‘Brilliant or rubbish’ - Alan Shearer makes strong Newcastle United claim as £100m duo name-checked
Newcastle United have enjoyed a five-game unbeaten run at the start of the 2026-27 season.
Alan Shearer maintains that Newcastle United will finish in mid-table this season.
Like most Toon fans, the legendary former striker feared the worst midway through the transfer window. Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, Eddie Howe and Bruno Guimaraes left the Magpies to fuel talk of a potential crisis at St James’ Park.
Matthias Jaissle - a relative unknown - arrived in the dugout. However, the new manager has proven to be a hit as Newcastle are unbeaten in five games across all competitions.
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Newcastle United’s late transfer spree
A late transfer spree also resulted in the likes of Amar Dedic, Nico Gonzalez and Matias Fernandez-Pardo bolstering United’s squad. There is now a sense of optimism on Tyneside after a turbulent few months.
Alan Shearer sticks to Newcastle United prediction
Speaking to Betfair, Shearer opened up about the roller-coaster world of Newcastle while backing his pre-season prediction. He said: “I've been pleasantly surprised by Newcastle and Matthias Jaissle. The signings they made late in the transfer window - Fernandez Pardo and Nico Gonzalez - have both made important impacts.
“But it's like everything else in Newcastle, it's literally black or white. You're either brilliant or you're rubbish. There's no halfway, there's no in between and at the minute they've had a really good start, so everything's positive.
“I expect them to have some tough periods this season because of how young they are, and how inexperienced the manager is, but they've played five games, and they're five unbeaten. So I'm happy with that. Newcastle have shown enough to suggest that they can have a decent season, but I won't change my mind on the predictions. I still expect us to be in and around mid-table.”
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