England winger Anthony Gordon putting pen to paper on a new long-term deal at Newcastle United will allow him to put any transfer speculation behind him and renew focus on the job, manager Eddie Howe said on Friday.Having grabbed 12 goals and 11 assists last season, Gordon has started this campaign slowly with just two goals as Newcastle sit ninth in the standings.
The club announced his contract extension on Tuesday.The 23-year-old had been linked with a move to Liverpool in the close season while he barely played for England at the Euros - factors which Howe said caused a lot of distractions when pre-season preparations got underway."(The new contract) cuts out a lot of needless noise around his future.
I think now that he can really focus on this season and performing at his very best level," Howe told reporters ahead of Sunday's Premier League trip to Chelsea."He's such a talent.
We need him absolutely firing and I think this will help him, no doubt, get back to his very best... It was a difficult summer for him, there's no doubt about that.