DrkeemIf Liverpool’s agreed £75m move for Anthony Gordon had gone through, the England international would have become the joint-record most expensive signing in the Reds’ history. Such a fee would be level with Virgil van Dijk and Darwin Nunez, though remaining add-ons for the Uruguayan ensure he will likely make the mantle his own.
It would have marked some profit for Newcastle United, having only signed the forward for a fee worth up to £45m with add-ons from Everton in January 2023
But that’s nothing compared to what Liverpool would have made by selling Joe Gomez – a £3.5m signing from Charlton Athletic in June 2015 – after a deal involving the two England internationals had been agreed last month.
“I knew what was coming in terms of me leaving but the fans and PIF deserved every focus of mine,” Staveley told the Athletic. “Had I left before (the PSR deadline) and we’d breached, then that would have been bad. It was very, very difficult, but I was determined to make sure Darren (Eales – Newcastle’s CEO) has a clear runway.
“My biggest concern was that we’d lose Alex (Isak) or Anthony (Gordon) because Liverpool chased him and both are extraordinary players. Negotiating is tough because you have to pretend it means nothing to you when it means everything.”
Had such a sale gone through, Gomez would have become the fifth most-expensive sale in the Reds’ history, trailing only Philippe Coutinho, Luis Suarez, Fernando Torres and Raheem Sterling.
While eyebrows would have initially been raised amongst supporters at the prospect of such a deal actually being that close to completion a month ago, it’s understandable why such an offer from Newcastle piqued their interest.
According to Transfermarkt, the England international is currently valued at roughly £23.6m after an impressive season at Anfield. Such a total is the highest his market value has stood at in two years, when he was valued at £25.3m in November 2022. Last year, his value rose back up after decline, but overall it has still dropped steadily since being valued at a career-high £35.4m in March 2020 when first-choice at centre-back for Liverpool and helping them storm to the Premier League title.
Reasons for that is clear, given his lengthy injury absences at times and the fact that he has rarely been first-choice for the Reds, and certainly not in his favoured position, over the past four years. Under Jurgen Klopp, such setbacks ultimately saw him transformed into a back-up utility player.
Injuries elsewhere saw opportunities fall Gomez’s way last season as he made a career best 51 appearances, with his overall form resulting in an England recall for the first time in three and a half years. But it came off the back of a difficult three-year period for the defender, as he struggled for both form and game-time after a lengthy injury lay-off.
Now 27 years old, Gomez extended his contract with Liverpool until 2027 back in 2022, at a time when his future with the club had been uncertain. The club were confident that the defender’s best years were still to come and still considered him one of the top English centre-backs.
Two years on and that won’t have changed, but an inflated £45m offer appears to have been too big of a dangling carrot to resist – along with ‘discount’ it would have also provided for Gordon who reportedly commanded an initial £100m asking-price
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