In Focus: Toon arrival Gordon has plenty to prove

Anthony Gordon left boyhood club Everton for Newcastle in the January transfer window. 

The 21-year-old winger is a player with undoubted potential but he has endured a disappointing season so far for the struggling Toffees and leaves a side fighting relegation. 

Gordon will hope, however, that leaving the toxic atmosphere of Goodison Park for a club on an upward trajectory like the Magpies will enable him to showcase his talents. 

Ahead of Newcastle's clash with West Ham this evening, we take a look at the English youngster's qualities.

Something different

Newcastle coach Eddie Howe was quick to praise Gordon's character and revealed that he expects the young forward to hit the ground running. 

He said: "Anthony has the passion that our fans will feed off but he will have to earn that support. 

"He is a young player with huge potential to have a big impact on our season. He is very quick, very dynamic and he is versatile. He can give us something different. 

"But the best is yet to come from him. We are going to have to support and guide Anthony through his move. Certainly I was very impressed by the person I met. He handled himself really well."

Fighting the tide

Everton have endured a rough season to date and came into this weekend joint-bottom of the Premier League.

Sean Dyche has been drafted in as Frank Lampard's successor, but he was unable to prevent the homegrown talent from leaving Merseyside.

Before his departure, Gordon was the Toffees' top scorer with three Premier League goals to his name in the 1,096 minutes of action that he had played.

All three of those strikes came from open play and none of his former colleagues at Goodison Park matched his 16 shots on target.

Room for improvement

Gordon was not, however, Everton's creator-in-chief. He fashioned eight chances in the 16 appearances he made in the Premier League but failed to contribute an assist.

Alex Iwobi (30), Demarai Gray (26) and Dwight McNeil (12) all provided more opportunities than the former No10.

All three of those players had also contributed assists — five in the case of Iwobi. It is clear, therefore, that Gordon's game could use a little refining.

Additionally, he completed just three of his 25 attempted crosses, while only Iwobi had lost the ball on more occasions than him (29 to 23) — despite the Nigeria international taking far more touches (1,130 to 513). 

His pace is undeniable, of course — but he was not the most successful Everton player in terms of beating his man. He had done that 10 times — fewer than Iwobi (16), Gray (14), McNeil (13) and Amadou Onana (12).

Tenacious touch

That aggressive streak that Howe alluded to is most certainly a key part of Gordon's game. 

No Everton player had earned more bookings than his six in the Premier League this term and only Onana (46), Nathan Patterson and Iwobi (both 39) had won more than his 34 tackles. 

Gordon also made four interceptions and won nine aerial duels — the challenge for the Liverpool native, however, will be controlling that tenacity and channelling it in the right areas. 

He will not endear himself to the Toon Army by getting himself sent off and potentially costing his side points — but he could quickly become a fan favourite if he showcases maximum effort on and off the ball.

Stepping up his game

The challenge for Gordon at St James' Park will be making himself a guaranteed starter. 

Six of Newcastle's squad — Miguel Almiron, Callum Wilson, Bruno Guimaraes, Joe Willock, Allan Saint-Maximin and Kieran Trippier — have provided more goal contributions than the speedster this season. 

The Magpies are, of course, operating at a different level to Everton. Rather than battling relegation, they are locked in a fight for a Champions League place. 

Anyone who has watched Gordon knows that, on his day, he is one of the most exciting talents in the Premier League.

Unburdened by dysfunctional surroundings, the onus is now on him to show what he can do.