Pat Nevin has admitted he is 'fearful' for Newcastle United's prospects this season, saying a mid-table finish would be 'absolutely fabulous' after the club were forced to sell key players due to financial restrictions.
Concerns over summer exits
The former Chelsea, Everton and Scotland winger, who works as a BBC summariser, has taken Newcastle to heart as his closest Premier League team. He has watched Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes leave St James' Park, with head coach Eddie Howe also stepping down.
Nevin believes the financial rules the club operate under led to the big-name departures, dashing the hope that came with the new ownership.
'I'm gutted for them'
Speaking to OLBG, Nevin said: "Oddly, 'fearful' is a good word, because you're usually only fearful about something you care about, aren't you? If it's a team you don't care about, you'd say 'I don't care.' But I care, I don't want Newcastle to be relegated."
He added: "There was so much hope with the new ownership, but those hopes have been dashed by the fact that they weren't allowed to spend the money they wanted to spend due to the financial rules. I'm gutted for them, their team has been gutted. I'm concerned, yes. I am."
Uncertain outlook
Nevin acknowledged uncertainty over whether the Magpies will be relegated or challenge for the top seven, saying: "Do I think they're going to go down? I don't know, they might, they might not. Do I think they'll be in the top seven, eight, or nine? Yeah, they might, I don't know. But there is a concern."
He stressed that no Newcastle fan is happy about the changes, noting: "I've not yet met a Newcastle fan who's thinking, 'This is great, we've got rid of Eddie, Gordon, Bruno, and Tonali.' Of course it's not, it's a worrying time."
Newcastle begin their season against Liverpool on Sunday, before travelling to Tottenham on August 29.
