Paul Merson names winger Newcastle should sign and predicts good/bad news for Toon

Paul Merson has urged Newcastle to make a move for Raheem Sterling over the final week of the transfer window and is backing us to beat Bournemouth 2-0 on Sunday - but miss out on a top four finish.

Sterling is set to leave Chelsea after being frozen out of Enzo Maresca's plans, but it feels like a bit of a non-starter. The 29-year-old may be Premier League proven and remains a dangerous winger on his day, but he's said to earn £300,000-per-week, is nearly 30 and will hardly fit into Eddie Howe's high press.

I just don't see that one happening based on Howe's demands, his age and the club's PSR situation, where we'd need him to take a massive pay cut. Nevertheless, Merson feels he's an upgrade on Jacob Murphy; who won't take us to the 'next level.'

As for Sunday's game, Merson thinks the Cherries will struggle without Dominic Solanke's goals and backs us to get the job done despite being 'poor' in our 1-0 win over Southampton. As for the season as a whole, he fears we'll just miss out on the top four, despite having 'good players.'

Speaking to Sportskeeda, Merson said: “Newcastle were poor last week but still hung on with 10 men and managed to get three important points. I think they’ll beat Bournemouth, who could find it tough without Solanke’s goals. I’m expecting the Cherries to struggle this season.

“They’ve signed Evanilson from Porto but he has to come and hit the ground running straightaway. That is a big challenge for any new player in the Premier League, especially considering the number of goals Solanke scored last season.

“If I was Newcastle, I would try and sign Raheem Sterling from Chelsea. Play Sterling on one wing, Anthony Gordon on the other and Alexander Isak through the middle, that would be an exciting front-three.

“Jacob Murphy is a decent footballer, but he won’t take you to the next level like Sterling. Even though Newcastle have good players, I’ve got a feeling they will fall short of top four this season. But this fixture against Bournemouth shouldn’t be a difficult one to navigate for them.

Prediction: Bournemouth 0-2 Newcastle