Credit: Imago

Harri Burton

Sat 18 April 2026 17:30, UK

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Anthony Gordon is increasingly unlikely to be in a Newcastle United shirt once the 2026-27 campaign kicks off at St James’ Park.

Liverpool and Arsenal have been strongly linked with a move for the England international, and Eddie Howe has now provided both teams with confidence that a deal can be done this summer.

The manager made it extremely clear that there’s no space in his matchday squad for those not committed to wearing the shirt, suggesting that his head was elsewhere on Saturday, 18 April.

He was nowhere to be seen when the lineup was announced to face Bournemouth, and while the official reason was a “slight hip injury,” supporters are preparing for Gordon’s Newcastle exit this summer.

Newcastle United fans reading between the lines vs Bournemouth

This comes days after the news that the 25-year-old is open to a move away from St James’ Park, and Mick Brown told Football Insider that Newcastle are ready to accept a “big offer” for the star.

The Magpies are already being linked with potential replacements, such as Ajax’s Mika Godts or FC Porto’s William Gomes, but nothing is confirmed yet ahead of the summer window.

Although the reason for Gordon’s absence against the Cherries was announced to the media as an injury, it feels very much like the club are trying to cover something else up behind the scenes.

Alexander Isak made his opinion very clear when forcing a move through to Liverpool. There is already a fear that the same could happen with their star winger, who is already heavily linked with an exit.

Eddie Howe could follow Anthony Gordon out of St James’ Park

Gordon’s presence could have made a huge impact against Bournemouth, but without him, the Magpies fell to a 2-1 defeat in a rather toothless display in front of the home faithful.

Football Insider understands that Howe had a 50-50 chance of leaving Newcastle this summer, with plenty of rumours floating around his future and who could replace him.

His side have fallen to 14th in the Premier League table, with just 12 victories from 33 games, sitting 14 points closer to the relegation zone than they are to first-place Arsenal.

Andoni Iraola, Jose Mourinho and Roberto Mancini have all been mentioned ahead of the summer, and it remains unclear what the future holds for either Howe or Gordon.