Ally McCoist has advised Liverpool against spending £75m to sign Anthony Gordon in the summer transfer window.
On Monday evening, The Times‘ Martin Hardy reported that Newcastle are prepared to sell the winger if they were to receive an offer for that amount, with Bayern Munich understood to be the leading candidates to sign him ahead of the Reds and Arsenal.
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The England international had appeared set to join his hometown club a couple of years ago before the Magpies eased their PSR worries with other player sales, and the former Everton winger was reportedly eager for a return to Merseyside.
Jeff Stelling and McCoist were reacting to the latest reports on Gordon on talkSPORT this morning, and the ex-Rangers forward believes that the 25-year-old’s price tag is excessive for what he produces on the pitch.
He declared: “£75m? Far too much. Good player, I like him, but he hasn’t shown any level of consistency in the league. I would say his best form has been in the Champions League or certainly Europe. Would Bayern Munich be willing to pay £75m for somebody who wouldn’t be an automatic starter?”
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Gordon has netted 17 goals for Newcastle this season, the same tally as Liverpool’s top scorer Hugo Ekitike, but McCoist’s concerns about the Englishman are legitimate.
Nine of those 17 goals have come from the penalty spot, and while his haul of 10 in the Champions League is undoubtedly impresssive, it’s slightly skewed by four in one match against a feeble Qarabag side.
The table below shows the distribution of the 25-year-old’s goals in this campaign if spot kicks are excluded, and whilst it’d be wrong to dismiss the importance of a reliable penalty taker, the Magpies winger’s tally for the season is perhaps a little deceiving.
£75m seems excessive in that context, and Liverpool fans may also have understandable concerns about Gordon’s conduct, particuarly around transfers.
He went AWOL from training towards the end of his time at Everton in seeking to force a move to Newcastle in 2023 (Sky Sports), and The Telegraph reported last week that he’s likely to ‘seek a move’ away from St James’ Park this summer.
As it stands, Bayern would appear to be the most likely destination for the 25-year-old if he were to leave Tyneside in the coming months, and LFC would probably be able to find better value in the market for a wide attacking alternative such as Yan Diomande.