Anthony Gordon makes Liverpool speculation denial after signing new Newcastle contract
It would have been one of the biggest transfers of the summer and one that would have raised eyebrows on both halves of Merseyside. But Liverpool's attempts to sign former Everton winger Anthony Gordon ultimately ended in frustration.
The Reds reached an agreement with the Magpies that valued Gordon at £75million. It was a deal that would have seen Joe Gomez move in the opposite direction for £45m..
But Newcastle pulled the plug after they found another way around their Profit and Sustainability Rules issues by selling Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest and Yankuba Minteh to Brighton & Hove Albion respectively.
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While Gordon came through the youth ranks at Everton and played a starring role in their successful battle against relegation in the 2021-22 season, he started out at Liverpool, and since swapping Goodison Park for St James' Park in a fraught £45m transfer in January 2023, he has done little to hide the fact that he was a boyhood Red.
So when the England international, who was largely overlooked by Gareth Southgate at Euro 2024, struggled at the start of the new Premier League campaign, it raised the question over whether his head had been turned by Liverpool's interest.
But after Gordon ended speculation over his immediate future this week by signing a new long-term contract with Newcastle, he moved to rubbish that theory.
"The perception was that because I didn’t start well that all the speculation was true when in reality I just wasn’t very fit," the 23-year-old told NUFCTV (via Newcastle World).
“It’s been quite a hard summer for me, even just getting back to myself. I was sat on the bench the whole summer so it wasn’t easy for me mentally and physically.
"It took me a couple of games to get back into the swing of things, it’s probably still going, but I never had any doubt I’d start to pick up and get fitter.
"The more I played in this team the more confident I feel. It’s just about getting that back and getting used to playing our style again.
"It’s not easy because sometimes your perception from the outside can be guided by information people read and a lot of it is not true, some might be true but a lot of the time it’s not.
"Me knowing this (new contract) was in process and waiting for it to get out there has been hard for me because I’ve wanted to do it for a long time but as I say it’s been quite complicated.
"Everyone knows I’m committed, which I always have been. I’m happy."