Alan Shearer makes damning Newcastle prediction as he outlines transfer priority needed

Ralf Rangnick previews Newcastle United clash

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It’s one of the most crucial transfer windows coming up for Newcastle who are heading for relegation from the Premier League, and club legend Alan Shearer has outlines what Eddie Howe must do in order to keep the Magpies up.

When Newcastle recently became the richest club in the world, it led fans to believe that within a few years their wealth could make them heavyweights within the Premier League once again.

However, the owners have been dealt a harsh taste of realisation as Newcastle’s retched form and underwhelming squad has highlighted just how much work there is to do at St James’ Park.

With the Magpies still stuck on just one Premier League win, relegation is looking like a serious possibility which will further hinder the club’s progress under the new owners.

Newcastle must pull off a miracle in the January transfer window to stay up this season, and even club legend Alan Shearer has outlined what must be done, as he makes a damning prediction about the fate of his former side.

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It would be the ultimate humiliation for the club’s richest club to get relegated to the second tier, but it’s hard to picture anything but that outcome coming to fruition this season, unless there is a monumental shift in January.

Due to their vast riches, many stars have been linked with a move to Newcastle in January as the league braces itself for what could be a major overhaul in Tyneside.

One man hoping for a busy window is Shearer, and he told The Athletic: “They need a lot of players; I’d say five or six new faces if they want to stay up and I’d start with a completely new back-four and a goalkeeper.

“They’ve really struggled in those positions. The squad has gone stale.”

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With many holes within the Newcastle defence, and a lack of goals at the other end despite Callum Wilson’s best efforts with little to feed off, Eddie Howe needs to make a whole host of signings to have a chance of keeping the club up according to Shearer, but the Magpies boss has already said it’s unlikely that such an overhaul can occur.

According to the Daily Mirror, Newcastle will sign two defenders and a midfielder in January, but Howe plunged doubt into further additions, as he said: “We can’t be signing everyone. If we signed everyone we have been linked with we’d have a squad of 1,000 players.

“There has to be some realism. Players have to concentrate on their own future, get their own performances right.”

Although the right players in the right places can make all the difference, it’s certainly not a huge confidence boost knowing that incomings at Newcastle may be limited in the short term, further adding weight to Shearer’s brutal prediction this season.

When being asked if Newcastle will be relegated this season, Shearer said: “Yes, sadly, although I hope I’m wrong. I’ve not seen any evidence that they’ll have enough.

“They’re so bad defensively I struggle to see how they can survive. Newcastle have 10 points after 18 games. They have played three times more than Burnley who are a place above them and two more than Watford who are three points ahead with a better goal difference.

“You would tend to think that 35 or 36 points would be needed to stay up which means that Newcastle need to get 26 from 20 games. That means winning eight or nine. They need more than a miracle.”

Newcastle’s only win of the season came at home to Burnley, as they scraped a narrow 1-0 victory over their relegation rivals, and they next face Manchester United who thrashed them 4-1 at the start of the year.

The Magpies could be even further off the pace come January, and with so many other sides around them racking up the games in hand due to postponements, it casts further uncertainty to their fate with many matches still to be played.

All eyes will be on Newcastle’s transfer activity in January, and if performances don’t vastly improve, they will almost certainly be playing Championship football next season.

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