Newcastle United and Premier League legend Alan Shearer has delivered a grave warning to the club’s fierce rivals Sunderland.
Sunderland and Bournemouth players clash as the Black Cats were relegated
The Black Cats were relegated with the 1-0 home defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday to end their 10-year stay in the top flight.
But in truth it had been coming after several years of late escapes from the danger zone culminating in David Moyes disastrous season in charge.
With the huge money on offer in the Premier League, being out of it can be damaging for big clubs like Sunderland.
And now Shearer, who is delighted to see his old club back in the big time, has delivered a grave warning to the Black Cats about their future in his column in The Sun.
“The real fear is for the very future of the club,” Shearer said in The Sun.
Alan Shearer
“They have just announced they are £110m in debt and Ellis Short has been looking to sell the club for some time.
“Yet who in their right mind is going to buy it?
“Forget about bouncing back, the greater concern is about slipping straight through the Championship into League One.”
Shearer raises a salient point and there are plenty of examples of clubs dropping through the leagues when finances begin to dictate the direction the club is heading.
Aston Villa have proved the Championship is tougher than ever
From Nottingham Forest to Leeds United, Bradford and Portsmouth, there is a plethora of proof life outside the top flight is getting more difficult with every passing year.
Even Aston Villa under ambitious new owners have found things tough and have no guarantee of a return next season.
If Short fails to sell and the club is not able to invest, Shearer could well be proved right.
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