Chelsea sent Newcastle transfer warning by Alan Shearer

Stuart Telford

• 17 Mar 2024 09:32 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea have reportedly made Sven Botman one of their top defensive targets, but Newcastle legend Alan Shearer thinks the Blues could be making a mistake.

Botman joined Newcastle from Lille in 2022, spurning AC Milan in the process, and had initially made his €37 million fee look like a snip.

He helped Newcastle to 11 clean sheets from his 35 starts as they finished fourth in the Premier League, but a knee injury has disrupted his progress in the current campaign, with Jamaal Lascelles standing in in recent months.

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That hasn't stopped Chelsea's interest. The Blues are set to spend big once again this summer - provided they can also sell to satisfy FFP - and Botman is one of a number of Newcastle players they are interested in, with Bruno Guimaraes another.

'Not the same player'

But Newcastle legend Shearer, who scored 148 Premier League goals for the club, thinks Botman could be on the wane.

"He hasn't looked the same player," he told the BBC after Saturday's 2-0 loss to Manchester City, in which Botman hobbled off with Emil Krafth replacing him towards the end of the game. "He had a brilliant season last season but he hasn't been the same player.

"He looks as if he's been carrying an injury for a long time. He came back into the team after a while out and he hasn't been the same player."

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Botman missed the most recent Netherlands squad for their upcoming friendlies with Scotland and Germany, with Virgil van Dijk, Matthijs de Ligt, Stefan de Vrij and Nathan Ake the centre-backs called up.

Botman is still valued at €33.9m by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, so Chelsea would need to spend significantly in order for him to swap St James' Park for Stamford Bridge.