On Arsenal
Is the way that Arteta ruthlessly relegated Ramsdale to the bench a warning for some of Arsenal’s squad players – people like Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith-Rowe that it’s time to move on this summer.
Eddie Nketiah has been linked with a move to Marseille. To be honest, I can’t see that happening. You have to have a very big personality to play for Olympique Marseille and I don’t know if he has it.
He was given a lot of chances to play for Arsenal and he didn’t really take them. He is a player that needs to move on this summer because he isn’t going to get the game time he wants at Arsenal.
Like I said, to lead the line for Marseille, you need to have strong shoulders. I think Nketiah is probably playing at a level below Marseille, and I think he is playing at a level below the top six in England. I think he would suit a club like Crystal Palace or Fulham.
As for the likes of Emile Smith-Rowe and Reiss Nelson, they need to move on for the sake of their careers. If they aren’t going to play regularly for Arsenal, which they’re not, they need to try something different.
With Aaron Ramsdale, I think that situation is very different from the others. He didn’t play last season, but I think there is still quite a lot of confusion about what happened to him. He played the first few games and then bang, he was on the bench. It was strange.
The season before he was good. He made a few mistakes, but everyone does. I think it’s really difficult for him to accept what has happened to him at Arsenal.
You know what a title winning goalkeeper looks like. Do you think David Raya is a title winning goalkeeper?
Listen, if you’re a goalkeeper and you can play behind a strong defence then you can win a title. David Raya is playing with a great defence in front of him. That means that most teams that play Arsenal will have only a few chances to score in each match, so in those few situations, you need your goalkeeper to be amazing.
When I was at Chelsea, our defence was the best. We didn’t just have the best defence in the Premier League, we had the best defence in the world. That record from 2004-5 where we only conceded 15 goals still stands, so it’s nice to know that we had the best defensive record in the history of the Premier League.
Petr Cech, he didn’t have to do much because we were so strong, but when he did, he had to be perfect, and he normally was.
Apparently, Arsenal are close to signing Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori. Was he someone that caught your eye at the European Championships?
I didn't really watch that many Italian games at the European Championships. For me to watch the Italian team, you know, it brings back too many bad memories (William lost the 2006 World Cup final to Italy), so that's why I didn't watch them.
I did however speak to one of my friends who knows a lot about Italian football and asked him what he thought of him. My friend played in Italy for several years and watches Serie A every week – he played for Inter Milan and Lazio, he was a great player, but I’m not going to say who – and he told me that Ricardo Calafiori is really, really good.
He’s young. He has good quality, and he can play as a centre back or as a left back. I think he would be a good signing for Arsenal because the club doesn’t really have a left back at the moment. There are doubts about that position.
Are you surprised that Arsenal have prioritised signing a defender first this summer considering how impressive Arsenal were in defence last season?
I’m not surprised that Mikel Arteta has signed a defender because Arsenal will be playing in so many competitions next season. He will need quality defenders that he can trust because he will need to rotate some of his defenders next season – it’s really hard to keep the same back four when you’re playing every three of four days. You need quality that can come into the team when required.
He's a young player with massive potential. He can play in a couple of different roles in the defence, so it will be a good signing.
Does the signing of Riccardo Calafiori signal the end of Zinchenko’s time at the club? He wasn’t really trusted by Arteta when it came to the crunch last season.
I think Zinchenko had similar problems when he was at Manchester City. If you can remember, I don’t think that he played in that many of their big games because Pep Guardiola thought that his defensive ability was limited.
With the ball and in possession, he’s a talented player. He is good on the counter attack, but when you ask him to defend and when you put him under pressure, he makes mistakes. He has made a lot of mistakes at Arsenal which is why they are looking to improve their defence.
Zinchenko was such a big part of the way Arsenal played two seasons ago, but have Arsenal and Arteta’s tactics moved on – have they outgrown Zinchenko?
Yeah, I think Arsenal’s football has moved on from what Zinchenko offers them. Football is a game that constantly evolves, and it is changing again at the moment in terms of how the best teams try and defend.
Over the last few years, we’ve seen teams ask their left backs and right backs to go into midfield and build play from the back. We’ve seen back fours become back threes with the ball – a defenders role has changed a lot, but now the focus seems to be on doing what they are there to do: defending very well and being strong.
There is a trend moving towards a much more solid back four. There are a lot of reasons for that, but fundamentally, it’s about being stronger than your opponent and limiting the number of chances on your goal.
Football is changing. We’re in a period that was made for real defenders.
It's funny that change has sort of slowly been happening over the last couple of seasons. And, you know, like most things, it all kind of seems to start with Man City, where they've just played like four centre backs.
Everybody tries to follow Manchester City. I am very curious to know what Guardiola is going to bring this season. I told you this last season, and there were only two points between Arsenal winning the title, but this is the season that Arsenal will win the Premier League.
What do Arsenal miss?
Arteta needs to find his 20 goal a season striker. I’m sure he is looking for him.I'm still waiting to see which striker Arsenal is going to buy.
I hope they're going to buy that striker they need because right now, two seasons in a row, they have got close, and you wonder that if they had a 20 goal a season striker, maybe they could have lifted the Premier League title.
Arsenal need a striker who can score 20 goals. I hope they're going to get that striker who's going to score 20 goals because I'm still not convinced about the others they have.
Is there a player you Is there one guy you think, wow, he would be good at Arsenal?
The problem is now, you know, if you bring in a player who is 28 years old, people will tell you he's too old. It’s crazy but its true! I really like the Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins – I think he would be a great signing for Arsenal and I’ve been told that he supported the club as a boy.
I like him because I like his movement. Arsenal need a player like him, someone that can create space for his teammates. I'm sure he could form a great partnership with Martin Odegaard, because that boy can move very well. He makes runs at the right time.
Arsenal could do with a player like him. He would definitely score 20 goals playing in this Arsenal team. He got 19 in the Premier League last season playing for Villa, imagine what he could do if he signed for Arsenal with the quality that they have there. He would score goals for fun if he played with top quality players!
You're going to get in trouble with some Aston Villa fans!
Yeah, but it’s true. He would be playing with better players if he joined Arsenal, and he would score more goals.
On Chelsea
It’s been another busy summer at Chelsea. Your old club have signed a lot of young players – are you worried that they may be repeating the same mistakes as in previous transfer windows?
Chelsea can’t stop signing youngsters and prospects, they’ve been doing it since Boehly took over and I can’t see them changing their recruitment strategy anytime soon.
I don’t want to be too critical yet because the transfer window is open for another six or seven weeks. Let’s see what they’ve done when the window closes before we pass judgement.
I expect more younger players to join the club between now and then (September). I still don't understand why they want to buy so many young players. They've already got so many young players in their squad. I think they've got around maybe 34 players.
Where can this Chelsea squad improve?
The club must find a replacement for Thiago Silva at centre back. When I look at the players who can play there, without Thiago, I’m worried. I think centre back will be a very big problem for Chelsea unless they bring in at least one world-class player to replace Thiago Silva.
If Chelsea want to finish in the top four, then they need to improve their defence.
I’m also worried about a lack of leadership at the club. Not only have Chelsea lost a brilliant, experienced defender in Thiago Silva, they’ve also lost his leadership qualities. I’m looking at the Chelsea squad and the starting eleven and I can’t see any leaders. Who is going to lead the team in difficult moments next season? For me, there isn’t any obvious candidates.
Leadership is a problem at Chelsea. Reece James is always injured…
He's the club captain, and he came back from injury last season and was sent off so he will miss the start of the season. Reece James is going to have to come back to his best because Malo Gusto was excellent for Chelsea last season.
Even though James is the captain, I think there are question marks about whether or not he will start because of his injury problems and Gusto’s form.
He has some serious competition for the right back role in Malo Gusto, who impressed last season. Will the competition bring the best out of him? It feels like a crucial season for James.
I think this will be a crucial season for Reece James. How old is he now? 24? Time flies.
James has to be careful. He has to be careful because he’s had too many injuries over the last few years and there are doubts about his ability to play 38 games in a season. He will need to demonstrate that he is capable of doing that, but I think it will be really difficult for him.
There are so many doubts about his availability and that is why Chelsea need to sign someone that is a natural leader. The club are going to need a handful of players that can lead the squad, but I can’t see a leader in the group.
Who is the leader at Chelsea? I don't see any. When the team is in trouble, when they are 1-0 down, nobody is shouting. Chelsea need some players who can shout and boost the players.
One guy that wore the armband a lot last season, because Rhys James was injured so much, was Conor Gallagher. His future is somewhat up in the air, because he's got a year left on his contract. I think it's obvious that Chelsea have been trying to sell him, but he doesn't look like he wants to go.
I completely understand why Connor Gallagher doesn’t want to leave Chelsea. That’s the club he grew up in – he’s a London boy, he’s a Chelsea boy – why would he want to leave? You have to think as well, because of his relationship with the fans, there aren’t any other top London clubs he probably feels like he can join. The Chelsea fans would not be able to forgive one of their own going to play for Arsenal or going to play for Tottenham.
Connor Gallagher has to stay at Chelsea this season. The problem is he has only got one more year left on his contract.
How can he get a new contract? He has to score goals. Simple! Score eight, nine goals this season and I’m sure Chelsea will extend his contract.
Do you think he will sign that new deal? I don't know how highly you rate him as a player, but why do you think that the guys that run the club are reluctant to give him a new deal?
When you want to play with a high press, you need a player like him. Listen, if he scores eight or nine goals, I think Chelsea will extend his contract.
One thing that you can say about Gallagher is that the fans adore him. He has the fans behind him, so I’m telling you, if the ownership try and sell him, they will be in a lot of trouble with the fans at the club.
Todd Boehly has got enough problems running the club (laughs). He doesn’t need the fans getting even more angry with him for selling a homegrown player, trust me.
Apparently, your old club want to bring in a new goalie to compete with the keepers at the club for a number one spot. How do you think Chelsea’s goalie options compare with the best teams in the league and do you think the club needs an upgrade on what they have to help reach its goals this season?
Hold on, hold on. You’re telling me that Chelsea want to strengthen their squad with another goalkeeper to provide competition for Robert Sanchez, so that means they don’t think what they have in the club is good enough. That must mean that they don’t rate Djordje Petrovic or Kepa.
If that is true, then Chelsea’s recruitment team has failed. They are the ones that aren’t good enough after spending a lot of money on Sanchez and Petrovic in the last 12 months. How many goalkeepers do these guys want to bring in? The recruitment has not been good enough.
Think about bringing in an experienced centre back. Think about bringing in a world-class striker. Stop talking about goalkeepers.
It’s not uncommon to see managers bringing players with them that they have managed before when they join a new club. Jose Mourinho did that with several players when you were at the club – Enzo Maresca has done the same with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Why do managers tend to that?
Hold on. Let me stop you, you can't seriously compare Enzo Maresca signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Jose Mourinho joining Chelsea from Porto and bringing Ricardo Carvalho and Pablo Ferreira with him. One player is coming from the Championship, and the other players had just won the Champions League! It’s a totally different situation.
Maresca knows the player very well and he knows what qualities he will bring to the team. Chelsea’s midfielders will know that they will have to fight for their place in the starting eleven and it’s a signing that keeps them on their toes. I think it’s a good signing because it will increase competition in an area where Chelsea need it.
When a manager brings a player with him and they have a history of working together, sometimes it can be good. It isn’t easy for a new manager to walk into a new dressing room with a group of players that he doesn’t really know, so it will help him having Dewsbury-Hall in the dressing room because he is someone that he knows.
Is that a signing that excites you?
When Chelsea signed Dewsbury-Hall, I said to myself that now the Chelsea players are going to have to fight, which was based on my experience when Mourinho brought his own players with him when he was appointed as the manager.
Sometimes you need a player that is prepared to do the dirty work and fight for his team. I think Dewsbury-Hall can be that player for Chelsea and he will have an impact at the club even when he doesn’t play because the other midfielders will have to compete for a place in the team.
He will work hard and provide some extra legs and energy to the team. Players like this allow more talented individuals with different qualities the chance to shine.
When Mourinho brought in Ricardo Carvalho and Pablo Ferreira, how were they received by the established players in the Chelsea dressing room?
Straight away, when those players arrived at Chelsea, we respected them. We respected the decision of Mourinho to bring them with him because of what they achieved together at Porto.
It was a bit more difficult for me because one was a centre back and one was a right back and that meant that my position in the starting line-up was threatened. I knew that it was going to be difficult for me to keep my place in the team, even if I had played more games than any other player the season before. My position was in danger.
I congratulated them on joining the club, but I was a competitor, and I was thinking to myself that there is no way that I am going to give up my place in the first team to anyone. They would have to fight me for a place in the team. It was a really good challenge for me, and I responded to the competition in the best possible way. It enabled me to become an even better player and I improved under Mourinho because of that.
Were the Portuguese players that Mourinho brought with him seen as the teachers pets by the other players in the dressing room?
I think it was a little bit like that at Chelsea with the Portuguese players and Mourinho, certainly at the beginning, but it changed after a few months. I thought it was quite funny because the guy that I was in direct competition with - Ricardo Carvalho – he was really pissed off with Mourinho for not picking him! He started picking me because I was fighting every single day in training to keep my place in the starting line-up.
In every session, I kept my personal level very high. I was prepared to put the effort in and fight for my place, I didn’t want to sit on the bench. When you played in that Chelsea defence, you had to be the best. I was so worried about the team conceding a goal because if we did, then maybe the manager would have decided to replace me with Ricky.
Carvalho was fuming whenever he didn’t play. Mourinho rotated a bit between us at the beginning and then he put me back in the team after Ricardo had played a couple of games. The day before the game on the field, Jose put his starting XI up and I saw that I was starting after being on the bench for a couple of games and when Carvalho was dropped, he was absolutely fuming. I don’t know what he was saying because he was speaking in Portuguese, but he looked pretty angry (laughs).
Apart from that, did you have a good relationship with him?
I had a good relationship with Ricky and Paulo. I'm still in contact with Paulo. They were great guys; great professionals and they were outstanding players with exceptional quality.
Victor Osimhen is a player that is constantly linked to Chelsea. Do you think the club can bring him in without offering Champions League football?
I think Victor Osimhen would be a wonderful signing for Chelsea. I don’t think a lack of Champions League football would make that much of a difference, he would just need to buy into the long-term project and vision of the club.
Chelsea will be a good fit for him, and he can talk about the benefits of joining the club with Didier Drogba – Drogba can tell him everything he needs to know about Chelsea.
He is the type of player that would suit the Premier League. Physically, he’s strong. He has good height, and he is always running. He's not scared to get involved in the physical side of the game.
Chelsea need a player like him. They need a player who can keep the ball and give the opportunity for the team to get up the pitch. Chelsea will play with one striker next season, and they will need that striker to bring other players into the game as well as being able to stretch defences with pace.
Everyone has seen what he is capable of. What he did for Napoli the season before last was exceptional. If there is even the slightest chance of signing him, then Chelsea must go for it. They need a player that can consistently score goals otherwise they will have the same problem as last season.
On Tottenham
I know that you've tipped Tottenham to have a good season What improvements do the club need in your opinion to compete with the big boys?
Tottenham must keep the positive things they did from last season. They have to keep playing that style of football and hopefully, they can get off to a blistering start again this season.
I expect and want to see Tottenham playing attractive football, but they also need to bring something different. They need to develop a Plan B under Ange Postecoglou, because last season, for me, he only had Plan A. The team always plays with a high press, the defence plays with a very high line – it was a new way of playing that overawed a lot of their opponents, especially at the beginning of the season.
Tottenham had an element of surprise last season that they won’t have this time. They can’t just rely on playing in one way all the time, they will need to adapt in certain games against certain opposition. They need to develop some tactical versatility.
Will that be enough for them to compete for the title? At this stage, I’m not sure because I still think the club has an awful lot of work to do in the transfer market.
They need one striker who can score 20 goals. Last season, they didn't have that striker. Son, played a lot through the middle last season and he carried the goalscoring burden. In the end, he wasn’t capable of scoring 20 goals, and I actually prefer him in the wide areas, so Tottenham need to go out and find a 20 goal-a-season striker this summer.
If you want to win the league, if you want to get into the Champions League, you need that player who can fire you there. You need at least one player who will score a minimum of 20 goals. That is simple. When you have a player like that, defenders can get distracted, and it creates room for your other attackers to hurt the opponent. It gives your attacking teammates more freedom.
They need one more good centre back in case Romero is injured or suspended. Over the last couple of seasons, I’ve been impressed with Romero’s efforts to improve his discipline. I really like Micky van de Ven – I think he’s a great player – but he had some injury problems last season. If you take one of those two out of the back four, Tottenham are in trouble. They struggled without them last season.
They signed Radu Drăgușin in January. I’ve seen him play and let me tell you, he’s not at the required level to play for Tottenham if they want to compete with the best teams in the Premier League. Unfortunately, he’s not good enough. I’m sorry to say that, but it’s true.
Transfer Rumours
Arenal and Tottenham have been linked with Wolves’ Pedro Neto for a few years now. Is he good enough to play for a team with title and top four aspirations? Can he make the difference?
I don’t know if Pedro Neto would walk into the first team of either Arsenal or Tottenham, but he can certainly help them as a squad player. He would be a good option for either club to have on the bench.
When you play against a player like him, as a defender, you know that he will give you a game. Over the last few years, he’s definitely shown what he can do. He scores goals and is always a threat.
Unfortunately, he has had a lot of injuries. If any of the clubs want to sign him, they will have to be certain that he has got over his injury troubles because he will cost a lot of money.
One player that Arsenal are reportedly very keen on is Nico Williams. Chelsea also like him – who should he choose and why if it comes down to the two London clubs?
Too late! Sorry Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool fans, or fans of any club that have been linked with Nico Williams, you’re too late. He is going to go to Barcelona. I'm sure Barcelona is going to try to do everything they can to get that boy, especially when you see the relationship that he has with Lamine Yamal. They are two players that complement each other perfectly on the pitch and off it, they look like they’re really great friends. They're always together.
French Connections
Manchester United completed the signing of Leny Yoro for £52 million from Lille. What can you tell us about the 18-year-old French centre back?
I don't know Leny Yoro very well, but I know he played 32 games for Lille last season and he scored two goals. He looked strong.
I saw that friendly game with Manchester United against Rangers, and it was a good debut. That was a good sign of things to come for Manchester United with Yoro because he will be building his confidence after that. I think he could be a good surprise this season.
West Ham have had a bid turned down for N’Golo Kante. Did his performances at the Euros show the world that he can still play at the highest level?
He doesn't want to move back to the Premier League. He is very happy to stay in Saudi Arabia, and he doesn't want to join West Ham. It isn’t a move that he wants, I think this one is just paper talk.
Adrien Rabiot is available on a free transfer. He’s been linked with a move to Liverpool and Manchester United – do you think his game would suit the Premier League?
Rabiot can't come to England. The intensity will be too much for him. Rabiot is the type of player who can play in Italy, Spain or France, but he can't play in England.
The French Football Federation decided to lodge a complaint with world football's governing body FIFA and take legal action after racist chants were directed at French players by members of the Argentine football team after their Copa America victory. What was your reaction to that and how disappointing is it that Enzo Fernandez was the player that posted the video?
To be honest, when I saw the video that Enzo Fernandez posted, it touched me.I played for the French national team, and even though I retired a while ago, I felt it very personally. It was like they were singing about me and all the other black players that represent their countries.
I can't imagine the reaction of the Chelsea players when they saw that video.I was very angry about it, and I put something on my social media saying that it was unacceptable.
The Argentina players were singing about the French players, but for me it's not only the French players. It’s offensive to all black players who represent their countries and who play football.
It would have offended Nico Williams. It would have offended Lamine Yamal. It would have offended the black and mixed-race players that play for England.
Racism is never acceptable in football. I have a major problem with what the Argentina players did, and FIFA and UEFA need to do something about it.
On Rodrigo De Paul’s criticism of Wesley Fofana
When you hear Rodrigo De Paul’s comments, it’s hard to believe that we are in the year 2024. For him to say that Wesley Fofana should call Enzo Fernandez and discuss what happened rather than express his disgust on social media. It makes me think that these Argentina players don’t really understand how offensive the song is and that they can’t see a problem with it.
It's not Fofana’s responsibility to call Enzo Fernandez. Enzo Fernandez should have called his teammates straight away and apologized about what he did – it’s too late to say sorry to individuals after you’ve acknowledged you made a mistake on social media.
Enzo shouldn’t have posted the video in the first place, but the first reaction should have been to call his colleagues, not post something on social media. The apology to the Chelsea players feels like an afterthought. He only reacted after the negative reaction the video got on social media.
I think that's the bigger problem, isn't it? He obviously didn't think what he was saying was wrong in the first place. Chelsea have a large number of French players who are black or mixed race, including Malo Gusto, Lesley Ugochukwu, Christopher Nkunku, Fofana, Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile. Is there any way that these players can share a dressing room with Enzo Fernandez after the incident?
We won’t know how this incident will have affected the atmosphere in the Chelsea dressing room until Enzo Fernandez joins up with the rest of the squad. We’ve seen some of the players unfollow him immediately on social media and make comments condemning the incident.
One thing that is certain is that when Enzo Fernandez walks back into the dressing room at Chelsea, things will be different for him. I’m sure that he will speak to the players and I’m sure he will apologise to the players.
It is going to be hard for him to be accepted by some of his teammates. When something like this happens, it's not easy to take it as player. They will do their job on the pitch and will be professional, but I don't think they will be friends. The only player that defended Fernandez at Chelsea was Nico Jackson, he put something on social media. Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but I don’t want to talk about what he said. It was a really bad incident for football and a really bad incident for Chelsea.
It will be difficult for him in the dressing room. I also think it will be interesting to see how other fans react to him when he plays. Will he be targeted by non-Chelsea fans? I could understand it if he was.
Immature players need to be careful in social media age
Every single player needs to be aware of what they do and post on social media. We’ve seen so many situations where people say the wrong thing on social media. I wonder if some of these players are mature enough to understand the power of their voice and also how to use their voice in the right way on social media platforms.
Social media can be good, and it can be bad. For me, it's very difficult to understand how players can continue to put themselves in bad situations because of how they behave on social media. I don’t understand what is going through some of these players heads to be honest with you.
If you’re not mature enough to use social media in the right way, then you shouldn’t be using it.
Could this incident derail Chelsea’s season before its even begun?
This is a big problem for the new manager, and it will be difficult for him to solve it. After what’s happened, the atmosphere won't be great in the dressing room.
Having the right atmosphere and spirit in the dressing room is absolutely crucial if you want to be a successful football club. There needs to be a good understanding between the players and a good connection between the players and the manager. When you have that positive spirit and a good morale within the club, you can have a good pre-season.
Enzo Maresca would not have wanted to deal with a problem like this so early in his Chelsea tenure. The Enzo incident is the kind of issue that can give Chelsea problems in regard to starting the season well.
We know after last season, it's very important for Chelsea to start well and to try to do everything to qualify for the Champions League. Champions League qualification should be the minimum target after finishing sixth. The club must make that step up to show that they are progressing.
Chelsea must find a solution with Enzo. I don't know what they're going to do. I think they're going to punish him, but I don't know how.
Don't forget that players must be an example for football fans. If a player can post a racist video and act in a racist way, it sets a terrible example for fans and maybe they will think that if he can do it, then so can I. It’s a horrible incident. There is no place for racism in football.
