Harvey Barnes curled a delicious strike past Djordje Petrovic to halve the deficit on Saturday afternoon. Newcastle United ultimately salvaged a draw against Bournemouth, but Matthias Jaissle criticised his side's "slapstick" defending.

This was a disorganised effort from the Toon, especially in the first half, but the likes of Barnes still proved that there is a certain X-factor about this attack which could be shaped into something special over the course of the campaign.

The 28-year-old has produced a few hard-working displays at the start of this Premier League season, but now he will feel he has consolidated his position down the left flank, stepping up after Anthony Gordon was sold to Barcelona for £69m in June.

However, Bazoumana Toure arrived from Hoffenheim for £43m this summer, and latterly, Matias Fernandez-Pardo has arrived, the Belgian forward bearing all the mark of a future superstar.

Why Fernandez-Pardo is the perfect Gordon upgrade

Gordon ebbed and flowed in front of goal throughout his Newcastle career, but his blistering pace and unflinching attitude in attack endeared him to the fanbase. He was one of Howe's most important pieces, fiercely dynamic on the move and skilled out wide and as a makeshift centre-forward.

Now, Fernandez-Pardo has the chance to replace Gordon as Newcastle's new attacking talisman, having arrived from LOSC Lille for £51m on deadline day. The 21-year-old has only made 71 league starts, but he is regarded as one of Europe's most talented young forwards.

When quizzed on his preferred position, Newcastle's new signing said, "I do have a little bit of a preference to play down the middle as No.9 but I am someone who wants to help the team out."

Interesting: Fernandez-Pardo is blisteringly quick, and he has played plenty of football as a winger, but this could suggest that Barnes and Toure will jockey for a wide berth, and that Yoane Wissa will be challenged by the £51m arrival.

These two players have contrasting attacking skillsets, and in the aggregate, can help offset the sale of a flawed but talismanic star in Gordon.

However, there's actually someone else, deeper down the pitch, who is emerging as the Magpies' new version of the flashy England winger.

Newcastle have found their new Gordon in an unlikely source

This season more than most seasons, Newcastle need a few players to step up and prove themselves as leaders. Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes are among those to have departed this summer, and newbies such as Fernandez-Pardo and Toure should not be expected to play as focal points from the get-go.

However, Lewis Hall has started the season in fine fettle indeed, and the left-back is proving that he can replace Gordon as the Toon's new main man, starting the term off with some mature and all-encompassing displays.

One of the most athletic and mobile full-backs in the Premier League, the young England international is starting to show why Manchester United were so keen this summer, linked throughout the window with a £75m move that PIF refused to entertain.

Now, it looks like Jaissle, who has fallen in love with the player, is pushing to tie him down to a new long-term contract, extending his time on Tyneside by a further two years.

Toward the end of last season, analyst Raj Chohan hailed Hall as "the best left-back in the Premier League, bar none". His early-season performances under Jaissle's wing will have done little to detach Chohan from his opinion; and in fact, Hall is now gathering wider plaudits as he continues to produce complete performances.

As was the case with Gordon, there's a poignant sense that Hall will not spend his entire career with the Magpies, but that certianly doesn't mean he cannot continue to establish himself as one of the icons of this era.

In 2023/24, Gordon was awarded the honour of Newcastle's Player of the Year. It was well deserved, the 25-year-old a shining light throughout a difficult year for the Toon persuasion. In all competitions, he scored 12 goals and supplied 16 assists across all competitions.

It may be a somewhat attritional year ahead under Jaissle's management, but Newcastle have what it takes to bounce back - with Hall playing so well, perhaps he will emulate Gordon and become the star of the show at a time of great need on Tyneside.