Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer was not impressed with England on Thursday night.
The Three Lions lost 3-1 to Greece in the Nations League, with Lee Carsley’s side putting in a rather worrying performance.
Anthony Gordon played on the left of attack for England, but was nowhere near his best. He was part of a very dysfunctional attack, with Alan Shearer admitting that Gordon ‘had a poor game’ at Wembley.
The 23-year-old retained his place in Carsley’s side from the previous international break, despite the interim England manager making plenty of changes.
Marc Guehi not involved in England defeat
Carsley brought Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer into his starting XI, while there were also changes in defence.
Marc Guehi, who almost joined Newcastle United in the summer, has become an England regular, proving to be the Three Lions’ best player at Euro 2024.
He also featured in the two Nations League games in September, but was an unused substitute against Greece on Thursday night. Instead, Levi Colwill partnered John Stones at centre-back.
It did not prove to be the correct decision, with England conceding so many chances to a Greece side that should have won in much more convincing fashion.
Alan Shearer’s suggests Newcastle transfer speculation has impacted Marc Guehi
Carsley’s decision to give someone else a chance at centre-back comes at a time when Guehi is not shining at club level.
The 24-year-old has endured a tough start to the campaign with Crystal Palace, and Alan Shearer has suggested on The Rest Is Football podcast that his failed move to Newcastle United might be having an impact on him from a mental perspective.
“He hasn’t had a good start to the season, though, that’s the only problem, isn’t it?” he said.
“Whether the transfer speculation has affected him mentally or not, but he hasn’t had a great start to the season with Palace.”
In response, Gary Lineker said: “Palace have struggled a little bit. He had all the speculation about joining your mob [Newcastle United].”
Alan Shearer wanted Newcastle United to sign Marc Guehi in the summer
Newcastle’s summer interest in Guehi is well documented. The Magpies made multiple bids to sign the defender, but were unable to strike a deal with Crystal Palace chief Steve Parish.
There were moments towards the end of the summer when it felt like a deal was going to go through, and there was excitement about the prospect of Guehi moving to St James’ Park.
Alan Shearer shared that excitement, and predicted a top four finish for Newcastle if the Guehi deal went through.
Sadly, it did not. Crystal Palace raised Guehi’s asking price to £75million, which resulted in Paul Mitchell walking away.
Newcastle could make fresh Guehi move in January
It was extremely infuriating for Newcastle, but it is a transfer saga that might not be over.
It has been reported that Newcastle could make a fresh bid to sign Guehi in early 2025, with Paul Mitchell and Eddie Howe currently making plans for the January transfer window.
Crystal Palace are resigned to losing Guehi in 2025, with the England international showing no interest in signing a new contract at Selhurst Park. His current deal expires in 2026, which means they either need to extend his contract or cash in next year.
It looks like it could be the latter, while Guehi’s form for Crystal Palace could also strengthen Newcastle’s position, as it may result in the Eagles not being able to command as big a fee as they did in the summer.
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