Alan Shearer didn’t mince his words when assessing Newcastle United’s transfer business conducted over the past year. The club’s legendary former striker feels the Magpies’ recruitment staff haven’t backed Eddie Howe well.
Some of the best transfers in the club’s history have occurred during Howe’s reign, including Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali. The midfield duo have been huge successes since arriving at St James’ Park.
Tonali was in action on Tuesday night (March 10th) in a 1-1 home draw against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. The hosts deserved to come away with victory, but a late Lamine Yamal penalty broke the Toon Army’s hearts.
Cashing out?
Howe opted to leave Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa on the bench for the entirety of the Round of 16 first-leg clash with the Catalans. The two summer signings have failed to hit the mark since arriving on Tyneside.
Newcastle spent £124m on the two frontmen, but Howe’s decision to snub them against Barca speaks volumes about their struggles. Woltemade has endured a tough start to life in England following his club-record £69m arrival from VfB Stuttgart.
The towering centre-forward has been moved from target man to a makeshift midfielder. He has managed 10 goals and four assists in 43 games across competitions.
Wissa’s problems lie with his fitness, as he started the campaign sidelined with a knee injury. The versatile attacker returned in December but hasn’t lived up to expectations with three goals and one assist in 21 games across competitions.
Alan Shearer’s Newcastle concerns
Shearer discussed the duo and explained why Howe’s decision to leave them on the bench highlights the failures of the club’s transfer chiefs. He said on Amazon Prime Video:
“It means that their recruitment in the summer was not what it could have been and should have been.”
He added:
“I know there were mitigating circumstances. But that tells you everything with the money that they spent on Wissa and Woltemade and they are not good enough to get into the team this evening in what Eddie Howe said was one of the biggest games in the club’s history.”
Woltemade has been heavily criticised in recent months, with many ridiculing Newcastle for paying such an astronomical fee for the German. The 24-year-old has shown glimpses of promise, particularly in the early stages of the season, but his price tag will now be under the microscope.
It doesn’t feel as though Wissa has received the same level of scrutiny despite the 29-year-old contributing much less to the team. He joined from Brentford in a £55m deal, a hefty fee for a player nearing their thirties.
