Newcastle transfer news: Anthony Gordon sent clear message by Eddie Howe amid Arsenal rumours

Eddie Howe has responded to speculation linking Newcastle United attacker Anthony Gordon with a transfer to Premier League leaders Arsenal this summer.

Gordon joined the Magpies from Everton for a fee rising to £45m in January 2023 and he has since established himself as a key first-team figure in Howe’s side.

The 25-year-old has recorded 36 goals and 28 assists in 144 appearances for Newcastle across all competitions, netting nine goals and registering seven assists in 42 games last season to help the Magpies win the EFL Cup and finish fifth in the Premier League, qualifying for the Champions League.

This term, Gordon is Newcastle’s top scorer in all tournaments with 14 goals, but he has particularly excelled in the Champions League having netted 10 goals in as many games, including four first-half goals in a 6-1 playoff first-leg win over Qarabag earlier this month.

Gordon’s performances have subsequently led to speculation over a potential move elsewhere in the summer, with Liverpool and Manchester United having previously been linked with a move for the versatile attacker.

Gordon-to-Arsenal reports surface, but is Howe concerned?

Gordon recently played down those rumours as “a load of rubbish”, but fresh reports have since emerged claiming that the England international has become as a summer target for Premier League title hopefuls Arsenal.

Newcastle’s No.10 is the latest first-team star to be tipped with a move away from St James’ Park after the likes of Tino Livramento ad Sandro Tonali, the latter of whom was also linked with the Gunners earlier this year.

The Magpies reluctantly sold striker Alexander Isak to Liverpool for a club-record £125m last summer, with the Swede going on strike to force through his move to Anfield, and Howe is keen to avoid another similar saga playing out with Gordon.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, ahead of Newcastle’s Premier League clash with Gordon’s former club Everton, Howe said: "I'm not sure there's a lot I can do about [the rumours]. I've not seen the story, so it's news to me.

"But we're mid-season, we're in the middle of some of the biggest games of his career, and who knows what's going to happen internationally with Anthony in the summer as well.

Gordon urged to remain “fully focused” at Newcastle amid transfer talk

"He's not got time to look left or right. He's got to be fully focused on straight ahead and the next game, and trying to be as good as he can be."

Howe remains hopeful that transfer speculation will not unsettle any of his players, adding: "It's your industry that is creating those stories. I'm slightly secluded from it.

"If you don't read it you don't know who has been linked to who. Is it not just part of modern day football that everyone is just linked with moves these days, not just Newcastle players, but potentially a lot of other clubs have the same issues.

"It's irrelevant really. It's how the players react to that. If they absorb it and it affects them, then that's a negative, but I think our players are robust enough to ignore it."

Gordon is under contract at St James’ Park until June 2030 and it has previously been claimed that the attacker is valued at around £95m by Newcastle.