Alan Shearer couldn't be more wrong - Newcastle United should not swoop for £80m striker this summer

It would take a brave person to question Alan Shearer's opinion on any matter relating to Newcastle United's striking situation. Brave or unfathomably stupid. Some might argue that it would be akin to challenging Colonel Sanders' stance in a fried chicken debate, or Donald Trump's personal viewpoint on fake tan brands. Nevertheless, here goes. Unlike Shearer, I don't believe that the Magpies should look to sign Ivan Toney this summer. There, I said it.

Now, in fairness to Shearer, he hasn't expressly, well, expressed his belief that Newcastle should focus their attention on Toney and Toney alone in the coming months. He has, however, made it very clear that he would be more than happy for his former club to enter the anticipated race for the Brentford talisman's signature. Indeed, speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, he said: “I think he’s a really good player and I think he’s a really good option. Newcastle need to improve in that department, they need another option in there, so I don’t think there will be any shortage of suitors for Toney.”

To an extent, you can understand his reasoning. Newcastle will probably require attacking reinforcements at the end of the season, especially amid ongoing uncertainty over Callum Wilson's future at the club, and Toney is likely to be one of the most visibly available centre forwards in the Premier League between now and the end of the summer. Brentford appear to have consigned themselves to his looming exit, and a whole host of traditional top six clubs have been touted as prospective suitors.

What's more, he is undoubtedly an effective finisher. At the time of writing, he has registered 35 goals in 72 Premier League outings, a return just shy of one strike every two matches, and since his comeback from a lengthy gambling-related ban, he has hit three in four for the Bees. It is little wonder that he is so popular.

And yet, he might not be the right man for Newcastle. There are a number of reasons why that is the case. Firstly, cost. Even conservative estimates suggest that Brentford will demand around £80 million for their star man, and if a bidding war ensues, who knows how much he may actually go for in the end. Given the constant pressures of Financial Fair Play that the Magpies are under, plus the need for them to recruit in several areas during the summer transfer window, a more affordable option would surely be preferable.

Then there is Toney's age. At 27 years old - 28 in a month's time - he is very much in the prime of his career, but he doesn't exactly fit the usual profile of a PIF signing at St. James' Park. Generally speaking, and certainly in more recent times, Newcastle's Saudi owners have preferred to bring in players who are just that little bit younger, and who therefore possess a decent potential resale value. Nothing is concrete, of course, but you would wager that all being well, this will be the only genuine big money move of Toney's career.

And that lends itself to one final point. Toney himself is evidently ambitious, and you suspect that he is dead set on signing for a club who can offer him regular Champions League football. Newcastle, at the present moment in time, cannot. Barring a minor miracle, they will miss out on the top four this season, and given the strength of those around them, they could fall short next term too. With that in mind, would Toney be willing to wait until he is 30 to participate in Europe's elite competition? Maybe not.

Of course, you can understand why Shearer would suggest that Toney would be a 'good option' for his beloved Toon this summer, but in reality, this would be far from a match made in heaven.