Anthony Gordon Doesn’t Want To Be A Newcastle United Legend

After a summer overshadowed by a transfer saga involving the club’s best player, Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe could be forgiven for frustration at more transfer speculation before spring.

Yet during his pregame press conference before facing Everton, Howe fielded questions about Arsenal’s interest in Anthony Gordon.

“I’m not sure there’s a lot I can do about that,” he said. “I’ve not seen the story, so it’s news to me.

“But we’re mid-season, we’re in the middle of some of the biggest games of his career, and who knows what’s going to happen internationally with Anthony in the summer as well.

“He’s not got time to look left or right. He’s got to be fully focused on straight ahead and the next game, and trying to be as good as he can be.”

Howe then tried to distance himself from speculation that has harmed Newcastle United over the past year.

“It’s your industry that is creating those stories,” he continued. “I’m slightly secluded from it.

“If you don’t read it you don’t know who has been linked to who. Is it not just part of modern day football that everyone is just linked with moves these days, not just Newcastle players, but potentially a lot of other clubs have the same issues.

“It’s irrelevant really. It’s how the players react to that. If they absorb it and it affects them, then, that’s a negative. But I think our players are robust enough to ignore it.”

Howe faces a challenge that goes beyond losing his previous talisman, Alexander Isak, to Liverpool last summer in a drawn-out saga; it is also about repeated uncertainty around Gordon, which raises questions about his willingness to commit and make history at Newcastle.

The year before, Gordon nearly joined the Reds as Newcastle scrambled to stay within Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

Afterwards, Gordon himself admitted that he’d struggled to deal with the aftermath.

“I would never lie. It was difficult for me because one, I had the Euros, which was horrendous for me mentally. I was there, I wasn’t playing,” he said.

“Then I had the transfer stuff. With PSR, I thought I was going to leave at some point in the window. It didn’t happen.

“I had to get my head around that to begin with, and then to get my head around it again was hard.”

To be fair to Gordon, that situation wasn’t his fault. Newcastle, though reluctant, had to consider selling him due to regulatory demands.

The issue seemed resolved when he signed a new long-term deal to stay in the North East.

“I just think the club’s in a great place,” said Gordon after agreeing to stay.

“Since the takeover it’s just been up and up. Me and the gaffer are a perfect match in terms of style of play. I love it here.”

The question for Gordon is what’s changed? This transfer talk Howe faced isn’t just speculation; managers aren’t questioned over simple social media rumors.

And Howe didn’t deny the chance. He could have dismissed it or cited Gordon’s long-term deal, but didn’t.

Instead, he spoke about focus—the same issue that plagued Alexander Isak when he pushed for a Liverpool move.

So the central question remains: Why does Gordon, following a similar pattern to Isak, appear uninterested in staying and achieving legendary status at Newcastle United?

There are few places in the country with the same levels of passion as the North East and, in years gone by, being idolised by the Geordie faithful was an aspiration in itself.

It was always felt that, given its huge stadium, historic status and fanbase, all Newcastle United needed to join the elite was finance.

But since the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund took over and made it the wealthiest club, things haven’t gone as expected.

Though the club can now buy better players, holding onto them is proving difficult.

Players join the project, but hesitate to stay long enough to establish the Magpies as a superpower.

It is discouraging for supporters that Anthony Gordon seems reluctant to pursue legendary status at Newcastle United. More broadly, such trends challenge the Premier League’s competitiveness, as even clubs with passionate followings struggle to retain top talent.