For Newcastle: A telling change of approach. Newcastle fought tooth and nail to hold onto Alexander Isak last summer before belatedly allowing him to join Liverpool. Sad as it may seem, it would have been far better just to give in immediately and let him leave as soon as he handed in a transfer request, as the disruption caused by the striking Swede did Eddie Howe and his players no favours at all. Newcastle have, thus, moved quickly to offload another unsettled forward - and for a fantastic fee. Gordon is a hard-working, talented and versatile attacker - but he's never done anything for club or country to suggest that he's worth £69m. Of course, the challenge now for Newcastle is to invest the money wisely, because they completely wasted what they got for Isak, and attracting top talent isn't going to be any easier this summer. The Magpies can no longer offer Champions League football to potential new recruits, and their pathetic 12th-placed finish in the Premier League, coupled with Gordon's desire to follow Isak out the door at St. James' Park, proves that Newcastle are no longer a serious threat to England's elite under increasingly disinterested Saudi Arabian owners. Grade: B-
For Barcelona: A really worrying sign. Barcelona haven't been in a position to spend big on players for some time now due to their well-documented issues adhering to La Liga's strict financial regulations, so it doesn't bode well that their first move after finally getting their house in order is to blow €80m on Gordon. The England international should certainly prove a useful addition. He can play pretty much anywhere across the front three and is a pressing machine - unlike Marcus Rashford - so it's easy to understand why Hansi Flick gave Gordon's arrival the green light. However, there's simply no getting away from the fact that Barca have overpaid. Granted, Gordon could have a good World Cup, thus casting the price in a more favourable light, while it's also been pointed out that the Scouser scored 10 times in this season's Champions League - but six of those goals came against Qarabag and Union Saint-Gilloise, and half from the penalty spot. Twelve goals in his last 60 Premier League appearances is a far better indicator of the kind of strike-rate Barca supporters should expect from their latest signing. So, while Gordon is more likely to give Flick what he wants from a winger, and he'll be on a smaller wage than Rashford, there was better value to be found elsewhere, suggesting Barca are back to having more money than sense. Grade: C+
For Gordon: The stuff dreams are made of. Despite some seriously inconsistent performances in the Premier League, particularly over the past two years, Gordon has got the move to a big club that he's been clearly eyeing for some time now. He admitted himself that he had his head turned by previous links with hometown club Liverpool, whom he also supported as a boy, while it initially looked like he was going to join Bayern Munich this summer. However, the Bavarians understandably baulked at the asking price and therein lies the big challenge now facing Gordon. The possible arrival of Julian Alvarez would take a fair bit of attention away from the 25-year-old, but he'll still be under enormous pressure to justify his fee - because Barca haven't paid €80m for a bit-part player. Gordon's got to prove himself worthy of starting for a star-studded side, and that won't be easy. Just ask Rashford, who is now looking surplus to requirements at Camp Nou despite racking up a combined 28 goals and assists in his debut season at Barca. Still, Gordon can probably hardly believe his luck. He's going to go from playing with Anthony Elanga to lining up alongside Lamine Yamal! Grade: A
Mark Doyle
