Sky sport paundit Paul Merson now gives ‘strong’ admission on Newcastle united

Newcastle United has already demonstrated their ability to compete in multiple competitions, as evidenced by their unexpected top-four finish last season. This perspective comes from Paul Merson, who believes that Eddie Howe’s team should aim to replicate this achievement in the current season.

Newcastle recently extended their unbeaten streak to eight games across all competitions by comfortably defeating Crystal Palace at home. Their convincing 4-0 win over the Eagles propelled them to fifth place in the Premier League standings. Additionally, the team is leading Group F in the Champions League after a memorable victory against Paris Saint-Germain.

Notably, Newcastle also defeated the treble-winning Manchester City at St James’ Park, resulting in an early exit for Pep Guardiola’s side from the Carabao Cup. Some doubts were raised before the season regarding the depth of Newcastle’s squad to handle both European and domestic competitions, especially after three initial defeats. However, Merson believes that the recent positive run has proven that Eddie Howe has the necessary quality players at his disposal to meet this challenge. He cited the quadruple substitution in the Crystal Palace victory, where Miguel Almiron, Alexander Isak, Tino Livramento, and Sandro Tonali were introduced from the bench, as evidence of the squad’s strength.

Despite this, Merson suggests that Newcastle could benefit from making two additional signings in the January transfer window. When asked if Newcastle has already proven their ability to compete in four different competitions, Merson stated on Sky Sports, “No, I think they can. You look at who they brought on, Isak, Tonali, Livramento and Almiron. Not bad! They’ve got the players, and they might need a couple more in January, but they are likely to be competitive once again. They achieved a top-four position quickly, perhaps even faster than they anticipated. In my view, they need to repeat that success in the current season. They won’t be far off; Newcastle is a strong football team.”