Vincent Kompany could certainly use him: might a ill-timed remark about a player Bayern Munich covet cost them his signature?

FC Bayern are making a strong push to sign the 25-year-old versatile attacker from Newcastle United, according to consistent reports. Though he is a very different type of player to Nicolas Jackson, Gordon could still take his place in the squad. The Chelsea loanee, expensive and disappointing in equal measure, will not be signed permanently.

Although Gordon is a natural left winger, at Newcastle he has recently been deployed as a centre-forward in the 4-2-3-1 system favoured by Vincent Kompany. “He’s a good false nine, but his best position remains the left wing, from where he can cut inside with his strong right foot,” explains blogger and podcaster Jamie Smith from the Newcastle fanzine The Mag in an interview with SPOX.

At Bayern, he could serve as a dual backup to both Diaz and Kane, using his immense pace to inject pace and directness off the bench. Widely regarded as one of Europe’s fastest players, Gordon has already been timed at 36.4 km/h in this season’s Champions League—eighth overall. For context, Munich’s own pace setters—Olise, Jackson and Konrad Laimer—have reached 33.9 km/h this season. Beyond his speed, Gordon also brings sharp dribbling and relentless pressing, qualities that should fit seamlessly into Vincent Kompany’s high-energy approach.

Born in Liverpool, Gordon began his career at boyhood club Liverpool FC but was released at 11. He then joined local rivals Everton, a move that raised eyebrows. He made his professional debut at 16, yet it took four years—including a mixed loan spell at second-tier Preston North End—before he secured a regular first-team spot.

In January 2023, at 21, Gordon forced a move to newly wealthy Newcastle United, walking out on Everton training until the clubs agreed a €46 million transfer. After a six-month adjustment period, he flourished in his first full campaign at St. James’ Park. He responded with 12 goals and 16 assists, earned the club’s Player of the Year award, made his England debut and travelled to the European Championship in Germany.

Gordon’s meteoric rise has been punctuated by repeated flirtations with his former and favourite club, Liverpool. In an interview, he described Reds icon Steven Gerrard as his “hero” and a “god”, and revealed that his staunchly red-blooded relatives—while always wishing him goals in Merseyside derbies against Everton—still hoped he would lose. “I don’t have a single family member who supports Everton. Not one.” Almost inevitably, the summer of 2024 brought rumours of a return to Anfield, but the move never materialised.

“That seems to have been buzzing around in his head a bit ever since,” speculates Smith. “Since then, his performances have fluctuated between spectacular and disinterested and ineffective.” Gordon never played as consistently as he did in 2023/24, although he continued to rack up points on a regular basis. In total, he recorded 39 goals and 28 assists for Newcastle in 152 competitive matches. He has contributed to twelve goals in this season’s Champions League, even as his side exited to Barcelona in the round of 16. Almost a third of his goals for the Magpies have come from the penalty spot, where he is every bit as reliable as Kane, making him a suitable backup for his compatriot at Bayern.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has called him a “real fighter”, though that determination occasionally boils over: he has already received three red cards for the Magpies. “His temperament has already cost us dearly,” says Smith. Last season he was sent off in the FA Cup exit against Brighton & Hove Albion, and this term he saw red in the defeat against none other than Liverpool.

Bayern Munich remain interested in Gordon, just like Arsenal. However, any move for the 21-year-old is expected to be complicated, not least because of that high-profile competition. According to Sky, Bayern have already held “very concrete talks” with Gordon’s agents, and the player is keen on a switch to Germany. The main hurdle is his contract with Newcastle, which runs until 2030 and includes no release clause.

Bayern are said to be eyeing a fee of around €60 million, yet Smith retorts, “I don’t expect less than €90 million for a player we signed for €46 million as an untested 21-year-old.” Newcastle do not want to lose their key player, but they may need to sell this summer to meet Premier League Financial Fair Play rules, especially if they miss out on European football. With six matches left, the Magpies sit 14th, five points outside the European places.

Bayern have already been thwarted by the Magpies twice: in January 2024, when an agreement with right-back Kieran Trippier was scuppered by Newcastle’s valuation, and again that same window when a move for Nick Woltemade petered out, allowing the youngster to join the club from Stuttgart for €75m.

Last summer the club pursued Nick Woltemade for months, only to see him move from VfB Stuttgart to Newcastle for €75 million. “I can only congratulate the people in Stuttgart on having found – and I’ll put this in quotation marks – an idiot who paid that much money,” supervisory board member Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said in late September. Now, some might argue, that “idiot” is getting his own back with his transfer fee demands for Gordon.

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