Shearer: Gyökeres Is Not a Top Striker; Woltemade Not Suited to the Premier League

On September 5, Alan Shearer updated his personal column, discussing Arsenal's striker recruitment and his former club Newcastle's summer transfer business.

Alvarez could have improved Arsenal's chances of winning the Champions League.

Arsenal failed to sign another left winger, but this will not affect their Premier League title prospects. Arsenal's summer transfer business was completed very well, and it is clear they still hoped to bring in another top striker.

Gyökeres is a good player, but not at the top level. Despite that, he helped his team win the league title last season. However, signing a striker like Alvarez would have taken Arsenal one step further in their Champions League pursuit.

If Arsenal had signed Alvarez, they would not only have won the league title but also had an excellent chance of winning the Champions League. However, considering Arsenal's current squad, I do not feel too sorry for them, as their recruitment work remains excellent.

I am very satisfied with Newcastle's start to the season.

I am very satisfied with Newcastle's start to the season and their summer transfer activity. I have seen enough to be convinced that we have 11 players who genuinely want to stay at the club and are fully supporting the manager's tactical ideas. It was an encouraging transfer window, and they sold some players who did not want to remain at the club for fairly good prices.

It looks like they have brought in players who are willing to fight, work hard and strive for victories, and I approve of that. I think there will still be challenges this season, and I expect us to finish in mid-table. Considering the manager is young and many players are also young, while the manager is trying to convey his ideas, I can accept a mid-table finish. I have seen enough signs to give me confidence in the team.

Jaisser has left a deep impression on me.

So far, I have been impressed by Jaisser. I think he has performed very well, he is satisfied with Newcastle's summer transfer activity, and his start has also been very positive.

Newcastle unfortunately failed to take all three points against Liverpool. They achieved a good result in the League Cup, and then faced Tottenham away, where they encountered some difficulties in the first half and fought hard to keep the score at 0-0, but they quickly defeated Tottenham in the second half. Yes, I think his start at Newcastle has been very encouraging, and I hope this momentum can continue.

Newcastle not only brought in new players during the summer window, but also appeared to have gained two more new additions—Elanga and Wissa. We had not seen any performances from Elanga or Wissa last season, and their displays this season have indeed been encouraging because they have already understood the manager's tactical ideas. I know they suffered one or two injuries, but they look completely different from the players we saw last season.

Woltemade has been a costly mistake for Newcastle.

Woltemade had a very good start at Newcastle. I am sure he is a player with potential, but I am not certain whether he is suited to the high-intensity, fast-paced style of the Premier League. I think his style of play is more suited to leagues abroad rather than the Premier League.

Newcastle faced a very difficult situation when they signed him. I do not blame any single person, but rather the whole environment. They were pushed into a difficult position and had to take action, and I think they signed Woltemade out of desperation.

As I said, he started well. I do not think there is anything wrong with his fitness, his intentions were good, and his attitude was right, but his style is simply different. I hope he succeeds at Juventus and wish him a truly excellent season in Serie A with outstanding performances.

I have no hostility toward him; I just want to send him my best wishes. He is a very good guy, but I simply think his style does not suit Newcastle, especially the Premier League. However, there is no doubt that this was a costly mistake made by Newcastle.