Gordon, who? Newcastle look to be closing in on deal to sign £37m upgrade

Newcastle United are not in a good spot, but with so many superstars having been sold, it does feel like the slate has been wiped clean.

Though it hasn’t been finalised, and is not done until the fat lady sings, Newcastle have sanctioned Bruno Guimaraes‘ £75m sale to Premier League champions Arsenal, the skipper following Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali out the door.

Unlike some, Guimaraes has conducted himself superbly throughout this saga, and he will leave St. James’ Park on good terms. But the fact he is going will be of grave concern to the Magpies persuasion, not least because Eddie Howe has also stepped down from his post ahead of the 2026/27 season.

Much has been made of the Toon’s problems and their lack of depth in the middle of the park, but they still need to strengthen in attack, even having technically replaced Gordon on the left flank.

Why Newcastle still haven’t replaced Gordon

Gordon’s £69m sale to Barcelona before the World Cup was somewhat rueful, but acceptable. What has transpired since will have soured Toon opinion on the decision to sell the Three Lions star, but Newcastle did at least sign Bazoumana Toure from Hoffenheim in a £43m deal.

The Ivorian winger is an exciting talent, but he’s only 20 years old, and expecting him to be a world-beater from the get-go could be the undoing of Matthias Jaissle’s side, with the young German coach stepping in to replace Howe but finding a barren wasteland for a training pitch.

Toure isn’t the solution. He is fast and tricksy for opponents; when running down the wing, the winger is electric and he proved in the German Bundesliga last season that he has a lot of prolific potential, but should he be expected to cover someone such as Gordon, a talisman in Alexander Isak’s absence last season?

Sure, Gordon only scored six times in the Premier League last season, as well as the year before, but the loss of his presence on Tyneside this season cannot understated, and neither can the importance of adding more quality to ease the burden on Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa’s shoulders, with both strikers flattering to deceive last year.

Newcastle in talks to sign a Gordon upgrade

Newcastle have been rocked this summer, but a glass-half-full perspective would tell you that the Toon are at the start of an exciting new chapter, with weeks of the transfer window still remaining to make further signings.

According to DZ Foot, Newcastle have presented Feyenoord winger Anis Hadj Moussa with a significant salary to bring him over to Tyneside this summer, with a five-year contract suggested.

It’s understood that the 24-year-old is ‘close to joining’ the Premier League side, with the Dutch side seeking a figure of around £37m to part with their Algerian talent.

At £37m, Moussa would be an absolute steal. He might principally play down the right channel, and not the left, but he could take Gordon’s position as Newcastle’s focal presence out wide, producing far more aggressive attacking performances than the Three Lions star over the past few years.

The fact Gordon has played his football in the Premier League, and not Holland, is something worth considering. It would be expected that Moussa would encounter stiffer competition in England, finding less time and space on the ball to create and dart down the wing. But, that said, he is still hitting all the right notes so far.

Though Toure would replace Gordon in position, Moussa has the potential to cement himself as the main man under Jaissle, whose fast and front-footed tactics could align perfectly with the Algeria international’s relentless nature.

Described as “one of the most skilful wingers in Europe” by analyst Filipe Sousa, Moussa is the real deal, and if he carries his form in Rotterdam over to St. James’ Park, Jaissle could land a new wide forward who could even eclipse Gordon’s impact in the Premier League over the past couple of years.