Newcastle United have solved one of two Anthony Gordon problems with tricky £39m decision now needed

Tuesday's news of Anthony Gordon's contract extension at Newcastle United was music to the ears of all those of a black-and-white persuasion.

The exciting confirmation has been in the offing for some time, with the former Everton star sitting down for talks over a new deal in the aftermath of a summer window that saw him linked with a shock return to Merseyside, the red half of the region this time, just 18 months after departing Goodison Park.

Gordon's message this week could have not been clearer: He is happy and settled on Tyneside - and harbours real ambitions of achieving huge success with this Newcastle side. "Winning a trophy here would be unbelievable because the fans have waited so long. To be part of that team who finally does it is a massive goal of mine," he said.

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The attacker's long-term ambition of ending Newcastle's trophy hoodoo is admirable and provides the clearest proof yet that he hopes to be at St James' Park for the long haul. Thankfully, any lingering speculation over an imminent Liverpool switch can be put to bed for the foreseeable future.

But now the only issue that needs resolved regarding the 23-year-old is where Eddie Howe places him in this Magpies side. Gordon walks into almost any team in Europe on his day and will consistently start for Newcastle provided he is fit and able - but so far this term his role been chopped and changed, with little consistency offered.

Harvey Barnes' fine start to the campaign saw Gordon switched from his natural role on the left to the opposite flank, while Alexander Isak's recent toe injury saw the player shoehorned into a central striker role in recent outings. However, Saturday's defeat to Brighton saw Gordon drop one of his better performances of the campaign - and that is no surprise given he was back out on his favoured flank, with Jacob Murphy out on the right instead.

Newcastle are struggling for goals and have gone 438 minutes without a goal from open play. With Howe's defence proving rock solid once again, the most pressing issue for the boss is making sure the goals return - and that means picking, and sticking, with the right front three.

“I think the balance has to be right,” Howe said about naming Gordon, Barnes and Isak as his front three back in August. “Of course, you want the players that enter the pitch to be comfortable to give their best performances, and it’s my job to give them that environment."

There is no question Gordon's best position is on the left. It is where he feels, and looks, most at home and given his importance to this team, it feels counterproductive using him as a versatile option who can fill in different positions, rather than allowing him to flourish and build momentum on the left.

But Howe knows he has two top notch left-sided options at his disposal, battling it out for one singular spot, while it is anyone's guess who gets the nod on the right on any given matchday. Barnes' early season form meant he was hard to ignore but it is now just three goals in 10 appearances for the former Leicester man and that credit built up at the start of the campaign is slowly dwindling.

Howe will also point to the fact he knew signing Gordon meant he was adding a player to his ranks that can play anywhere across the front three or deeper in a midfield role.

"For us he's played left, he's played right, he's played centrally as a midfielder. In training he's also played up front and did really well in the games we had here. He's a player who has that versatility and in a season like we're going to go into, players that can play in different positions are so valuable to us," the Newcastle boss said in 2023.

But if Newcastle want to re-find their best form after a tricky period of underwhelming performances and woes in front of goal, it feels as though moving Gordon back to his regular spot would be a step in the right direction. Even if that means making £39m man Barnes an impact player from the bench for the coming months.