Anthony Gordon is ready to kick on after signing a new Newcastle United contract.
The 23-year-old has committed his future to the Magpies after months of speculation, with Newcastle United announcing the deal on Tuesday evening.
Gordon is delighted to sign a new contract with Newcastle United, while there is the added bonus that his new deal does not include a release clause.
It will be very exciting to see what Gordon can achieve in a Newcastle shirt, while his main focus will be exceeding last season’s performance. The 2023/24 campaign was the best of his career, but Gordon is the type of character who always wants more.
That is why his start to the new season was so curious. Gordon was not playing well for Newcastle, at a time when it was unclear whether or not he was going to sign a new contract.
There was a feeling that the contract speculation and Liverpool rumours were impacting his performances, but that was not the case.
Anthony Gordon makes fitness admission after signing new Newcastle contract
Following his contract extension, Gordon has spoken to Newcastle United’s official YouTube channel.
He was asked about people possibly getting the wrong idea about his tough start to the season and thinking it was related to the speculation over his future.
“That’s the thing that’s quite hard,” he said.
“I think the perception was because I didn’t start well that all the speculation was true. When in reality I just wasn’t very fit.
“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.
“Getting back into the swing of things took me a couple of games. I’m probably still going, but I never had any doubt that I’d start to pick up and get fitter. The more I play in this team, the more confident I feel. It’s just about getting that back and getting used to playing our style again.”
How Anthony Gordon has started the season compared to last year
As Gordon says, it was a very difficult summer for him. On the back of the best season of his career, he watched on from the bench as England somehow made it to the final of Euro 2024.
Gareth Southgate opted against using the Newcastle winger, despite crying out for a player like him. Gordon was disappointed not to play much at the Euros, and that has had an impact on his start to the new season.
He did not get a proper pre-season, while the 2023/24 campaign was ridiculously busy. Gordon barely missed a game for Newcastle, appearing in 48 out of a possible 51 fixtures.
Gordon clearly lacked sharpness at the beginning of the season, and is still getting back to his best. In contrast, he started last season like a house on fire.
Interestingly, Gordon’s numbers are not that much worse than they were last season. After the first eight Premier League games in 23/24, Gordon had two goals and two assists from seven appearances. This season he has got two goals and zero assists from eight appearances.
In terms of output, Gordon is not too far behind. However, his performance level can still go up. Gordon looked short of confidence against Brighton, and the hope will be that this contract announcement results in him playing his best football again – starting on Sunday away to Chelsea.
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