WHAT HAPPENED?
Newcastle were close to losing Gordon earlier in the window when they agreed a deal with Liverpool that would have sent Joe Gomez to St. James’ Park. But the deal, inspired by the Magpies’ need to sell in order to comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), fell through when funds were raised by other departures. Still, Liverpool retain an interest in Gordon and have until August 30 to make a deal happen.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Gordon enjoyed the best season of his career in 2023-24 and under normal circumstances, Newcastle would consider him unsellable. But PSR considerations have left the club needing to sell, so the rumours will continue to swirl around the England international. Speaking to the media as Newcastle wrap-up their pre-season preparations, the 46-year-old admitted he has no desire to see Gordon leave while opening up on his current state of mind.
WHAT HOWE SAID
“His head is where Bruno’s (Bruno Guimaraes has also been linked with a move away) is. He’s with Newcastle,” Howe told reporters. “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.”
Howe said the deal with Liverpool was “a difficult time”, admitting the club were forced into striking a deal with the Reds due to PSR rules.
“I’m confident he is okay,” the Newcastle boss added. “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.”
WHAT NEXT FOR GORDON?
Howe is hopeful that Gordon will feature in either of Newcastle’s remaining friendlies, against Girona on Friday evening and Brest on Saturday, before their Premier League campaign gets up and running at home to Southampton on August 17.
