Eddie Howe said Anthony Gordon may have played his final match for Newcastle, with Bayern Munich pushing to sign the winger and Newcastle preparing for a summer of change. Gordon was likely to start on the bench when Newcastle hosted West Ham on Sunday evening, a decision Howe said was made with one eye on what comes next.
Gordon last played for Newcastle in mid-April, then missed two games with a minor hip injury before returning as an unused substitute in a home win over Brighton and in the draw at Nottingham Forest. Howe said there were discussions “that potentially might be happening” about Gordon’s future, but not with him, and added that the team had played well in his absence. “The team has played well in his absence and that it [leaving him on the bench was] was with a partial view to the future,” Howe said.
The situation matters now because Newcastle are heading into a summer with “a lot of unknowns” and “a lot of change,” according to Howe, who said seven or eight players are expected to depart. The exits of Kieran Trippier and Emil Krafth have already been confirmed, while Fabian Schar’s contract ends next month. Newcastle appear ready to discuss a one-year extension with the defender, and Howe said Schar “still has a lot to offer on the pitch.” He said he would speak with Schar and his representatives next week.
Behind Gordon’s uncertainty is a transfer stand-off that has gone public. Bayern are believed to have agreed personal terms with the winger and are negotiating over the fee, but Newcastle are holding out for £75m while the German club try to force the price down by around £10m. Howe did not shut the door on selecting Gordon again, saying he would play him if it was the right thing for the team and the club, but his comments left little doubt that Newcastle are already planning for life beyond the 24-year-old.
“I put the team and the club above any individual,” Howe said. “So, if it was the right thing, then I would play him, of course.” That is the clearest sign yet that Gordon’s situation is no longer just about one match or one injury. It is about a squad that may soon look different, a manager who is already thinking ahead, and a transfer market that could decide whether Newcastle’s reshaping begins with one of their most valuable players.
The same wider football conversation also includes Daniel Farke, who suggested he could leave Leeds if the club’s hierarchy do not match his ambition. Farke is due to discuss extending his contract with 49er Enterprises, with his deal set to expire next year. “I understand the questions about the future, I don’t want to hide away,” he said. “I can allow myself to be picky. I will only take on projects I believe in.” He added that Leeds needed “another three to five-year plan.”
