· 4 August 2025, 12:00
**Alan Shearer laid down the law for Alexander Isak on The Rest Is Football Podcast, essentially saying that if he doesn't want to play for Newcastle United, then he should Foxtrot Off.**
That would leave Newcastle with an enormous hole to fill up front, and while the Magpies are hotly pursuing Slovenian forward Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig, the former Newcastle No. 9 isn't entirely convinced.
Sesko is still just 22 and obviously has never played in the Premier League, which is a cause for concern for Shearer.
Additionally, Shearer thinks Sesko, who is also being chased by Manchester United, is far from the finished article.
Shearer says signing Benjamin Sesko is a gamble
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Indeed, speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer said that Newcastle and Manchester United would be taking a gamble on Sesko.
> “With Sesko, I know he’s young, but that would be a gamble because you’re going to have to pay a decent sized fee.“I saw him two or three times in the Champions League last season and there’s definitely room for improvement.
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> “Yes, there’s certainly a talent there but there’s a lot improvement that can be made as well. You’re bringing someone who’s unknown into the Premier League and that’s always a bit of a risk.”
We share Shearer's concerns but we're not flapping
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We'd be lying if we said we thought Shearer was wrong. We know that we're not going to instantly get the same level of greatness from Sesko as we'll be losing from Isak, but if anyone can bring that level out of him, it's Eddie Howe.
The way we're looking at it is that we should bring in Yoane Wissa this summer, hopefully alongside Sesko, so we have a Premier League-proven goalscorer to keep us going this season as Sesko gets to grips with everything.
It may take a season or two, but we absolutely believe that Sesko has what it takes to be another top striker at St James' Park.