Newcastle United they enjoyed excellent form during the festive season in which they secured five Premier League win in a row, after Saturday’s 2-1 triumph over Tottenham Hotspur.
Eddie Howe He seems to have finally brought the best out of his squad after a mixed start and will now turn to the January transfer window to possibly strengthen further, particularly from an attacking point of view.
Alexander Isak has been in excellent form of late, scoring in each of the ‘Mapies’ the last seven league games at the time of writing, pushing them towards the table.
However, if he suffers a serious injury, it could derail their bid to finish in the top four and thus a place in the Champions League group stage.
It’s not just the Swede who makes a difference even in the last third, like Anthony Gordon he has also taken the next step in his development this term, emerging as a key player under Howe.
Anthony Gordon’s season in numbers
Through 23 games in all competitions for the Toon this season, the Englishman has scored five times while registering with five assists. Although he plays predominantly on the left wing, Gordon has been tasked with completing the opposite flank on several occasions, as well as playing through the middle.
He is best on the left side, from that position he scored seven goals and that is where he can make the biggest difference during matches.
In the first division, the former Everton starlet has created five big chancesaveraging 2.3 key passes and 1.2 successful dribbles per game, tearing defenses apart in the process.
Additionally, compared to his major league peers, Gordon is in the top 1% for crosses into the box (0.94) and in the top 5% for key passes (2.57) per 90, another testament to his talent and how impressive he was in the final third.
While Howe can call upon Gordon to provide a key attacking threat on the left wing, the right wing has proved more problematic this season with few players operating there.
|
Anthony Gordon’s PL stats for Newcastle |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Metric |
2022/23 |
2023/24 |
2024/25 |
|
Objectives |
1 |
11 |
5 |
|
Assists |
0 |
10 |
4 |
|
Great chances were created |
2 |
16 |
5 |
|
Successful dribbles per match |
0.6 |
1.5 |
1.2 |
|
Key passes per match |
0.4 |
1.6 |
2.3 |
With the winter transfer window now in full swing, could he possibly solve this problem by making a move for a player currently playing for his current Premier League side?
Newcastle transfer news
According to a Daily Mail report earlier this week, Newcastle are delighted in a move to sign Southampton winger Tyler Dibling this month in a bid to improve their attacking options.
The report claims the teenager was close to a move to St James’ Park in 2022 before ending up at Chelsea. He left the Blues after a few months to move to the south coast and hasn’t looked back since.
In December of Football Insider stated that the Saints would consider offers of between £20m and £30m for their prized asset, seemingly resigned to losing him sooner rather than later.
Judging by his talent and potential for further improvement, £30m sounds like an absolute steal and this should surely prompt Howe to make a move for the youngster this month.
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If he signs a permanent deal for Dibling, then he and Gordon could form a wonderful attacking duo over the next few years.
Tyler Dibling’s season in numbers
This feeling was shared by analyst Ben Mattinson when discussing Dibling’s future in the X game, saying:
“The queue of clubs waiting in line to sign Tyler Dibling grows every game. Personally I’d love him at Newcastle, Gordon & Dibling would be an exciting winger duo.”
The aforementioned Gordon has shone for the Toon this season on the left, but for Southampton, Dibling has also been impressive.
IN 22 games for his clubThe 18-year-old scored two goals with two assists in all competitions. The Saints are bottom of the Premier League and looked destined for a return to the Championship, but in Dibling they have a player who can make things happen.
Although his side is struggling, Dibling still has managed to create two great chances along with averaging 1.1 shots per game and a league-best 1.3 dribbles per game during this period.
Despite his tender years, the former Chelsea talent also contributes effectively from a defensive point of view. Not only is he getting a total of 4.5 tackles per game, but the winger has averaged 1.1 tackles and 2.5 turnovers per game in the Premier League.
These qualities would work well in Howe’s side, particularly with Gordon on the opposite flank leading the attacking onslaught during games. He is certainly a player from whom Dibling can learn a lot.
Compared to his positional peers in the Premier League, the youth of the Saints is in the top 16% for carries into the final third (2.5), in the top 4% for unsolved fouls (2.92) and in the top 12% for takeover attempts (5.59) per 90.
These stats offer plenty of evidence of how important he is to Southampton’s chances of staying in the top flight, as he is always looking to get into the final third and is a threat to opposition defenses up and down the country.
He shouldn’t be fazed by a move to a club like Newcastle, especially given how well he’s played this season. It seems that the young man is ready for the next step in his development, which would make Dibling even more advanced.
Just imagine the attacking trio of Isak, Gordon and Dibling. These three could lead the club’s team during the second half of the season, meaning they return to the top four after missing out last season.
