Alan Shearer was astounded by Newcastle United’s actions following the 1996/97 season, when they came close to winning the Premier League.
Newcastle had a tremendously dynamic team in the mid-1990s, with an attack powered by the amazing tandem of Shearer and Les Ferdinand, a powerful pair that would scare any defense from any era of football.
Shearer spoke on The Rest Is Football podcast about Newcastle’s decision to trade Ferdinand to Tottenham at the end of the season and why he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Shearer still frustrated by Newcastle’s decision
It’s been over 30 years since the entertainers almost won the Premier League, becoming one of the most dynamic and aggressive sides in history.
Instead, they’ll be remembered for Kevin Keegan’s historic interview and blowing a 12-point lead to Manchester United, and over three decades later, they’re still nowhere near the top of the league.
Shearer commented on that season and what came after on the show, claiming that he couldn’t comprehend the decision to sell one of the division’s finest strikers.
Shearer was the leading scorer that season with 25, while Ferdinand had a remarkable 17. However, he was sold to Tottenham for £6 million the following summer, and Newcastle struggled to find a successor.
On the podcast, Shearer stated: “Les. I was at Newcastle, and we scored 49 goals together in our first season, 1996-97, before he was sold in the summer. It was like, “Why?” He went to the Spurs, actually. I believe it was for £6 million. It was like, “Oh no, I can’t believe this.”
Newcastle have learned from previous mistakes
Newcastle as a club is an entirely different entity under its still-new ownership, which is keen to become one of the world’s biggest clubs over the next five to ten years.
They do not want to be compelled to sell to bigger teams and are eager to keep their key players, Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak, despite their financial difficulties.
Newcastle will not want to repeat the past by losing a vital player and never fully replacing them, like they did when Yohan Cabaye left for PSG in 2014.
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