Howe: “His head is here… He’s with Newcastle

Newcastle manager, Eddie Howe is confident that Anthony Gordon is not distracted by the transfer speculations linking him to Liverpool. However, he has admitted the club needs to sell some players before the window shuts on August 30.

Liverpool have continued to be linked with Anthony Gordon despite talks between the two clubs breaking down after the Magpies sold another player to raise funds to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) before the June 30 deadline.

Liverpool Echo reports that Liverpool maintain a strong interest in Gordon, but the immediate need for Newcastle to cash in on the player has now passed with his asking price likely to be elevated as a result. Consequently, it remains to be seen if the Reds will test the Magpies resolve again before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

Newcastle continues their readiness for the 2024-2025 season when they host Girona at St. James’ Park on Friday night, before facing Brest the next day. It is uncertain if Gordon will feature in either of the fixtures, having returned to full pre-season training at the beginning of this week following his participation in the Euros.

Speaking ahead of the double-header, Howe was faced with answering questions about the future of his winger. He was confident the player is committed to the club but did not rule out a future departure.

“His head is where Bruno’s (Bruno Guimaraes, who has also been linked with a move away) is. He’s with Newcastle,” he said of Gordon. “No distractions. He’s been really impressive (in training). His focus has been on his work and his fitness, everything to do with this football club, nothing else.

“They (Gordon and Kieran Trippier) needed an extended break. It was essential we gave them a mental break. They’ve came back in good shape. Really happy with them. Hopefully they will be involved at the weekend.”

“I’m confident he is okay,” the Newcastle boss told reporters. “We’ve had no conversations over the summer where it has been fractious or negative.

“He’s always been the Anthony Gordon who has given absolutely everything to Newcastle. He’s such an important player for us.

“We didn’t want to lose anybody. Why would we want to lose our best players? We fought really hard to make the right decisions in those last couple of weeks.

“The rules forced us to do things we didn’t want to do. It was a really difficult time; there was a lot of uncertainty, and we didn’t know what was going to happen.

“It was very, very difficult, but Anthony is an integral part of what we’re doing. He needs a bit of a break. He’s had a long season and the Euros will have been emotional for him as well. Hopefully, by the time he comes back, he’s ready to go.”

Howe also revealed there still would be some departures before the window closes.

“We’re going to have to bring in income as well,” he admitted. “We’re managing that very delicately…

“We’ll try to get it right, but through the period of time that I’m going to be here, I’m sure there’s going to have to be outgoings as well to balance it up the other way.”

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