Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has said a player linked with a move to Tyneside must leave his club this summer.
The Magpies are set to embark on a busy summer, with several new faces set to come through the door. However, the quality of those players depends on whether Newcastle United qualify for the Champions League.
As it stands, Newcastle are third in the Premier League table, but must beat Everton at St James’ Park on Sunday to secure qualification for Europe’s top competition.
Newcastle’s top targets want Champions League football, so Eddie Howe and his players will be well aware of what is at stake on the final day of the season.
Sporting director Paul Mitchell wants to improve multiple positions at Newcastle this summer, with a new centre-back, right-winger and striker the main priorities for Howe ahead of a busy 2025/26 campaign.
With the transfer window less than a month away from opening, Alan Shearer believes one player linked with a move to Newcastle this summer must go after a recent snub.
Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images
Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images
Alan Shearer tells Jack Grealish to leave Manchester City
Despite winning several major trophies, Jack Grealish’s move to Manchester City can only be looked back on as disappointing.
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Signing for £100m in 2021, Grealish has failed to impress under Pep Guardiola and quickly lost his place in the starting XI. It has been a similar story in the 2024/25 season, where Grealish has been limited to just 19 Premier League appearances, scoring once.
Newcastle have been linked with a move for Grealish, with reports suggesting the Magpies would be keen on a loan move for the 29-year-old.
Now, Newcastle legend Shearer has given his view on Grealish’s future at his current club on the latest episode of the Rest is Football.
“His time’s up at Man City. He has to leave.
“For [Guardiola] to bring on a debutant on, a young boy, and Gundogan on when they’re desperate for a goal rather than Jack Grealish, his time is up.
“He’s done at Man City, he has to leave [and] for whatever reason Pep’s done with him. He doesn’t like him. His time’s up.”
Former Manchester City and Aston Villa winger Micah Richards was in complete agreement with Shearer, saying: “I feel as though Jack has played within himself.
“If he’d gone there and been losing the ball because he was trying to take people on and making the wrong pass or whatever. But I don’t feel like we’ve seen the real Jack Grealish.”
Newcastle United are not the right club for Jack Grealish
Grealish has immense quality. Even if he has not shown it at Man City, there is no doubt it is there, he just needs the right manager to take him under their wing.
While Howe has been credited for the job he has done to develop players in the past, Grealish is not the right fit for Newcastle or what they want to do in the future.
Grealish is a left winger, a position Newcastle already have bags of quality. Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes’ presence at the club means that Grealish would struggle for minutes in his best position.
Additionally, Grealish earns around £300,000 a week in wages at Man City. His hefty wage bill is almost double that of Bruno Guimaraes, Newcastle’s highest earner.
Grealish is open to a move abroad this summer, despite the links to Newcastle. It may be the best chance he has to turn his career around.