The England winger is set to join Barcelona in a £69.3m deal ahead of the World Cup
Anthony Gordon's final Newcastle United shirt at Fulham
Anthony Gordon is heading to Barcelona(Image: Newcastle United via Getty Images)
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Anthony Gordon's Newcastle United exit may have been in the pipeline for several months, but the speed of his move to Barcelona shows the Magpies have learned the tough lessons of last summer.
It has long been clear that the England winger was heading out of St James' Park, the only uncertainty was which club would stump up the amount Newcastle were willing to accept.
However, unlike 12 months ago, when Alexander Isak's tortuous transfer saga dominated the entire summer and wrecked the club's recruitment plans, this deal has been done swiftly and with the minumum of fuss.
It should be clear that the blame for the delay over Isak's departure can't be placed at Newcastle's door. They had a price and rightly stuck to it. Liverpool were the ones dragging their feet, although surely the wheels would have turned much quicker and smoother had they not gazumped United's attempts to sign Hugo Ekitike.
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It left Newcastle scrabbling to replace the Swede with just days of the window remaining, and while the relative merits of Nick Woltemade and, perhaps less so, Yoane Wissa, can be debated at length, neither have been able to fill Isak's shoes.
That the Gordon deal has been done well in advance of the transfer window officially opening is hugely beneficial to Newcastle, and should allow them to proceed with their transfer plans at pace.
Of course the World Cup was a factor, with Gordon keen to have everything in place before joining up with Thomas Tuchel's England squad on Monday, but United have been proactive and it's paid off.
The pricetag is a good one for a player of Gordon's undoubted talents, and there are add-ons which will make the deal even sweeter.
He's also leaving the Premier League, so no chance he will come back to haunt United any time soon, at least not until they return to the European stage.
Gordon did not make waves behind the scenes, with Eddie Howe consistently stressing that there was no problem with the forward, despite his lack of first-team appearances after he recovered from a minor hip problem.
He may never have been truly a fan-favourte in the way Bruno Guimaraes and others have become, but having played out of position for most of the season, it would be difficult to attach too much animosity to his departure.
No one wants to see players his his calibre leaving Newcastle, but the reality is it had to happen to keep Newcastle on the right side of the financial rules.
The truth is this ticks every box for United. Now it's time to kick on with the next chapter for all concerned.
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