'Will go' - Alan Shearer's scathing message to Newcastle United after £65m 'failure' & controversial comments

Following a disappointing summer, the off-field situation continues to be the main topic of discussion whether you like it or loathe it.

Despite coming from behind to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday via stunning goals from Fabian Schar and Harvey Barnes, the post-match digest on Premier League TV centred around the boardroom changes.

In the past fortnight, newly-appointed sporting director Paul Mitchell has questioned if Newcastle’s transfer policy is fit for purpose amid the pressures to comply with Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

They were comments that annoyed some people within the walls of St James’ Park. Eddie Howe himself said on Friday that he is “very proud” of the players he’s signed since being appointed as head coach in November 2021.

But that is just one part of tale with Alan Shearer, Ian Wright and Glenn Hoddle talking about the situation in depth. What Shearer says carries a lot of weight - and here’s what the Magpies legend said in full:

‘Newcastle failed Eddie Howe in the transfer window’

“Eddie spoke at the beginning of the season saying everything has to be aligned - and you can tell it isn’t. For Newcastle to move forward and improve that somehow has to change because clearly there was a disagreement in terms of their recruitment and I felt as though they failed the manager in the transfer window - there’s no doubt about what he wanted and that was a centre-half and he wanted Marc Guehi. For whatever reason, they weren’t able to bring him in.

“The sporting director’s comments were ‘well I speak to Eddie everyday’ then the question is put to Eddie and he says ‘no I haven’t spoken to him for a couple of weeks’. Then the question to Eddie was about Paul Mitchell’s comments about the transfer policy, ‘not fit for purpose’ and Eddie said ‘I’m very happy with the transfer business we’ve done under me’.

“There has to be a togetherness for the club to go where they want it to go and at the minute, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that’s not the case. Going forward, that has to change.”

‘Have to align and get on otherwise one of them will go’

“We’ve spoken about the PSR rules and they don’t sit easy with me in terms of what you have to do to accommodate them and make them work, particularly for a club like Newcastle. You can have your say on whatever you feel about the Saudis owning Newcastle but they are incredibly wealthy and they can take the big boys on, very much like Aston Villa can but at the minute, they’re being stopped from doing that.

“I understand the big boys don’t want anyone to come in and challenge but those sort of laws don’t sit easy with me so they have to get around those rules as does every other football club, and they got rid of two youngsters in [Yankuba] Minteh and Elliot Anderson who they didn’t want to sell.

“There was money there to spend, they put in a significant offer for Guehi but for Newcastle to continue to improve, get better and challenge, those rules people in important positions have to align and get on, otherwise one of them will go.”

‘Look at Man City, Liverpool & Arsenal’

“It is no doubt Eddie used the press conference to get his point of view over. If you’re clever enough to look into his comments, you can see what he is trying to say and he doesn’t agree with whatever has gone on behind the scenes.

“If you look at the biggest and most successful clubs, look at Man City - what happens between their director and the manager? Everything is aligned. Look at what Liverpool did under Jurgen Klopp. Look at what [Mikel] Arteta is doing now at Arsenal. So all the clubs Newcastle want to get to, they all have a great relationship behind the scenes in terms of the transfer policy, the manager working with the sporting director. It has to work.

“If you’re asking Newcastle fans who they are going to back, back the manager because he’s done an incredible job.”

‘Paul Mitchell was brought in to do deals and support Eddie Howe’

“One of the questions put to Eddie about the sporting director’s comments about the transfer policy not being fit for purpose and him also taking a backseat on transfers in this window, well there was a reason he was brought in and that was to do the deals and bring players in and support the manager.

“But you’ve got to have plans in terms of speaking to the manager, you always need a list that if you can’t get him then who else? It’s quite clear that hasn’t happened over the recent transfer window and for Newcastle to get better and improve that has to change.”

‘It’s a different Newcastle after boardroom changes’

“Each and every one of them has actually done the job they were brought in to do. Use Chris Wood for example. It’s a different Newcastle now to what it was when Eddie came in. The communication coming out of Newcastle were brilliant from Amanda [Staveley] and Mehrdad [Ghodoussi], and that’s not the case now.

“This wouldn’t have happened six months or a year ago because Eddie was really tight with Amanda and Mehrdad, they were his allies and they had a great relationship. It’s very different with Eddie working with Paul Mitchell and Darren Eales.”

‘Newcastle desperately needed a centre-back

“They put in £60m-£65m, whatever it was for Guehi. That’s why they sold the two youngsters so they could go out and recruit again. It wasn’t the transfer window that Newcastle needed or wanted. Eddie needed and desperately needed a centre-half and maybe a right-sided midfielder so I felt as though they failed him after the job that he’s done and doing.

“He needed a bit of help in this transfer window and it hasn’t happened. They’ve to get on with it now, they’ve had a good start to the season without playing well. The nucleus of a squad is there but he wants to get better, that’s what the fans have been told.

“The people that have come in have said ‘this is where we want to go’ so Eddie is only trying to do this job to the best of his ability and at the minute, they are getting results without playing well.”