Jonjo Shelvey has stoked things up ahead of Newcastle United's home encounter with West Ham - by claiming the Magpies have a better squad than the visitors.
Shelvey, a West Ham fan, is eager to turn on the style against the Hammers this weekend.
Speaking to Talksport, he said: "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."
With Allan Saint-Maximin back in the mix, Shelvey feels Newcastle have an extra boost.
He 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.”
