Newcastle United selling Anthony Gordon to Barcelona has gone down very well with a certain Jordan Pickford, it seems.
Pickford, of course, is something of a pantomime villain among Newcastle United fans given his strong connection to rivals Sunderland.
Newcastle United supporters love little more than goading him when they score against Pickford’s Everton, while the player himself gives it back to the crowd.
Anthony Gordon’s gone – so name your dream replacement here 👇
Still, Pickford has a good relationship with the Newcastle United contingent in the England squad.
That no longer contains the aforementioned forward, however. Gordon has left Newcastle to join Barcelona and Pickford is pleased with the move.
Pickford happy Gordon can focus on the World Cup
Asked about Gordon’s move by reporters following England’s friendly win over New Zealand, Pickford said (via Beanyman Sports): “I’m glad it’s done for him and for England as well because now we need to move forward into the tournament and he’ll enjoy it after.”
Taking a wider view on the situation away from the Newcastle prism, it probably is a good thing for England that Gordon – who may well start under Thomas Tuchel – has his future cleared up before the tournament starts.
He had been linked away before the season ended, so having that clarity can only be a good thing for all parties involved.
How does the idea of MORE star players leaving after Anthony Gordon make you feel?! 😡
It’s also good news for Newcastle. Now, they have time to plan the rest of their summer properly, rather than rushing about and trying to source a replacement. The mistakes made in 2025 simply cannot happen again.
The challenge awaiting Newcastle is how they actually intend to replace him.
Indeed, Newcastle want Victor Munoz of Osasuna to replace Gordon, but actually signing the Spain forward could prove difficult because of the level of rival interest in the 22-year-old.
The Gordon sale was handled a lot better than Alexander Isak’s departure but that is only half the battle. All eyes will be on what the club do next.
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