Howe on £35m Malick Thiaw move and Anthony Gordon injury update

Eddie Howe has been speaking to the media following today’s 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Sela Cup.

Much like last night, the post-match talk was less about performance and more about an injury to Anthony Gordon and proposed move to Newcastle for Malick Thiaw.

Asked about claims, which we broke in an exclusive on Friday, that the club are closing in on a £30m-plus move for the AC Milan centre-back, Howe kept his cards close to his chest:

"No, again, (I've heard) nothing. I’ve been preparing these two games,” Howe said when asked if he has an update.

“I’m not updated on everything that's happened. Let’s see what happens.”

The boss then offered some hope on Anthony Gordon’s ankle issue after the winger hobbled off in the second half of today’s game:

Suggesting it appear to be nothing serious, Howe said: "We hope he’s ok. He’s got an ankle problem.

"We initially thought it was a muscle problem, but we think it’s just a twist. He should be ok.”