Anthony Gordon appears to have taken a swipe at the footballing IQ of Newcastle United supporters. The Magpies sold Gordon for £69million during the summer transfer window, and the winger has gone on to impress at Camp Nou so far.

Gordon is yet to score, but he has provided four assists, and he is earning positive reviews from the Spanish media. But it is also worth keeping in mind that he is playing in a superb Barcelona side that has been dominant over the last two years, and Marcus Rashford, who has since struggled to get back off the ground in the Premier League, scored 14 and assisted as many in this team last season.

That's not to discredit Gordon's efforts so far, because he has been good, but the Blaugrana are a high-functioning offence that will make it easier for any player to impress.

Still, since he has joined Barca, Gordon has made a few interesting comments about the differences in English and Spanish football, largely discussing how much more intricate and tactical the Spanish game is.

In his most recent interview, during international duty with England, Gordon has hinted that Barca fans have a bigger footballing IQ than fans at St James' Park and England.

Gordon's impressive Barcelona start

• Appearances: 6
• Assists: 4
• Pass success: 89.9%
• Key passes: 1.2 per game
• Dribbles: 2 per game
• Shots per game: 2

“I think I've become a different player in a lot of people's eyes," Gordon told ITV. “I always felt in England, people respected me because I was fast and I pressed but they never actually respected the quality and IQ that I play with.

“Only the players I play with ever seem to notice that. I think now I'm at Barcelona and I play a different style, those qualities are highlighted much more and people are actually starting to take notice that I'm not just quick.

“In England, it was never really respected because people just see me as really quick and really aggressive. In Spain, they really appreciate my IQ and quality because at Barca, if you're not technical, if you're not smart, you're going to stand out like a sore thumb.”

Gordon is confusing style for IQ

Firstly, Gordon is just expressing his opinion, and that's fine. We want players to be more expressive, and we want less dull interviews, so credit to him for speaking his mind.

But I live in Spain and I support a Spanish team that prides itself on playing some of the most patient and intricate football from the academy right up to the senior team - Villarreal. I've sat alongside Spanish fans for years, as I have fans in the UK, and what Gordon is talking about is a difference in style.

Spanish football fans, for the most part, and especially at clubs who play a certain way, like Barcelona and Villarreal, are uncompromising. They like a certain way of playing, and they are not easily impressed by anything different. They do not clap at a long ball and a striker winning a header, they clap when they see four one-touch passes to break out of a press from deep in their own half. They appreciate a different type of football.

But I don't necessarily think that's about football IQ. There are plenty of exceptions, of course, but the majority of fans I have sat next to inside Spanish stadiums don't know the reasons for a press, nor can they spot pressing systems or such intricacies. That is football IQ.

They appreciate a finer wine, if you like, but most punters are not going to be able to tell you the fine details. It's a style thing, not one of intelligence.