West Ham’s squad is not better than Newcastle’s, believes Jonjo Shelvey, despite 23-point gap in Premier League

Jonjo Shelvey doesn't believe West Ham boast a better squad than Newcastle.

The two sides go head-to-head live on talkSPORT this Saturday with rather different Premier League objectives in mind.

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West Ham, quite staggeringly, are in control of the top-four race and a win could push them closer to the previously unthinkable goal of Champions League qualification.

Newcastle, meanwhile, are still not out of the woods in their fight to avoid relegation, with six points and a game in hand separating them from Fulham in 18th.

Nevertheless, Shelvey - a boyhood Hammer - believes that while the table illustrates a sizeable gap in quality, that isn't necessarily the case.

"Growing up as a West Ham fan, it's great to see them where they are and what they're doing," the midfielder told Jamie O'Hara on GameDay Countdown.

"I used to watch them every week - it will be great if they get into the Champions League next season, with their fans coming back.

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"The squad we've got on paper, I don't think theirs is better than ours, to be honest. I think we've got a great squad, we just haven't performed to the level we can. It's only recently we've picked up a few better results.

"That's given us the belief to finish this season strong, then come back next season and kick on."

Outstanding seasons from midfielders Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek, coupled with the recent individual brilliance of Manchester United loanee Jesse Lingard, has helped propel West Ham to unexpected success.

Newcastle are where many disgruntled fans thought they would be, although they do have an outstanding talent of their own carrying the team of late.

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Allan Saint-Maximin's seven-minute cameo against Burnley during the Magpies' 2-1 victory last week might've saved their season.

The Frenchman's absence at the end of 2020 led directly to a slump which threatened Newcastle with relegation, and Shelvey admits it's vital Saint-Maximin stays fit if the club wan to realise their potential.

Shelvey added: "He's absolutely outstanding, he's what you want in a team, he's a game-changer and he gets fans off their seats.

"He's a big character in the dressing room and it's just important he stays fit now and gets us back to where we can be."