Alan Shearer has taken to Twitter to send Gary Lineker a message Newcastle fans will love, after Aston Villa signed Philippe Coutinho.
What’s the story?
Well, Lineker was quick to describe Aston Villa’s capture of Coutinho as an “exciting” move, but Shearer opted to throw Kieran Trippier into the equation.
The BBC Match of the Day host was held to account by Shearer over his silence on Newcastle’s £12m signing of the England international.
You can see what the Premier League’s all-time top scorer with 260 goals tweeted in full below.
While Shearer is obviously just having a bit of fun, Lineker’s lack of comment on Trippier was quite a surprise to us.
After all, it wasn’t just a huge statement of intent from Newcastle, but it was also a shrewd deal for a player named in La Liga’s Team of the Season in 2020/21.
Lineker did, however, respond to Shearer’s tweet with the following post.
Kieran Trippier or Philippe Coutinho?
In our view, Trippier is the better signing.
Of course, Aston Villa’s capture of Coutinho is special, as it’s not every day a £142m footballer ends up at Villa Park.
However, Steven Gerrard already has options in that department, such as Emiliano Buendia.
In Eddie Howe’s case, he does not have a right-back like Trippier, who will transform the way Newcastle play down that flank.
In the modern era, full-backs are hugely important cogs – just look at Trent Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool.
Trippier’s set-piece ability, crossing skills and desire to overlap should take the Magpies up a gear – his arrival is a massive boost to their chances of staying in the Premier League.
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