Paul Merson verdict on Newcastle United as we reach five months into the season

Paul Merson speaking about Newcastle United.

NUFC with exactly five months of the season having gone by now.

Eddie Howe and his Newcastle United players having now moved into mid-January 2026.

A very intense period of time with Newcastle playing every midweek, due to Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup, as well as Premier League.

Eddie Howe and his team preparing for their next match.

A 2pm kick-off on Sunday, away to Wolves.

Paul Merson discussing how things now stand for Newcastle United as they prepare for this Molineux clash.

A frantic two weeks have seen Eddie Howe’s side win three Premier League matches in a row and then progress to the fourth round of the FA Cup, scoring 12 goals in the process. Only to then see dreams of a return to Wembley in the Carabao Cup all but smashed on Tuesday night, a harsh 2-0 scoreline seeing Manchester City now overwhelming favourites to go through.

Returning to the Premier League and Newcastle United looking to rise above their current sixth in the table position, ahead of  match, Paul Merson declaring to Sportskeeda; “I expect Newcastle to win, but I don’t think it’s an easy game for them. Maybe four weeks ago, this game had three points written all over it but not anymore.”

Wolves are 14 places and 25 points behind Newcastle United BUT they have been showing signs of life.

After picking up only two points in their opening 18 Premier League matches, Wolves have then managed five points from their most recent three. Draws away at Manchester United and Everton, sandwiching a 3-0 home victory over West Ham.

Paul Merson considering their recent performances and results: “Wolves have turned a corner, haven’t they? They are looking good at the moment. If Jordan Pickford does not make that incredible save at the end, they would have beaten Everton in the last game.”

Reality is that Wolves could have easily won all of their last three Premier League matches, as they were also the better team at Old Trafford.

Ahead of that Man U match, the previous two Wolves away games had shown the first real signs of them no longer flatlining. Arsenal on beat them 2-1 with a 94th minute goal, then at Anfield it was Liverpool desperately clinging on to to a 2-1 win.

Sunday’s hosts are still 14 points off Forest who are fourth bottom, Paul Merson admitting: “I know Wolves are still a lot of points away from safety, but they are showing signs of being competitive. The good thing for them here is that Newcastle haven’t been very consistent. You just don’t know what you’re going to get from Newcastle. They are entertaining in attack but very open at the back as well. Wolves need to stay in the game and at some point, they will be presented with a chance.”

Paul Merson predicts a 2-1 victory for Newcastle United and hopefully he is proved right. A win could take Newcastle United top five if Brentford don’t win at Chelsea, even top four if Liverpool also manage to lose at home to Burnley.

As always though, it is all about just making sure you do your job, all that matters is Newcastle United making it a fourth Premier League win in a row.

Apart from that 3-0 against a woeful West Ham side who looked they had given up, the upturn in the Wolves performances has really been away from home. Before that victory over the Hammers, the previous five home PL games had seen Wolves lose to Brentford, Crystal Palace, Man U, Burnley and Forest, conceding 12 goals and scoring only three of their own.

Indeed, Wolves had picked up only one point all season, before the win over West Ham.

I think this is probably a game where so long as Newcastle United don’t give the opposition any encouragement, then Eddie Howe’s team should win. No soft goal to allow the home side to give their fans something to get behind, even with their relatively improved away performances, I think at Molineux the reality still is that if they go behind, every chance that Wolves and their fans will fold.