Gordon May Have Played Last Newcastle Game as Bayern Talks Continue
Anthony Gordon may have played his final newcastle game for Newcastle, with Eddie Howe saying the winger’s future is moving toward a decision as Bayern Munich negotiate to sign him. Gordon is likely to be on the bench when Newcastle host West Ham on Sunday evening, and Howe has already signaled a summer of change ahead.
Howe on Gordon's Newcastle future
“When you get to this stage of the season, part of what we will be doing is looking to next year, naturally,” Howe said before discussing the Bayern talks. He added: “There are discussions that potentially might be happening but not with me.”
Gordon last played for Newcastle in mid-April, then missed two games with a minor hip injury. Since then, he has been used only as an unused substitute in a home win against Brighton and a draw at Nottingham Forest, leaving Sunday evening’s visit from West Ham looking like another match without him in the XI.
Bayern, price and the bench
Bayern Munich are trying to force the price down by about £10m from the £75m Newcastle want, which keeps the negotiations in a narrow band around the winger’s valuation. Howe’s own wording pointed to selection being tied to the longer view: “The team has played well in his absence and it [leaving him on the bench was] was with a partial view to the future, yes.”
He went further on the club’s direction: “We are going into a summer where there are a lot of unknowns and there will be a lot of change for us.” Newcastle are expected to lose seven or eight players this summer, with the exits of Kieran Trippier and Emil Krafth already set.
Fabian Schär and Newcastle change
Fabian Schär’s contract ends next month, but Newcastle appear ready to discuss a one-year extension with the defender. Howe said: “Fabian still has a lot to offer on the pitch” and added, “We will have discussions with him and his representatives in the next week. It’s not necessarily about farewell for Fabian.”
That leaves Gordon’s situation as part of a wider turnover rather than a one-off. Howe said, “I put the team and the club above any individual,” before adding, “So, if it was the right thing, then I would play him, of course.”
