: “Alex was the focal point of the team. He was in the middle of the pitch (and) there are very few players in world football like him.
“Naturally, the team was going to be hit. I get your question, but I still think if anyone leaves the football club, a big signing leaves the football club, there will be a dent to us.
“That's why they're the players that are valued the most. All the players that have been linked with moves away have contributed massively to our success.”
David Hopkinson promised local media in March that any player seeking an exit would leave strictly on Newcastle’s terms. He is man of his word having navigated the first real litmus test as CEO.
Gordon can excel at Barcelona. The 25-year-old is a good player - time will tell whether he can become a great one.
With Luis Diaz, Michael Olise and Harry Kane in attack, alarm bells rang as to whether he would even break into Bayern’s best outfit. But at the Camp Nou, Gordon has the perfect stage to prove his world-class status, with Newcastle now free of a wantaway star who, be honest, disappeared - 2023-24 campaign aside - more often than he delivered.
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