Newcastle United’s in-form star returns to Everton in tonight’s Premier League showdown, and the statistics back up Eddie Howe’s assessment of his worth.
Anthony Gordon retired as Everton’s fourth most valued asset of all time. But he’ll be back tonight with evidence proving he’s a vastly better player than the one the Toffees sold just 11 months ago.
Gordon’s outstanding form this season has helped Newcastle maintain their Premier League push despite European obligations and an ever-growing injury list. So much so that Gareth Southgate is being urged to promote him to the senior England squad ahead of the Euro 2024 championships.
But how much has Gordon – who is still only 22 years old – developed in his first calendar year at St James’ Park since his contentious exit from Goodison Park in late January? And where does he stand in the discussion over who Southgate should select as his left-sided offensive alternatives for Germany this summer, according to the statistics?
When Gordon’s form this season is compared to his performances in his final full season with Everton – 2021-22 – the data shows he is now not only one of the most potent attacking players in the Premier League – with 11 goal contributions – but in Europe.
His finishing is possibly the most striking difference between the Gordon who made 35 Premier League appearances in 2021-22, with his 22% conversion rate in front of goal this season exceeding the 9% he achieved two seasons earlier. Gordon has six goals and five assists in 13 league games this season, giving him an xG of 4.21. Again, this is significantly superior to his previous full season at Everton, when he scored four Premier League goals and assisted two others – with a minutes-per-goal ratio of 571 compared to 177 this season.
And it is not just in front of goal where Gordon’s improvement – and his priceless value to Newcastle – is clear. Notably, his pass succession rate has increased by 11% this season against 2021-22, with 85% of his passes finding their intended target.
Gordon’s persistent running and pressuring have been another very outstanding feature of his form this season. Despite this, he averages 82 minutes per match, compared to 65 minutes per game for the Toffees the previous season.
Gordon’s central role at Newcastle is backed out by the fact that he averages nearly 20% more touches of the ball (43.2 per Premier League game versus 36.1) than he did in his breakout season at Goodison Park.
But wait, there’s more. Gordon has once again produced when Eddie Howe has demanded that his team defend from the front. In the Premier League this season, he has won possession 0.8 times per 90 minutes, which is double the rate he achieved in 2021-2022.
In 2023-24, he also retrieved more balls (3.8), completed more tackles (1.9), and won more ground and aerial fights (5.8) per 90 minutes than he did in his whole, last season with the Toffees.
But what about the United Kingdom? While the star of England’s U21 European Championship win last summer has thrived under Howe, Southgate continues to overlook him. However, evidence from this season clearly places Gordon ahead of his more popular contenders for a left-sided berth in Southgate’s squad: Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish, and Cole Palmer.
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