Alan Shearer disagrees with Eddie Howe - Newcastle United transfer debate rages

Eddie Howe told reporters last week that the Magpies were not sitting on a “pot of money” ahead of the winter window. That is despite Toon chiefs offering a hefty fee for Crystal Palace defender Guehi earlier this year.

“Firstly, I don’t think any bid (for Guehi) reached that level,” he said when asked about the failed bid. “That is far in excess of what the reality was. Secondly, with PSR, there is no pot of money that we have sitting there waiting to be spent.”

But speaking to Betfair, Newcastle legend Shearer insisted money must be available given the summer saga. The club’s all-time leading goalscorer also threw shade at the current financial regulations.

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“Clearly there's cash available if they were bidding for Marc Guehi but I don't know if that would've meant selling one of the big hitters in the summer,” he said. “I don't like the PSR rules and I don't think they're fair or right but that's the situation we're in.”

Shearer believes the international break came at the wrong time while dissecting the 2-0 defeat to West Ham United. A sluggish performance saw the Magpies blow the chance to break into the top six.

“Newcastle are having an up-and-down season,” Shearer added. “The international break came at the wrong time because they had a bit of momentum, were getting results and they didn't need the break. 

“They didn't need players flying here, there and everywhere. (It) clearly that impacted them against West Ham because, after 10/15 minutes, they were nowhere near as good as what they have been in the past month.”