Newcastle United have held a fresh round of transfer meetings as they plot to make progress on the three additions the club want to make this summer – while Eddie Howe is adamant Anthony Gordon’s head has not been turned by a possible move to Liverpool.
Howe was forthright about his own future and possible concerns around new dynamics at the club when he spoke to reporters in Germany last week but it is understood that behind the scenes there remains confidence the new arrangement can work.
One of the areas Howe wants clarity on is recruitment and whether he retains the final say on deals – but i understands talks held over the weekend about possible centre-back and forward targets were “positive”.
New director of football Paul Mitchell, who was present for a week-long training camp at the Adidas HQ in Nuremberg, has been appointed partly for his recruitment expertise and is keen to work with Howe and has no intention of dictating targets to him.
All parties believe the squad is not in need of significant surgery and that is why retaining the club’s crown jewels – including Gordon – for at least another year is seen as so important.
That was nearly not the case with the winger when Liverpool were alerted to his potential availability by Newcastle’s dire Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) situation last month. With the Magpies desperate to recoup £70m of transfer profit to avoid a points deduction a possible move was discussed but what sources describe as “tentative” talks never really progressed. He is now firmly not for sale.
What impact those talks will have on Gordon is unclear. He is a boyhood Liverpool supporter and was understood to be open to the move but Howe has revealed he has held talks with Gordon and believes he will return desperate to go again.
“I will welcome him back with three arms if I had them,” Howe said.
“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 few weeks it was very, very difficult.
“He’s an integral part of what we’re doing. He needs a bit of a break but by the time he comes back he’s ready to go.”
Gordon is set to link up with the team for their pre-season tour of Japan, which starts in over a week, after being given an extended break after the Euros. The England international was understood to be disappointed at his lack of playing time in Germany.
“He needs a bit of a break, he’s a had a really long season and the Euros will have been emotional for him as well,” Howe said.
“I’m confident he is ok [after the transfer speculation]. I think you can only judge Anthony on what he has given Newcastle on the pitch. He’s been committed. 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 and I want to make that clear to all our supporters.”
Newcastle had three key men away at summer international tournaments – Gordon, Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes – and Howe will handle their returns delicately.
“They’ll be back at certain times. I do feel it is important for players like Bruno, Anthony and Kieran that they do get some time away,” he said.
“The biggest danger for them is you bring them back too early and there’s no freshness to them and I think that can really damage their season so we have to get that right.
“But we have a game looming very large against Southampton that we have to get them ready for as well so it’s a very delicate balance.”
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