Howe delighted with Gordon's new long-term deal | OneFootball

The Magpies aim to return to winning ways in the English top-flight ahead of this weekend's trip to the capital and can leapfrog Enzo Maresca's Blues, who currently lie two points ahead of United in sixth place, with a first victory at Stamford Bridge since May 2012.

Howe expressed his delight in Gordon, who scored his first United goal away at Chelsea on the final day of the 2022/23 season, putting pen to paper on a new long-term contract with the club earlier this week, as well as discussing the status of attacking duo Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson.

Here are some of the boss' main talking points from Friday morning's pre-match media briefing at the Newcastle United Media Centre...

On Gordon, who signed a new long-term contract with Newcastle United on Tuesday:

"Really pleased for him and for us. I think it's a really smart bit of work from the football club and for Anthony because I think it cuts out a lot of needless noise around his future and he can now focus on this season and perform at his very best level.

"He's such a talent and we need him firing. I think this will help him get back to his best."

On Wilson, who is yet to feature for the Magpies so far this season:

"We're going to lose Callum for the next three games. He's had some tightness in his body and hasn't felt like he could kick on to that last part. He had trained with us and looked really good but, with Callum, he is hyper-sensitive to any reaction to the work.

"He's got no injury as such but he's just not ready to come back yet."

On Chelsea, who made eleven changes during Thursday's Europa Conference League victory against Panathinaikos, before two successive fixtures against the Blues:

"They almost have two (starting) XIs. They have got real strength in depth when you look at the transfer business they have done now over numerous windows. They are beginning to stabilise now in the sense of you can see consistency in their team selection.

"Credit to them for bringing in a really good manager who has brought in that tactical structure. We know the next two games are going to be a great challenge for us.”

On scoring from open play, aiming to avoid a fifth consecutive game across all competitions in doing so:

"You trust the process if it's working and we're always trying to evolve on the football pitch, never trying to repeat what we're doing.

"There's always that view of how we can do things better. If you look at the last group of games, we've had varied success in different matches. In the Brighton game, I was pleased with the attacking output bar the finish or last parts.

"We should've scored, we haven't, and sometimes there's a reason for it but you have to back the players that we have to score goals and we've got some outstanding attacking players within our squad."

On Isak, who is targeting a third goal in as many matches against Sunday's opponents:

"He's another player that's done a lot of work this week to get his fitness levels up to 100 per cent. He's trained well this week and he knows the burden of being the main striker at Newcastle and you do carry an extra weight with that but I think he's done that brilliantly since he's been here.

"We need to support him and give him chances. He had seven shots last week so that was a good return and I back him if he's having that amount every week that he'll score a lot of goals for us."

On Lewis Hall, who joined the Magpies from Chelsea on a permanent basis last summer:

"When we were looking at this deal last year, it was the lack of equal players in that position. We took an opportunity to sign a young player that we knew would be growing and developing into the player that he was going to become.

"We wanted to grab that opportunity while we had it and we felt if we waited, it would possibly be beyond us. He took time to develop, as all young players do, but the growth in him towards the back end of last season and, certainly, this season has been really strong.

"He's adding layers all the time, with different strengths to his game, and I can only see that improving."