Do you think Man City risk panic buying for the sake of it ahead of the Club World Cup?
I think that'sa very good shout, because they've been linked with Alt-Nouri who's a player that I spotted down at Wolves probably three or four years ago in terms of being brilliant. But then over the years his defensive qualities haven't really shone through. He's a very attacking wing-back, which doesn't really suit Man City.
They don't really play with wing backs and that's his best position. When I saw that one, that's exactly what I thought. I think that there’s a risk that they’regoing to rush through things again. Remember, they had a little panic window just gone, didn't they? Christmas time when they spent about £200 million on a few players, and you thought that was quite rushed too.
They're gonnahave to be really diligent in their work if they want to try and get the right signings for the Premier League and obviously the Club World cup at the same time.
Are you excited for the Club World Cup? Who are you backing to win it?
I’m going to be covering it, and I'm fascinated. I've got my games through, and I've got Inter Miami in some of their games. I am really intrigued to see how Inter Miami do, and I’ve not seen a lot of them. I know their players and the calibre of their squad. But what I am not sure about yet is how they are able to hold their own when they come up against top European sides like Borussia Dortmund or Porto.
Another wrinkle is that we don’t know which sides are taking it seriously, or just how committed they are. And we don’t know who’s fit. Looking at Inter Miami, you see Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez, and they’re all getting on a bit now. Can they cope with European sides?
I think from a Manchester City point of view, a lot of players might look at the Rodri situation as a warning. He did his ACL, it was off the back of a pre-season, so a lot of City players and others around Europe might be thinking that actually, they need a bit of a rest to avoid the same thing happening to them. Now, they’re not getting that rest. He could use the next three or four weeks in this competition as a really good grounding for his fitness and then have a couple of weeks off before the Premier League starts.
Would you be as bold as to say that this tournament could be what Rodri needs to hit the ground running next season?
This could definitely be just what Rodri needs. I mean he made a couple of benches, didn't he, from at the end of the season and he wasn't quite ready to start. That means obviously he'sfit,he's just lacking match fitness. Talking from a point of experience, I've had an ACL when I was at West Ham and I came back from it. It takes a long time, but it also takes a couple of games.
I remember playing in a practice game. Glenn Roeder put a session on and it was like yellow bibs versus blue bibs and Tomas Repka - who's an absolute lunatic - was playing against my side. Roeder obviously knew the risks so he said, ‘We’re gonna give Don a black bib, and nobody’s allowed to tackle him.’
I was like a free man. Magic man they call it these days. He was just trying to help me. Anyway, Thomas Repka’s head fell off and he launched into me, he's two-footed me up in the air, and you could hear a pin drop on the training field. I’ve gone five feet up in the air, come crashing down, right down on the injured knee. Happily, I bounced right back up and I thought, that’s just what I needed, actually. I was alright.
I knew from that moment I was back, becauseyou've got to learn how to ride a tackle again. You’ve got to take one. That's the dilemma for Pep. At what stage does it feel as though Rodri's back? I think the Club World Cup could be the making of Rodri.
Chelsea marketed their Conference League win rather well, along the lines of ‘we’ve won every European trophy’. Would the new-look Club World Cup appeal to them on a similar, trophy-collecting manner?
Never mind just Chelsea. I think everyone will go for it because the prize money is too big. As in, it's £150 million quid. For someone like Chelsea, and for anyone, it pays for your summer star signing. For Liverpool, it’d pay for Florian Wirtz. For Chelsea, it could get them a star, a leader, someone to take charge of the younger players.
I do like the angle where they said we've won everything. Well, the likes of Real Madrid are never going to be in the Conference League, so technically they can't win everything, can they? Real Madrid or Liverpool? I like that angle from them, but I think why not try and win it, whoever you are?
Players will want to win it. When you go into a tournament and it's the days before you’re thinking I’m knackered, I need a rest. And then as soon as you get to a tournament, as soon as Chelsea and they see like Man City, Real Madrid, Inter Miami, Palmeiras, Fluminense, and all the legendary teams, all of a sudden the adrenaline kicks in, you're a competitor and you want to win it.
The competitive side and the adrenaline will be there from the players straight away. Then the management will probably drum into the players that if they win, they can get an elite player in for next season.
Do you think Cristiano Ronaldo makes a dramatic late signing for a team in the Club World Cup? Man City and Botafogo have both been linked, for instance.
If Cristiano Ronaldo arrives, I think we can say he’s not going to light the tournament up by banging in millions of goals and tearing the house down, but if he does come, he’s going to create massive interest. If there was a story where Man City signed Ronaldo for three weeks, it would make headline news, front page news everywhere, wouldn't it? What you've got to try and weigh up though, is whether he is going to strengthen your team.
It gives you a chance to rest someone like Erling Haaland, who's played a lot of games and come back from a couple of injuries. For Chelsea, I mean it'sbasically a marketing move. I don't want to downgrade it. I might say it’s PR, but it would be amazing PR.
Like if Inter Miami signed him and it was Ronaldo and Messi, you know, the juices would be flowing, even if they’re not what they once were. We understand that. We know that they're never going to be the same. But it would capture an audience, wouldn't it? It captures a younger audience and definitely an older audience. Both would tune into watching Ronaldo and Messi in the same tournament. Better yet, the same team.
Liam Delap is joining Chelsea. Do you think Newcastle have missed out?
I mean, there's loads of players that I like. I'm a Newcastle fan and I like Liam Delap. I'm not sure how he's going to do at Chelsea because Nicholas Jackson is a man who just wants to fight the world every time he plays. I'm not sure how he's going to feel when he sees another No. 9 rock up. That'll be interesting, that dynamic.
But I think Newcastle have missed one there. Just because Alexander Isak's not really guaranteed over the years to turn out for all the games. He's a guy that picks up little niggles. I really like Bryan Mbeumo and I thought we had a real good chance of getting him until I saw the Manchester United link this week. I'd be stunned if Newcastle didn't make a late move. Because what Newcastle needs.
They need competition on the right-hand side for Jacob Murphy. And with Mbeumo. He's very versatile. He can play on the right, and he can play as a nine. That would be the player I'd go for. But Delap, as a young player, got into double figures for a struggling, relegated side. You’d think he’ll get better service at a club like Chelsea, and I hope he’s got a bright future, that he can kick on. I like Delap, but I’d pick Mbeumo over Delap any day of the week.
Despite their great season, Newcastle are still losing out to the Chelseas and the Man Uniteds for players. Is this the last obstacle they need to endure and overcome before establishing themselves as a top team for the long haul?
In some ways, I’d liken Newcastle to Liverpool. They’re so close to brilliance. It’s a bit like when Liverpool only signed Chiesa, because how can you improve on Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk or Trent Alexander-Arnold? Obviously, Newcastle aren’t at that level, but I wouldn’t swap Newcastle’s midfield for anyone else’s in England. Joelinton, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes - there’s no trio better.
Same for Alexander Isak, you can’t improve on that. Anthony Gordon, you might get a better player, but he has exceptional potential you don’t want to block. Tino Livramento is wanted by some big clubs, like City, and I like Lewis Hall. There’s plenty of talent there.
I think where you could improve is bringing in another goalkeeper and another centre-back. You could look at someone like Marc Guehi, who’d slot in brilliantly alongside Sven Botman. But for Newcastle, there’s a limited number of spaces that you can fill to improve on. Like, you can play fantasy football and say. we'll sign him and we'll sign him. But is any midfield player going to get in ahead of Newcastle’s current three? Not in my opinion.
The difficulty for Eddie Howe is a little bit like it was for Arne Slot. Who do you actually bring in, unless you're buying guys that are going to be squad players. I've never been a fan of a squad player because I don't know what your theory or your thinking is. I've always thought why would you buy to strengthen your bench? Surely you buy to strengthen your 11. The knockdown effect is those who can't get in the team are the bench boys. That's the way I always look at it. So that's the difficulty. The right side I think is open because I think Bryan Mbeumo is an upgrade on Jacob Murphy, despite the latter having a great season too.
Do you think Joelinton will go down as the greatest retooled player in Premier League history?
Well, it's slightly different but Ryan Gravenberch going from an 8 to a 6 is similar in how much the change helped, but it’s not as extreme as Joelinton, given how the move came about. His confidence was shot; it hadn’t worked for him up front. It’s like Darwin Nunez at the minute. you watch him and there's a side of you that you feel sorry for him, because you know he's going to miss, and you know he's got a lack of confidence. You just feel dreadful for them.
Because I've been there as a player, and when I heard that Eddie Howe was going to transform from a number nine, or a left-sided forward, into a number eight, I thought this can't happen. I spent 20 years being a midfield player. Youcan't just turn a wide player into number eight, where I've spent 20 years trying to perfect it or trying to play that role and all of a sudden, my God, it's Incredible. The transformation's frightening.
What do you think Eddie Howe saw in Joelinton that made him decide to try this?
I think of Rasmus Hojlund, right. He was some player at Atalanta, but not so much at Manchester United as of late. Every player has their strengths and abilities; some can do one thing exceptionally and are woeful at another.
Rasmus Hojland, and it doesn't make him a bad player, is useless at coming forward, having his back to play, linking the play. That's not his game. He's pacey. He's direct, he wants to run in behind. Alejandro Garnacho is another one. He wants the ball at feet and wants to take players on.
Joelinton, I think, is one of these players where you bring him back 30 yards and you put him into midfield and he's facing the goal -all of a suddenit's a different prospect. I've been very lucky. I was versatile, I've played all the positions, I get to understand what it's like when you're playing as a No. 9 and you're coming short and you're linking it.
I also understand from a Joelinton point of view, when you go back 30 yards and everything is in front of you, you can see the whole picture. He can see now Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak all around, he’s got options in every direction.
He's physical, he can handle the ball. He can get out of tight spaces because he's so strong and he shifts people off. But I think in layman's terms, I think when you get a player like Joelinton, and you face him towards the goal, that is his strength. Not, not back to goal. It takes a special player like these guys like the Berbatovs and these guys like Firmino who can play their back to goal. They can look incredible. Some players like to face a goal, and it suits them better.
There might be a psychological effect of feeling like you're on the edge of a cliff where you've got the whole final third of ahead of you and the flow of the game is at your mercy. I thought some of Darwin Nunez’s best games were when he played off the left-hand side. Again, he's got the ball and he's running forward, not coming short and linking the play.
It takes different attributes to do that, and I think that's what Eddie Howe's obviously spotted now, whether he's tried it in training or not. And sometimes managers get lucky. Sometimes managers set up in a very loose way like, 7v7. They say ‘right, just play any positions today, lads’. A lot of managers sometimes don't put you in your position when you train. It's not structured.Eddie Howe will be the best person to tell you, but maybe he spotted something in a game like that, where they realised he excels in the middle. Then they might try him in a reserve game, something like that. But it’s been exceptional how he’s been transformed.
Would Jamie Vardy work as a squad-bolstering signing for Newcastle, perhaps as an impact sub?
Knowing Jamie Vardy for the last two decades, he ain'tgonna be happy sitting on the bench. He's going to be drinking five cans of Red Bull sitting on the bench. He's going to be wired to go and he's not going to be getting on in games. I think it would be to the detriment of Jamie, because you want to play and when you get older, you want to play. You want to start and we've all got egos. You want to be the star man and you want to score goals.
And if Jamie Vardy signs for Newcastle, because you know when you strip it back and wonder if he can do little cameos to grab a goal. Yeah, of course he can, we can all do those little spells. But I remember when I was at the end of my career, and I was training five days a week only to end up on the bench, it drains you. You train hard everyday, try to impress the gaffer, and you’re on the bench again. It’s demoralising.
Then you've got to go through all the process of being happy for your teammates on a Saturday morning, and give them a lift, do your best because you're a pro. And then at the end of the game, they're all celebrating because they'vewon and you've not got on again. It's like a little jab to the stomach and then you're in on a Sunday when everyone's off. It does take its toll. It. It takes a special guy to really accept that you're not going to play. And this is a compliment to Jamie, I don't think it would suit him sitting on the bench.
Exactly. It'd be a great story and one that you'd think from the outside would work, but knowing players I don't think would work with him.
Where would you recommend Jamie Vardy goes next?
I think Leeds could be a good shot. Just promoted, big club, big atmosphere, great fans. Elland Road, fantastic stadium. Soyou've got the adrenaline. You've got fans to play in front of. You'd like to think he's going to start the majority of games, I think somewhere like that. Another option could be MLS, a new experience for his family. A new lifestyle.
Joe Cole spent I think a season or a season and a half for a couple over in America and he absolutely loved it. He was like. He said he had a little house on the beach, got his flip-flops on, walked along to training and then walked back. He loved it, came back because he was a bit homesick. But for Jamie, if he wants to stay in England, I think Leeds is the right kind of place.
They'd love him because he gets sent off, like in a good way. They'd love him. You know, he'd get them going. Yeah, I think I could be a good fit.
It’s a no-brainer. Put him on a one-year contract, with another year if they stay up. Give him a contract with plenty of incentives that pays for itself if it helps them stay up.
Are you concerned by Paul Mitchell's exit at Newcastle?
Not really. I might be in the massive minority here, but I think when I die and when I come back, I want to come back as a sporting director, because I think it's the easiest job in the world, honestly. I sit there as someone that's played the game and I go, this has got to be the easiest job in the world.
Let's just say you're a manager and you tell me what you're looking for and you say to me, right, gonna need a left-back. I'm your sporting director. I go upstairs to all my scouts and I say, right, we need a left-back. Give me the three best names that are available and who can we afford.
The data guys, the analysts and the scouts, give me three names and I go off to the manager, ask what he wants. Then he picks one, and if it doesn’t work, he gets the sack and I’m still here. I feel as though you give me a week in a job at a sporting director to learn the ropes and I’d be fine. I think it's the easiest job ever.
There doesn't seem to be any jeopardy in the job. The majority of them, when the manager is the first one to get fired, they’re fine.
Can Newcastle challenge for the league next season? Or do they just need to keep the growth a bit more steady and organic?
I think going for a title would be optimistic. I genuinely believe that Newcastle at home can beat anyone. We saw that against Paris Saint-Germain when they wiped the floor with them. I mean, Luis Enrique’s PSG can handle all the other Premier League sides they came up against, so it’s a big achievement.
There's something different, something special about Newcastle fans being demanding that their team are on the front foot of home. And the players respond to it. And the players are aggressive. They trample all over teams. They stamp on teams. They outplay teams.
They hit them with waves and waves of sustained attacks. When they go away from home, I'm never quite convinced they play the same way. And that's a job for Eddie Howe and the psychologist by the way. You've got to try and get it into the players' minds to ask why should there be a difference? I understand from a player's point of view, when you play at home you get an extra 5%. It’svery hard to try and describe why or how but improving the squad, buying better players is the next job. How to improve on that midfield, Isak and players like Gordan and Botman.
It’s squad building. If Alexander Isak gets a little knock, who's going to come in that keeps you competitive. Liverpool is the best example. When any of their front boys gets injured or gets suspended, they've got enough cover. Van Dijk probably the one where if he got injured it’d be a real blow. Kelleher, who's on the way out, whenever Allison got injured, I never got stressed that Liverpool would be weaker at the back. That's what Newcastle have got to get now. They've got to get players on that bench when they come on, they don't weaken the starting 11. That's the test.
With the new Champions League format, can you see Newcastle being next season’s Aston Villa in the tournament? Two seasons ago they were in a four-team Group of Death but the league stage format may suit them better.
Aston Villa getting to the quarters was a brilliant achievement, to do that from the new format. That league gives Newcastle some leeway, because although they smashed PSG at home, they had some iffy games with Milan, and then they had a horrendous penalty decision away to PSG. This new format gives you a chance to recover. Real Madrid went through after a woeful start; PSG almost went out then won it all.
This format gives any team a chance. Celtic I think made it through. I think it gives you a great chance of getting through there. And then obviously you're relying on a good draw and a good pathway. I think Newcastle will look at Villa and go, why can't we get there? Why can't we get to the quarters?
How bad are you worried things will get at Luton?
I was there when we actually went down. I can't remember a team that's gone back to back to back, as in three times relegated. Premier League, then Championship and then League One. So it would be a disaster if Luton did that.
I'm of the opinion that when you go from the Premier League into the Championship, it's always amazing if you can bounce back and come straight back up, obviously, but sometimes you just need a season where you can just stay where you are. And Luton's a great case.
They should have been a club when they came down, they should have just tried to avoid any drama, and try to rebuild, and push on again after that. To go down from the Premier League, go down from the Championship, that's a body blow because that has a massive impact on players wages, the signings, the players that not only have got to come in to try and get you out of League One.
It's the players that you're going to have to let go because some of these players would have played in the Premier League, they'll be on big wages. It’s a disaster, really. And it's a shame because it was a great story. You know, I know Gary Sweet there, who's one of the CEOs. I still keep in contact with him.
And it was an amazing story that they came up and tried to use the finances to try and move from the stadium, which is like a million years old, and really needs revamping. They need those finances to try and get back to building another stadium. To go down again must be heartbreaking for those involved in the hierarchy.
What does Frank Lampard need to do in order to get Coventry past the heartbreak of missing out via the playoffs, and keep them on track for promotion this coming season?
I don’t know if he really needs to change much. I think the way they competed, the way Frank had them playing from fourth-bottom or whatever they were, into the playoffs is an incredible achievement. And they battered Sunderland. You know, I watched the games when they played Sunderland. They battered them home and away, especially at the Stadium of Light, when Sunderland won late on.
It's a travesty that they didn't win that game, but they didn't. In terms of surgery, I don't really think they need too much investment. Managers always like it and always prefer to try and build a squad. But when you look at them the way they've competed this season, if they keep that nucleus of a squad together, I don't think there's much wrong with Coventry. I think they'll be fine. I think they'll try and push for at least the playoffs again.
From a man-management standpoint for the players, it'll all be done in the pre-season. That's where managers do their work on the psychology side of it, when they are prepping for the season. Frank will know exactly what to say and take a lot into what they’ve done last season, into the start of the new season, because there's not much wrong. How can there be anything wrong for a team that nearly went down to a team that nearly came up? Amazing job that they've done.
I love the Championship;it's one of my favourite leagues because it's brutal. I watch a lot of it, and you can literally lose on a Wednesday and win on a Saturday. Anyone can beat anyone. It's not a cliche, because there's like a million games to play. You've got to be hard, you've got to be durable, you've got to be fit, you've got to be strong, you've got to be willing to play with injuries.
All the work from Frank will be done in pre-season. But the proof, as you said, is the first three or four games of the season. If they get off to a bad start, then it might be a hangover. If they get off to a good start, then you think, okay, crack on, keep doing it.
Everton are set for an interesting preseason with David Moyes back in charge and the new stadium. Which moves do you want to see them make in the window?
Ohthat's a great question because the honest answer is I don't know and nor does anyone because at the end of the season they had 15 players that were out of contract. The majority of them were loan signings that Everton had or a lot of players that are out of contract. I don't know in terms of who they keep on.
The conundrum I think for David Moyes is what is he doing regarding the number nine position. Beto has been linked with Leeds, he could be a really good signing for them. Calvert-Lewin just doesn't seem to be a man that can stay fit. Unless you can have a strong preseason and get it into his head that he is going to be fit and physically stay fit then you'regonnahave to sell him. Well, he’s out of contract, so more like you move him on.
I think the honest answer in terms of the personnel is that I don't know because no one does. Only David knows that in terms of the new stadium and how he's going to do. But I think the good times are coming for Everton. I don't get the sense under David Moyes that they'll be anywhere near the bottom four or five anymore.
I think the job that he did at West Ham, getting them European football, that could be Everton maybe not next season, but the season after. I think Everton in the season coming up should be aiming for 10th, maybe a little bit higher. Try and do what someone like Fulham and Bournemouth and Brentford have done, try and push for European places and then kick on from there. It’ll be very interesting this summer, the amount of personnel that goes out the door and then comes in the door.
Everton have been linked with Rangers midfielder Mohamed Diomande. Do you think that would be a good fit? Is Diomande ready for the Premier League?
Yeah, I think so. And you can see what David's trying to do. He's trying to add a little bit more legs and physicality in that midfield, which is what they need because they've got talented wide players. And at centre back, when Tarkowski’s fit they’ll be pretty solid with o' Brien and Branthwaite as well.
Diomande would be a good signing for Everton, and I like him. He’s done well at Rangers. But above all else, a striker should be Moyes’ priority this summer. If you’re going to push on in the Premier League, goals are everything. The last three teams to win the league had the top scorer that season. Erling Haaland did it twice, then Mo Salah just now with Liverpool. Goals win games, and it’s not a cliche. Everton will probably make some good signings, and Diomande could be one of them. But for me, their season could come down to who they sign up front.
How much does Graham Potter need to change at West Ham for the club to return to the success they enjoyed recently and avoid last year’s rough season repeating itself?
If there's ever a team in the Premier League that needs to rip it up and start again, it’s West Ham. I've never seen a West Ham midfield so slow in all my life. They're all pedestrian. Technically a lot of them are fine. They can handle the ball, but the energy's lacking in an area where everyone talks about pressing and closing down.
Even at the back, they look vulnerable, and they look fragile. Fabianski is 40 years of age, and he’llprobably move on. The centre-backs have not looked comfortable. They can argue that the protection in front of them is too slow, and that’sa feasible argument. But all in all, West Ham are just such a hard watch at the moment.
Potter’s got it all to do, and he may need to hit a big reset button. It might be a case of selling Lucas Paqueta for big money so he can start again and have a rebuild. I think that might be the way to go. If I was Potter and his team, I’d be looking to try and ‘Moneyball’ it a little bit using top dollar from selling Paqueta. If you can get 60 or 70 million for him, you can fill that team with energy.
They do need that massive rebuild, I fear. But there is a market there at the moment, it seems. There’s a lot of talented players on the teams that went down. A lot of young international players and future international players that could be kept in the topflight and Potter is the sort of manager who can recognise that and keep them in the Premier League. Potter and the analysis team at West Ham will have their eyes all over Europe as well.
Maybe it’s best that they move Paqueta to Saudi Arabia or whoever will pay good money for him and start over. They can try and cherry pick those young and energetic players and get back to playing a pressing and closing down style game with those legs, and Bowen and Kudus as the two players you can build a new side around.
After Scott McTominay’s tremendous season at Napoli, do you think he’ll be on Pep Guardiola’s radar at Man City?
I don't think Scott would be on Pep's radar. I mean he should be for the season that he's had. I mean he's just been voted MVP and Serie A the most valuable player across the whole league. I think he's loving life in Napoli. I think he and Billy Gilmour are doing brilliantly. I get why it’d be a question now because McTominay’s been brilliant. But I’d be stunned if Pep made that move.
That’s not a knock on McTominay. I just think Guardiola will have his eyes on a different sort of player. And besides, McTominay is on top of the world where he is now, he doesn’t even really need to consider leaving. If nothing else, it’s a testament to what Scotty has achieved, that linking him to Man City is a logical question to ask now, even if it doesn’tactually happen. It’s a compliment to him.
Paul Pogba is at a crossroads, trying to find a new club after his suspension. Where do you think he will end up?
There's a lot of factors in play, obviously. I don't see Paul Pogba playing in the Premier League. And it's a shame because talent wise, he has tons. And he's had a brilliant career, by the way. World Cup winner and won a lot of trophies along the way and been a fantastic player.
I think when Paul looks back on his career, he can be proud of what he's achieved. But there was so much more in there. Now, which teams are going to be willing to build a side around an ageing Pogba who’s missed a lot of time? And I say that with all due respect. He hasn’t churned out 40 games a season for a long, long time.
Maybe he can sign a short-term deal for a Club World Cup side and properly put himself back in the shop window with a good showing there, even if it’s for one of the underdog sides. If he can have a brilliant competition and a brilliant tournament, that would shut the likes of me up and I'd probably take a step backwards and think well actually he can do it again because he's done it on a big stage and it would be great for him to make a comeback.
Beyond the Club World Cup, you’ve got Saudi Arabia and MLS and they may not be the moves Pogba wants to make right now. Maybe he wants to have another run at Champions League level football. But these are probably his best moves right now, and a showing at the Club World Cup could tempt a team in the States or the Middle East to spend.
Can Liverpool conclude their summer business early with Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez? Or should they look for another marquee signing or two?
I mean, that alone would be one of the best windows for a long time. I mean, ifyou're a Liverpool fan and those three were in… Frimpong's already done. But if you had Wirtz and Kerkez signing on top of what you've already got, what a window that would be.
And the other victory this window was keeping Mo Salah and keeping Van Dijk. Two special players that you know, just literally cannot replace. There might be something for the window after. There's been talks of maybe Luis Diaz maybe moving on because they could, he could bring in a lot of money, but I wouldn't sell him. I think he's a brilliant player and some of the best Liverpool performances I saw last season was when Diaz played as a false nine.
Not only that, but by stopping there they still have room for their young stars to continue their progress. Slot showed that last season when he didn’t panic buy. He had the vision to say how do I buy better than Salah? Why would I want to bring in a centre-back when we’ve got Konate, Quansah, Van Dijk? Why bring a goalkeeper in when there’s Alisson and Kelleher, plus Mamardashvili coming back next season from loan, so he’ll feel like another new signing for them.
Wirtz alone would feel like a signing that had never been on at Liverpool before. It’s never been their way to spend 100 plus million on a player. That’s some statement signing, even if it’s happening more often now than before. But yeah, Liverpool could land him, and mostly just stick with what they’ve already got.
Kyōgo Furuhashi has struggled at Rennes. Do you think Celtic could potentially look to buy him back?
I've not seen a load of him, to be honest. I saw him when he played up in Scotland. I think he's a player that fits. He’sa very good player. But it’s not going his way right now, obviously, and there’s a chance Celtic benefit from looking forward rather than to the past.
Do you think Brendan Rodgers could potentially clear out some players this summer in order to look forward, and perhaps eliminate some complacency from the squad?
Good question. Because that's always the dilemma, I think, for a manager when you win. I always liken it to teams, when you come up from the Championship: do you stay loyal, or do you move them on? And Brendan's probably having that exact same conversation. Right, the players that have won us a lot, do I stay loyal? Character-wise, you'll know them inside out.
But then you've got to have that foresight to think: who's going to drop off, who might be the player that goes complacent, who might be the player that over the last couple of years or months, has been the one that's just slacked off a little bit or who's just picked up one or two injuries, do I try and freshen it up with younger players?
I’m a player that’s played for 20 years in a lot of dressing rooms. And when you see a new signing coming in, it does have a bit of a weird effect in a good way. It can brighten the mood off the pitch and brighten the tempo on the pitch. When a new player comes in, he tries to impress and that alone can galvanise.
If he plays in your position, you're then trying to impress because you want to tell the boss that he's not just going to come in and take your place. The competitive edge definitely goes up a yard when new players get brought in.
Did Steven Gerrard make a mistake not returning to Ibrox, in your opinion?
I'm not sure how the interview process went. I thought it'd be a brilliant fit. I mean, he's invincible up there, by the way. He won the league with them and got them to be invincible. I think you would have loved going back to Stevie. Russell Martin, I think, was the name that got linked heavily yesterday. That will be very interesting to see how he gets on because a guy that's very steadfast in the way he wants to play.
If they perform like his Southampton team performed and there is no change - and that was the criticism that I and many other pundits labelled Russell Martin - that he wasn't willing to adapt and kept making the same mistakes. Rangers fans are not going to accept that. I thought Stevie would be a perfect fit. I like Stevie. I think he'sdefinitely got a way back into management and Rangers, in my opinion. I think he suits them and they suit him.
How much of a positive effect will Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour’s fantastic season at Napoli have on the Scottish national team as they strive to qualify for the 2026 World Cup?
Oh, amazing. I was watching an interview yesterday and there's a boy that's out in Sturm Graz, Max Johnston, who's just won the Austrian league out there. You've got Johnston, who's just won a league. You got Andy Robertson who's just won the league at Liverpool. You got Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay, they both just won the Serie A title with Napoli.
I can't remember for a long time, that when the Scottish national team gets picked, there's so many league winners coming off the back of the season. It's brilliant, it's amazing. The confidence of these kids must be absolutely flying. It makes me very envious. I wish I’d made a move like that in my day, now.
And hopefully these guys that are playing out all over Europe inspire the entire Scotland squad to kick it up a notch - not just because they’re winning trophies, but they’re playing at very high levels and acquiring all different kinds of experience. Hopefully other young Scottish players make that move when the time is right and play well.
They don’t have to think their options are the Scottish topflight or the Premier League. There’s Austria, there’s Serie A, there’s Serie B, there are all kinds of challenges for them. If you can play in the Premier League or at home in Scotland and be successful, that’s great. But there’s a big, wide world out there. Go and live your life and play your football and challenge yourself. Go and make it happen. Go and chase your dream.
Why do you think Scottish players are finding such success in Italy, in particular? Is there something to that?
I think they, the Italians, like the grit that's in the Scottish personality. I think obviously talenthas to have a massive say as well when you're Antonio Conte, if you're a team in Serie A, Serie B, that's going to buy an English or a Scottish player. You’ve got to be good enough, first and foremost. But even Jose Mourinho said before, he loves the Scottish way of football because he knows the hard work is always there. The grit, the work ethic, being willing to put a shift in.
And I think the Serie A managersprobably look at the Scottish profile and think: ‘well, if a game is going pear shaped, or it’s too close for comfort, the Scottish boys will dig in, they’ll play for the shirt and they’ll battle with pride’. Defending tight leads happens a lot out there, as well, so that comes in handy. It’s a massive character asset that they no doubt appreciate over there when the going gets tough.
Yeah. And there's also a lot of excitement at the momentabout Motherwell’s 18-year-old prospect Lennon Miller. How do you think Miller makes the next step in his career?
When you're someone like him who's a good young player, it's all about the games. It's about the amount of games that you play. There's a great saying: availability is the best ability. It means you've got to be fit, so you've got to stay away from injuries.
Availability means you've got to be in the manager's plans to be starting games. Availability means you've got to be consistent enough to churn out the games. And when I was young, when I tried to play 10, 15 games a season, it felt great. Then you want to try and hit 25 and 30 and then you want to be durable enough to be ever-present and play every game in a season.
Someone like Lennon Miller, it's now being consistent in your performances and the amount of games that you play, and that's what makes you fitter and stronger and better.
How should Steve Clarke approach the upcoming international friendlies for Scotland? They will want to build momentum while so many Scottish players are doing so well, but burnout is also a risk at the end of a long club season.
So this is where I think I would struggle being an international manager, because every possibility comes with a caveat. You want to win games, obviously, because the press up there are ruthless and if you're on a losing streak, they can certainly get after you. Steve Clarke understands that. He’s an intelligent guy, he knows this.
At the same time, you want to blood some young players and see if they're capable and good enough to play. But that comes with a risk of a little bit of the unknown. You'renot quite sure how they're going to do. Which then puts you into the bracket of, well, potentially we might lose a game today or potentially might draw a game today, because I'm picking players that I've not seen play before.
I think you've got to have a conversation, and I think the press have got to be understanding up there. If you're going to go a new way and blood some young players and test them in friendlies, I think it's acceptable if you don't win games. The flip side of that is you want to sort of play your strongest side because you want to win those friendlies to try and give you confidence going into the Nations League and competitive games. What a dilemma for a manager.
I think the best balancing act would be as you pick a core of players of probably seven, eight, nine players that you know you can trust and know that you've seen before. Sprinkle that with two or three players that you're going to give first caps to. Or very unknown players, or players that are coming off the bench because you want to try them, right? You want to see if they're good enough.
And the only way you know it'ssink or swim. The only way you get in a team is by having the chance and having the opportunity. Then it's up to you. That's how I've lived my life. You have an opportunity at Hartlepool, you succeed, you get into the team, you make your move to Liverpool, you can't quite get there because you're not good enough. You work hard, you play hard, you get in the team, you stay in the team and then you're good enough. That has to be a mantra for life, really. You have to be given the opportunity. But when you get given the opportunity, you've got to take it with both hands. You've got to grasp it.
