Shearer cuts Match of the Day appearances to once a month to watch Newcastle more

Alan Shearer will appear on Match of the Day only once a month this season after telling the BBC he wanted more of his Saturdays back to watch Newcastle United, the former England striker has confirmed.

“I said to them a while back that I would like some of my weekends back on a Saturday,” Shearer told Daily Mail Sport. “It’ll be about one a month. I’ll be going to more Newcastle games. I love doing the co-comms. When the FA Cup starts in January, there’s loads of co-comms.”

Shearer has been retained by the BBC for the 2025/26 season alongside a revamped panel that includes Wayne Rooney as a fellow pundit. Gary Lineker’s long-standing role as host has been shared across Mark Chapman, Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan, while Ashley Young, Robbie Keane, Toby Alderweireld and Thomas Frank have also been confirmed as part of the line-up. Martin Keown, Dion Dublin, Shay Given, Stephen Warnock, Nedum Onuoha and Theo Walcott were not included in the announced roster, though they are understood to remain involved in the BBC’s coverage this campaign.

Beyond his broadcasting schedule, Shearer spoke candidly about Newcastle’s prospects under new head coach Matthias Jaissle following a turbulent summer in which three of the club’s key players departed. The Magpies opened their Premier League season with a 2-2 draw against Liverpool before Jaissle claimed his first win in charge, a 3-2 Carabao Cup victory over Championship side West Brom.

“Plenty of optimism at Newcastle after a long summer. It needed a reset,” Shearer said. “We mustn’t forget all those players Newcastle sold — they wanted to go, didn’t want to be there and didn’t have great seasons last season because Newcastle finished 12th. It had to be a reset and it’s going to take a lot of patience at times.”

Shearer added that he does not expect the club to return to European football this season. “If we do, great, it’ll be a great bonus, but I don’t expect that,” he said.

He had previously flagged the need for a new midfielder, and Newcastle have since moved to address that with the £50 million signing of Nico Gonzalez from Manchester City. Shearer welcomed the deal, pointing to Gonzalez’s experience working under Pep Guardiola as a significant asset for the club’s rebuild.