Why Gordon hasn’t hit top gear after ‘waste of time’ Euros and ‘distraction’

The day Anthony Gordon went over his handlebars on a gravel path in the eastern German countryside, his world was turned upside down – and it had nothing to do with his cycling accident.

The cuts, bruises and bloody chin scrapes are long gone, but the impact of the events of that week in June were felt for some time afterwards. It was – and this pun is intended – destabilizing.

Twenty-four hours earlier, two things happened in Cologne. Gordon came on in the final six minutes of England's goalless draw against Slovenia in the final group match of Euro 2024. He was electric, just like the bike that later threw him overboard.

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 rumors emerged of Newcastle's plan to sell him to Liverpool. Discussions took place that day suggesting a deal could be struck.

By the time Gordon got on his bike for a recovery session at England's base in Blankenhain, he was fully aware of the situation. In his mind, his club tried to sack him, albeit against their best wishes and only to close a PSR deficit, but the player's head was turned. It was no wonder he hit the wrong brake, causing the crash.

Did Gordon want to go? At no point had he considered leaving Newcastle. He was and is happy in the Northeast. 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 if a deal had been agreed.

Mail Sport broke the story that it could happen, but only after 24 hours of triple checking whether a transfer that hardly seemed credible was actually possible. Multiple sources confirmed this was the case, but with Liverpool unwilling to go north of Newcastle's minimum expectation of £80 million, or include defender Jarell Quansah as part of the package, hopes faded as the week wore on.

Crucially, and this is why the effect of those few days lingered, Gordon's own hopes were 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 cycling incident, Gordon met the media at Blankenhain Castle. He told the story of his crash with honesty and humor. He was in a good mood. His cameo against Slovenia had sparked talk of greater involvement. The transfer to Liverpool was still in the offing.

Then, 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 bit different from him, he is so social and involved. At the time I suspected that communications between Merseyside and Tyneside would probably be his focus.

So what unfolded that weekend and even the fortnight afterward left Gordon feeling far more battered and bruised than any cycling accident. He was told that Liverpool's move was off after Newcastle found an alternative solution to their PSR dilemma. He was also told he would remain on the bench for the last-16 match against Slovakia. Remarkably – and at England's expense, it must be said – he did not play another minute in Germany.

Sources say Gareth Southgate and assistant Steve Holland were miffed by Gordon's candid media comments, in which he declared he was the player who could break England's 'predictability'. They are also said to be annoyed because he admitted to using his phone during the fall from the bike. He had wanted to tell the truth and revealed that he was FaceTiming his family. Then there was Liverpool and what the England staff feared was a distraction.

But Gordon was ready and ready to go. He had just enjoyed the season of his life at Newcastle and knowing Liverpool wanted him made him feel invincible. After all, that bike had thrown him 10 feet in the air and he avoided any injuries other than the superficial cuts. He and Cole Palmer also bonded, magnetized by a shared belief that they could be difference makers.

So when Gordon left Berlin after watching the final defeat to Spain from the bench, he felt lower than the gravel path he had planted on a few weeks earlier.

He went on holiday with his partner and young daughter and read the self-help book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, in an attempt to reaffirm his inner conviction. But physically and mentally he was robbed of the good feeling he had built up all year.

Have these levels of well-being been restored? Not yet, and that's what we're seeing in Newcastle now. Gordon's season was good, bad at times and too much indifferent. On reflection, those close to him believe that the European Championships were a waste of time; he should have taken a break and started working with Newcastle.

The staff were kind to him on his delayed return to pre-season, and Eddie Howe immediately named him in the XI for the opening day, despite only playing 45 minutes of one friendly the weekend before. It showed, and things came to a head after an appearance during a 3-1 defeat at Fulham in September.

Gordon's body language – shrunken shoulders, bowed head, abandonment of runs – was extremely unusual. He was not alone in this, and Howe made it known that such an application would not be tolerated.

The 23-year-old listened, adjusted his training program and responded with a display of grit and commitment in a 1-1 home draw against Manchester City, including a penalty which he won and converted. However, in the absence of Alexander Isak, he has been deployed as a striker – and therein lies the biggest cause of this malaise, one that continues ahead of the visit of Liverpool, the club still interested in their former youth academy.

Gordon played his way into the England squad last season as one of Europe's best left wingers. He scored twelve times and assisted eleven times. This season, just six of his 13 starts have come from the left of a front three. Even then, several of these have involved a mid-game positional change.

During Saturday's 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace, Gordon was once again moved up to striker after Isak was injured in the first half. He had started on the right. Newcastle's inability to sign a right winger in the three years of Saudi ownership has seen him start six times on his less favored flank this season.

Howe and his staff have questioned whether he can be happy there over a longer period of time, and the expectation is that he will be back on the left against Liverpool, especially given he feels he has the size of Alexander-Arnold. Which of them will sing at St James', you ask?

It should also be noted that when Gordon switched to the right in the recent 2-0 home defeat to West Ham, he was involved in an animated discussion with assistant boss Jason Tindall. He was substituted in the 68th minute – his first withdrawal of the season – and made a solitary mark during a post-match round of appreciation. There was no problem, but there was frustration about how his evening had gone and a missed chance to score 0-1. He can never be told that he doesn't care.

But it is believed internally that another reason for Gordon's fluctuating form is England. Howe and his staff support and defend his integration, but just when they feel he is about to rediscover his best powers, he leaves for a week or more of international duty.

The October break in particular felt like a setback, when he played only one hour over two games and returned at a reduced level. That wouldn't have been the case after a full pre-season, but when you play catch-up like Gordon, the clock is turned back by a break in the intensity of your work.

In the meantime, the club hoped that a new contract, signed at the end of October, would ease the irritation of the summer. His pay rise was just reward for his progress and impact since joining from Everton almost two years ago, and Newcastle won the next three in which Gordon played. He was excellent during the 1-0 home win over Arsenal.

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 wouldn't have happened last season.

But his relationship with Howe is strong, as always. The head coach is convinced that the best way to help Gordon is to keep him on the sidelines. He appreciates the turbulence of summer and its unsettling nature. However, a frank conversation about its best use may be necessary.

Some well-placed sources believe that Gordon's willingness to be versatile for the apparent good of the team actually comes at the team's expense.

They say he is much happier as a left winger and is more likely to be the player he was last season.

But what does the future hold after this year? When he signed his contract last month, there was one phrase he used repeatedly that was telling.

“I want to win a trophy here,” he said, and it was believed he did not mean the Premier League or Champions League.

Why? There has been a realization among players that statements from the hierarchy about winning such competitions within 'five to ten years' after the takeover in 2021 – and about being the 'No. 1 in the world' – were premature, at least in terms of what is likely to be their time at the club.

Gordon – and Bruno Guimaraes said the same when he signed his new contract – is thinking more about the short term, about winning a domestic cup or a smaller European trophy and making history for the club. That is feasible. The other things? Well, those ambitions will probably have to be fulfilled elsewhere.

He and his teammates have seen no improvement in the starting XI over the past 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 the ambition to travel as far as possible.

For now, he has to get back on the bike that got him to this point. There's no better time to rediscover top gear than against Liverpool.