‘Front up’ - Alan Shearer demands two Newcastle United chiefs to face the press after transfer failings

Alan Shearer believes it is unfair on Eddie Howe to face the media each week and bat off questions about Newcastle United's transfer window.

In a telling discussion about the club’s summer failures, the Toon icon urged sporting directors and chief executives to answer questions that head coaches cannot answer. Darren Eales and Paul Mitchell have come under fire in recent days following Newcastle’s lacklustre window.

The Magpies did not make a major signing that would improve the starting line-up, with several approaches rejected for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi. Newcastle boss Howe admitted that the summer had been “difficult” ahead of the 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur. 

A boardroom shift at St James’ Park saw Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi sell their remaining shares, with Dan Ashworth finally leaving as sporting director to join Manchester United. This gave power to Eales and Mitchell - who ultimately failed to land top target Guehi.

Speaking to The Rest Is Football podcast, all-time leading goalscorer Shearer called upon Premier League hierarchies to face the tough questions - throwing a thinly veiled dig at Eales and Mitchell. He said: “I don’t understand, and what I’d like to see change, not only at Newcastle but with every football club, where seeing coaches rather than managers. 

“We’re seeing more sporting directors and chief executives who are buying players for the coach. Yet we’re seeing the coach having to come out and explain all these decisions. Sometimes the coach hasn’t got a clue what’s going on. 

“Eddie said it himself this week that he didn’t really know. I’d like more sporting directors or whoever is making the decisions to come out and explain how it is. I don’t think it’s fair on the coach to front up every single week and answer questions that they don’t know the answers to.”