Exclusive Interview with Paul Dickov: Premier League, Football League and International Insights
Posted by Rob Shepherd on Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Former Manchester City, Arsenal, and Leicester City striker Paul Dickov sits down with the Best Betting Bonuses team to share his insights on the current Premier League season. In this exclusive interview, Dickov discusses Manchester City’s historic dominance under Pep Guardiola, Arsenal’s title challenge, the evolution of Jack Grealish at Everton, and Viktor Gyokeres’ impact at Arsenal.
MANCHESTER CITY
Do you think Pep Guardiola and Man City have enough about them to push Arsenal all the way in the title race? If not, why?
I think so, especially after they demolished Liverpool. Being in and around the club quite a lot, especially this season, the whole atmosphere, togetherness and the drive after the disappointment from last season was there for everybody to see. I could sense yesterday’s performance coming, because they lost at Villa the other week.
Then everybody was talking about how big the game was against Bournemouth and then obviously Borussia Dortmund and then Liverpool. We were thinking it could define the season really.
To get the three victories that they did, and in the manner of how they’ve done it, that matters. People will talk about Liverpool not being in great form at the minute, but I don’t think it was as much down to that as it was how good Manchester City were.
I look at the squad, and it reminds me of a couple of seasons ago: a lovely mixture of youth and experience. They’ve made good signings. Rayan Ait-Nouri looks good from Wolves, and he can’t even get in the team at the minute because of young Nico O’Reilly. Then you’ve got Rayan Cherki, who’s a game changer. And then Phil Foden back to form. Jeremy Doku, who was one of the best performers against Liverpool. Defensively, they were really sound too.
I won’t say it’s a defining moment because it’s still too early in the season, but I think City put a marker down for everybody else, to let people know that they’re not gonna roll over any time soon.
What have they been missing over the past two years which has prevented them from being closer to the top?
I just think last year, after winning the treble the season before and then winning four Premier Leagues, there was always going to be a drop-off at some point.
Personally, I thought that drop-off might have been after they’d won the treble and won the Champions League. Then to go on and win the Premier League again the season before last, and make it four in the row, it was incredible.
The players last season, they’re a little bit older. The energy within the squad wasn’t the same.
I’ll compare that to the game against Liverpool. It’s not just the fantastic football they played, but their energy all over the pitch. There was a youthfulness about them again. Of course, we still had wonderful players last season, players that have wrote their name in City history and provided unbelievable moments over the years, but players like De Bruyne and Gundogan, perhaps it was just one season too many for them.
I think Pep’s admitted himself that he was maybe a bit too loyal to the Treble-winning team, then the four-in-a-row winning team. But it must be so difficult when you’ve just won four Premier Leagues in a row, to start a rebuild.
I think they got caught a little bit short with it (last season) and they addressed some of it last January, then completed the job with the signings in the summer. The players that are left, they’re not quite there yet, but they look close to getting back to the Manchester City that we’ve seen over the previous seasons.
In hindsight, do you think City missed a trick by allowing Arsenal a free run at signing Declan Rice in 2023?
I think they did try to sign Declan Rice, and Declan decided to choose Arsenal, which looks as if it’s not been a bad move for him because he’s been outstanding.
Declan, for me, is one of the best midfielders around and especially playing that role a bit further forward, he’s your ultimate box-to-box midfielder. He’s got a bit of everything. City would have loved to have signed him.
However, with Rodri coming back to fitness again now, and with Nico Gonzalez adjusting, things look good for City’s midfield. Nico came in and it was difficult for him to settle.
He’s not a natural No. 6, we know that. But he studied the game, he’s worked with Pep and his coaching staff. In the last few games, I think he’s been outstanding.
Would City have loved to have signed Declan? Almost certainly. I don’t think there’s a club that wouldn’t have.
Do you think City will fail to win a major trophy again under Guardiola?
I don’t think so. I keep saying I don’t want to get too far ahead, I’ll get too carried away with the recent performances. But there’s just something within the club and on the pitch that is near the levels they were at when they were at their best.
I know for a fact that there’s a hunger, not just from Pep, but from the staff, the players. They were hurt last season. They were really hurt and there’s a big drive within the club to put that right this season. And they were quite happy going under the radar a little bit earlier on in the season, but the performance against Liverpool has given everybody hope and they can still get better.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Manchester City are up there winning things at the end of the season again because I think the strength and depth, the quality, it’s up there with the very best.
Can Jack Grealish go to the World Cup?
I hope so. I hope so. I love Jack. I love him as a player, I love him as a person and it’s great to see him back enjoying his football again. Last season he will openly admit that it wasn’t his best. The season before he struggled with injuries. But then that treble-winning season, he was consistently Man City’s best player in that. In all the big games, European games, he was the one that turned up and really produced.
It’s just great to see him enjoying his football again at Everton playing every weekend. He’s got the talent, he’s got the ability and if he keeps showing that on a consistent basis, which he has done already this season, I think he’s got a great chance.
In big games, if England wants to kill games at any time, then there’s no better player to have to come off the bench than Jack to get you up the pitch. He wins fouls to disrupt play, and he’s a special talent at doing that. There’s nobody in the England squad that can do what Jack can do. So I really hope he continues his wonderful form and he gets his chance because I know he’s desperate to get back into that England squad.
Pep just celebrated 1,000 games in management, thumping Liverpool 3-0. Did he put the nail in the coffin for Liverpool’s title defence? I think it’s too early to write Liverpool out of the title race. What I will say is looking at them against City, I thought they looked a little done, a little bit tired. They looked a little bit short of confidence.
The energy that you would associate with Jurgen Klopp’s team, and Arne Slot’s last season, didn’t seem to be there. But when they’ve got the quality in the team that they’ve got, when you’ve got a spine with Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch, plus talent such as Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Mo Salah and Hugo Ekitike, there’s just too much quality to write them off yet.
What has changed for Phil Foden?
He had a few injury problems last season and maybe had some difficulties off the pitch. It took him a season to recover from that. But I look at him, I’ve seen him train pre-season. I look at him now, his energy levels yesterday were up there with the Phil Foden we’ve seen a few years ago. He’s looking threatening, he’s assisting again, he’s scoring goals and he’s playing in a position in the centre of the park, which we all know is his best position.
There’s lots of reasons why it didn’t quite happen last season. It’s just great to see him back. Phil’s quality, his natural ability is up there with the very best when he’s at it, and you can see signs of that already coming back this season, which is fantastic for Man City, and fantastic for England. Maybe not so much for a Scotsman saying that, because he’s a game changer!
Pep looks full of energy. He celebrated 450 games in management with City on Sunday. Could he do another 100/200 with City?
He signed on for this season and next, and few people expected that. So I think he’ll do that, at least. Looking at Pep, even in the Club World Cup in the summer and the beginning of the season, he looks as enthusiastic and as driven as he was when he first came to the club. I think he’s really enjoying this rebuild, getting these new players in, and getting them to play how he wants them to.
They’re improving all the time. I’m not saying it looks like he’s got his mojo back. I don’t think that ever left, but he looks as fresh and as driven as he was from the first day he walked in the club, which is fantastic for everyone associated with Man City Football Club.
Because it’s not just the team. The atmosphere around the training ground, the staff, it’s just a fantastic place to go into. Pep creates that environment for them all to do the best they can all the time.
Is Jeremy Doku the best winger in the PL right now?
I would say he’s probably the best in Europe at the minute. Not just of his performance against Liverpool, which was top drawer, but I said before the game, that despite Erling Haaland’s goals, Doku has consistently been City’s best player and biggest threat. People were forgetting last season. They were questioning his end product a little bit. And maybe he was doing all these dribbles and was playing at a mile-a-minute. Maybe his crossing and finishing suffered, but he’s worked so hard at his game. He’s only 23 years old. He’s a young boy, and he’s just impossible to defend against when he gets you one on one. Even yesterday when Liverpool were trying to double up on him and go two on one, he was still beating both defenders as if they weren’t there.
The problem he has now is that the standard that he played at yesterday, people are going to expect that every single week from him, which is going to be difficult to do.
But at the minute, off the top of my head, I can’t think of a better winger in Europe, never mind in the Premier League.
Pep changed the way football is played in the UK, he raised the level. Do you think he will ever join in with the rest of the PL managers this season and start embracing long throws and set-pieces more?
I don’t think they’ve got anybody that can throw it that far, actually. Otherwise I’m pretty sure that they would have looked at it, because the one thing Pep does is make sure there’s no stone unturned in what he does and the detail that he does.
I think City is the only club that’s not used long throws at all this season. I’m pretty sure if he thought it was going to benefit the team, he’d do it.
But Pep does like to control the ball. The long throw-ins are great, but you’ve got to make sure that if you don’t get the first contact, you’ve got to pick up the second balls. He might see that as a way of losing possession, and losing control of the game. So maybe that’s another reason why he’s not done it, because he loves his teams to have the ball. He loves to be in control of the game and sometimes with long throws, it can disrupt that a little bit.
What will fans think if they go two seasons without a major trophy for two seasons in a row?
The one thing Pep’s got is a lot of credit in the bank with the City fans and one bad season last season out of all the time he’s been here isn’t a bad thing. I think the fans realise that, and City fans obviously are very passionate, but they’re good football people as well.
They understand that it’s probably the third rebuild since Pep came in, with the new signings. They’ll be patient with them. At times, they’ve lost this season and it hasn’t always looked great, and people were already declaring them out of the title race.
But I think that if City can be in and around Arsenal by January, February time, then that’s their time. That’s when they know to really kick on. They have still got players like Rodri to come back. I think they’re going to wrap him up in cotton wool for the next few weeks just to make sure that by the second half of the season, he’s ready to go.
I looked at the bench yesterday, they’re bringing on players like Omar Marmoush and Nathan Ake. John Stones is on the bench and Savinho’s coming off the bench. I think the squad depth and the quality that City have got is as good as anyone in the Premier League.
So it wouldn’t surprise me if they went on and won silverware again this year.
Is Guardiola still the best tactician in football or has he been left behind by Arteta?
Obviously with my blue-tinted glasses on, I still think he’s the best. I think he showed that in the game against Liverpool. City with and without the ball tactically were so much better than Liverpool. I think Pep looked at the midfield with the three that they have in it and they tweaked it a little bit.
Rayan Cherki coming in from the right, Nunes pushing right on the wingers, with Nico O’Reilly and Jeremy Doku on the left, the players were coming off the line and the Liverpool players could not work out how they were getting outnumbered in the middle of the pitch.
I just thought it was a tactical master class from Pep yesterday. A lot of people are saying that Pep’s plan A is playing out from the back. He’s showing this season that at times we need to go longer to Haaland and go from there, that’s what we’ll do. But I thought yesterday the players – the players have got to go out there and execute the plan as well as they can – deserve credit.
I thought from a tactical point of view, I thought it was top, top class and it shows that Pep still got it.
PREMIER LEAGUE HEADLINES
Arsene Wenger claims Liverpool “destroyed their midfield” to accommodate Florian Wirtz. Do you think fitting in the German is causing tactical problems for Arne Slot?
I don’t know about destroying the midfield. You look at the last couple of games, he’s actually played in that wide left area.
Liverpool generally do best with Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch in the middle of the park. They make it difficult to play against them with their energy. I feel a little bit for him. He came with a huge price tag. He’s obviously a talented player, we all know that. But he’s come into the team and sometimes when you move to a big club like Liverpool, you need your teammates around you to perform and to help you settle in a little bit.
You look at Liverpool’s form, and the big players are struggling at the minute and it makes it even more difficult for somebody of Wirtz’ age (22). He is young, and even somebody so talented would struggle to come into this team and hit that ground running.
At any point in any time in your career you’re going to have spells where things aren’t happening, and you look for your teammates to try and help you out a little bit. I don’t see that in Liverpool at the minute I just think there’s too many players that are underperforming for them. And it really does make it even more difficult for new signings coming in to settle as quickly as they would like.
Newcastle are some way off the top 5 despite having a successful Champions League campaign. Is European football affecting their domestic form and can you see them getting back into the mix at the top of the Premier League?
I think the quality and the team is there. But at the minute it’s just not happening for whatever reason. The performances in the Champions League at St James’s Park are phenomenal. But then I look at them in the league games, especially away from home.
The reality is that defeats away from home are costing them. I saw them at Brentford. They’re taking the lead and then you’re looking for them to kick on a little bit, and then they just look a little bit flat and they collapse.
We’ve seen this before with teams that are competing in Europe with the big occasion. They find it really difficult to then go and perform the following weekend in the Premier League, which is your bread and butter.
I’ve seen Eddie Howe’s interview after the game at the weekend and you can tell he wasn’t happy at all. But he’s a top manager and I’m sure he’ll sort it out.
But with the strength of the Premier League this year, I think it’s the strongest one we’ve seen in a long time. You don’t want to fall behind by too many points too quickly. You know there’s time to win the points back, But there’s teams around them that are picking up results and looking really strong at the minute, and if they don’t address the away from, the time is going to run out.
ARSENAL
Is Mikel Merino the most underrated signing of recent years?
I think he has been. I think if you’ve got to look at how he came in as a midfielder, how he transformed himself into a centre-forward last year when Arsenal had the injuries that they did.
I like him, he’s a really good player and I do think he is underrated. He’s a player that chips in with goals when needed. He doesn’t mind putting his foot in. When he plays up top, he puts himself about and causes problems and I think he’s been a really good signing.
Sometimes players like that go under the radar a little bit when you’re making big signings, lespecially this season at Arsenal with Gyokeres and Eze, they’re easier on the eye and more flattering because of the price tag, and where they’ve come from.
But I’m pretty sure that his teammates and especially Mikel Arteta and his staff know how important he is, and probably realise the value that Mikel’s got in him.
Was it sour grapes from Arteta to complain about Sunderland’s tactics?
A little bit. But I think that’s a huge compliment to Sunderland and how they went about it. Nobody’s going to have an easy game going up to the Stadium of Light this season. Not just because of the atmosphere but the way Sunderland play. Sometimes – not just Mikel but all managers – if they don’t quite get a result they look at a way to deflect a bit from their performance.
If they don’t get a result, and Arne Slot might do it this season again, you talk about the physicality of teams and set pieces. I just think that is clever for them because it deflects away from a result, which everybody thought before the game that Arsenal would have won. But I think if you’re going to go up to Sunderland and expect a nice, easy footballing game, you’re a little bit deluded.
You should know what to expect and know what you’re going to get before you actually go there. It’s going to be high energy. They’re going to be in your faces, there will be long balls. They want to rough you up and you’ve got to be prepared for that.
Viktor Gyokeres has had a bit of stick, but did the result against Sunderland highlight how much Arsenal missed him?
We all know he scores goals but he also stretches teams. He wants to run in behind. He’s got really clever movement. He’s a strong runner and I really like him. I know some people say he’s not hit the ground running yet, but it’s difficult.
The same as Alexander Isak, he didn’t really get a full pre-season. He’s had a few niggles as a result, but there’s no doubt when he’s fit that he’s going to score goals.
I think on Saturday in the Sunderland game, I do think that Arsenal missed his energy if nothing else up front. He occupies the centre-half. He makes it difficult for them.
He wants to run the channels to stretch teams. Arsenal players like Saka and Eze,they will use that space to do damage. With his movement, they will get in the little pockets and play as the talented footballers that we all know they are.
How many goals do you think Gyokeres will put away this season?
If he stays fit, he can bang them in. They always say the golden number for a forward at any level, whether that’s the Premier League, the Championship, anywhere, is 20 goals. That’s the target.
If he can stay fit, with the talent he’s got alongside him, with Eze, Saka, Trossard and Martinelli, with Declan Rice in midfield, I don’t see any reason why he can’t score 20 a season.
If Mikel Arteta fails to win the league or Champions League this season, will his players start to have their doubts after so many runners-up finishes?
It’s a difficult one because I know Mikel very well but he’ll know himself there is pressure. I don’t necessarily think he needs to win the Premier League or Champions League, but I do think that he’ll need to do well in one or both of them, and then maybe pick up a domestic trophy. I think they’ve been good for the last couple of seasons without actually winning anything. I think it’s imperative for Mikel that they do actually work hard and produce something this season, because if they don’t win something this year after that level of investment, it’ll be tough.
The players have got to show how good they are and it’s not an option not to win anything. I think it’s a pretty crucial season for Arsenal.
What has Arteta changed this season to improve Arsenal?
I just think that obviously Gyokeres is the centre forward that everybody’s been crying out for the last two or three seasons. For them to get him is huge. For me, the best of the new signings is Eberechi Eze. I think he’s a wonderful talent. They can play him in a number of positions. I do think he’s better centrally where he can create things. He goes past people so naturally and he could be that little bit of gold dust.
They don’t have to rely on Saka so much anymore. In the past couple of years, Saka has had to carry Arsenal with his quality and goals. Now, to have somebody in the team that can share that load with is huge. I think Eze’s probably been the main one for me, the outstanding signing for them.
Are Arsenal’s next three games the biggest of the season so far?
Yeah, I would say so. Last week people were talking about Liverpool, with the Villa game, with the Real Madrid game and the Manchester City game, that it could be a defining week for them.
City were playing a Bournemouth team that were second in the league at the time, and then Borussia Dortmund who were playing really well and then Liverpool. So there’s big weeks coming up. But that’s a big, big week for Arsenal in the North London derby, and then against Vincent Kopmany’s Bayern Munich, who blew PSG away the other week. They were showing the quality that they’ve got.
Then it’s Chelsea’s away. Which is tough, as Chelsea are hitting a bit of form again. They are hit or miss. So many quality players going forward, but defensively still look as if they can concede goals. So it’s going to be a huge week for Arsenal, but yet again, it’s still only November.
People will already be talking about Arsenal blowing it again and I don’t buy into that. I think they have too much quality and strength and depth this season for anything to be decided in November. Regardless of how many points they get out of the games next week.
This version of Arsenal has been drawing comparisons to George Graham’s Arsenal teams. Is that a fair comparison?
If they are, I think the Arsenal fans will be happy. You know, I was there. I was part of the team as a young kid when George was there.
The ‘boring Arsenal chants’, I’m sure they will be coming out again, and ‘One-nil to the Arsenal’, but if it means that they are successful and going to win silverware, I don’t think Arsenal fans will complain at all.
LEICESTER
Has Marti Cifuentes been given the squad he needs to take them up?
I think it’s a difficult one as well. Marti will have his own way of playing. I looked at their team at the weekend when they beat Norwich and they’ve got such good players in the squad, players with a lot of Premier League experience in the squad. They’ve got Jannik Vestergaard, Asmir Begovic, Harry Winks, and Patson Daka,
They’ve got some really good players for the Championship and you know that the owners are not investing like they did before. But Marti’s a really good manager and the squad of players that he’s got there, I’m pretty sure he will be able to get the best out of them.
He needs to manage the style of playing with the experience that they’ve got in there as well. They’re sitting in and around the playoffs at the minute, and if that’s the case at the turn of the year, into February, I see no reason why they can’t make a big push for the playoffs.
BRIGHTON
Is Carlos Baleba still worth £110 million? Should Brighton have sold last summer?
I didn’t really think he was worth £110 million in the summer, really, but he’s a wonderful player. He’s still a very young boy. Sometimes with the speculation and the pressure surrounding him in the summer, it can affect players. You know, the last couple of games, he has been better, but he has struggled this season.
That could be the pressure that’s been put on him. Sometimes the price tag, that talk of going to clubs like United, Chelsea or wherever it may be, it can affect you.
I think what he’s got to do is, first and foremost, concentrate on himself and try to get his form back to somewhere where it was because he was outstanding last season. If he can do that, there’s going to be a lot of clubs that are going to come back knocking. But I’m not quite too sure about £110 million.
Should Danny Welbeck have been called up by Thomas Tuchel?
Possibly, but then you look at the wonderful talent that England have got in the attacking areas.
They have brought Phil Foden back in and I know Thomas does see him playing more as a forward than a wide player, which I’m delighted about, because I think Phil’s best position is playing as a sort of false nine with a center forward up there, because of how natural his ability is.
You have got other centre-forwards in there that are there if Harry Kane doesn’t need to play, or if he’s injured. I just think that Danny, at the age he’s at, is maybe not as attractive an opinion despite the form he’s in at the minute.
Then Thomas is looking towards the World Cup and that’s another seven months away and Danny’s going to be that little bit older. Tuchel’s already said he wants consistency in his squad, and he’s happy with the group that he’s got.
So I think Danny’s unlucky, but I can understand why he’s not been put in there.
CRYSTAL PALACE
Do you think Palace should sell Marc Guehi in the winter or is it worth keeping him for the rest of the season if he leaves for free?
I think if they’re going to sell, they would have done it in the summer. I really do. He only had a year left on his contract, but they saw the value in keeping him. I think from Palace’s point of view – with how well they’re playing this season, obviously they’ve got a European run, they’ve got a chance of getting success and pushing up the table to the European places – the financial rewards for that will probably outweigh the fee they would get from selling Guehi at a reduced price in January.
He’s so important to Palace. I think he’s so important to England as well. I think he’s a wonderful defender and as I said, I thought if Palace were actually going to sell them, it would have been done and dusted in the summer. Now though, I can’t see any benefit apart from getting a few quid in the bank by selling in January. Because he’s that important.
He’s the club captain. He’s influencing the place. He seems a really top professional as well. Sometimes it’s more important to have players like that around the place. Look, Marc Guehi is not the sort of player that was going to sulk and spit his dummy out.
He seems the exact opposite from that. And I would say there’s more benefit of Crystal Palace keeping him to the end of the season with the squad than selling him in January just for the sake of getting a few quid.
He is linked to Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich – who should he join?
Not a bad choice to have, is it? It all depends on whether Marc wants to stay in England or does he want to have the experience of playing on the continent with one of the top clubs around? But I’ve no doubt you just mentioned three clubs that will be interested, as well as a host of Premier League sides. I rate him that highly. He’ll be in demand. He can literally take his pick. What a position to be in as a player.
Do you think Oliver Glasner will be poached by a big club sooner or later?
I think the bigger clubs will definitely be keeping an eye on Glasner, purely because of what he’s done since he’s come into Palace. Especially the wonderful season they had last season and they’re in the mix again this year.
Losing Eze was a big blow, but they look as if they’re not missing him at all. He’s got them playing in a system that’s really difficult to play against, but really good going forward.
If you are a club, whether it is in England or in Europe, you’re going to be looking at the job he’s done there because it’s been outstanding. If he continues to keep it going to the end of the season, Palace fans won’t like me for saying this, but it could be really difficult for them to keep hold of him because he does have the look of a top quality manager about him.
LEEDS
Is Daniel Farke the right manager to keep them up?
Yeah, it’s a difficult one in its hindsight. If you’d asked me this last week. I probably have said yes, you know. But after the defeat of the weekend, then people are going to obviously point the finger and look at them on 11 points.
But they’ve had a decent start, Leeds. I just don’t know if they’re banking on their home form too much to get them through it. It’s a tough league.
All three promoted teams started really well. Burnley and Leeds have dropped off a bit but Sunderland are doing fantastically.
I never like to see managers getting sacked, but I especially don’t like seeing newly promoted managers not getting a proper chance in the Premier League, because they have done the hard work to get them there.
We all know how difficult it is. In past seasons, all three clubs come up, then go back down again. You know, sometimes you would like to think that there should be more common sense, if not loyalty.
Give the manager that got you there a decent amount of time with the squad. Give him the chance to bleed in the new signings.
Which Leeds players have caught your eye this season?
Probably Anton Stach in midfield, I think he looks like a real player, and his performances have been really good. I was really happy to see Lukas Nmecha getting on the scoresheet. I know it’s been a tough start for him, but I’ve known Lukas since he was a young boy at Manchester City’s academy and he was always rated very highly. He’s had a lot of injuries over the last couple of years since he’s moved to Germany. I saw his performance and his goal, and it looks as if he stays fit, he will be a real asset for them this season. He’s quick, he’s strong, he can score goals, he’s a handful for defenders and if he can stay fit for this run of games, they’re going to see the benefit of a really good young player there.
MAN UTD
Why are we starting to see some improvement in Manchester United now under Amorim?
A couple of reasons, maybe. Maybe not being in Europe and having time to work with these players on a consistent basis with the formation that he wants, that helps. But I do think the signing of the front three makes a big difference. A few good players that can change a game with moments of magic. Matheus Cunha can do that, Bryan Mbeumo can do that. It breeds confidence in the team. I just got the feeling that last season especially, teams weren’t really bothered about Man United and they attacked them, because they looked as if they weren’t a goal threat at all. It could allow them to go and have a go at them a little bit more.
I think teams that are now playing against Man United, are very worried about what can happen if their attack breaks down and United hits them on the counter. It does put more question marks into the team that they’re playing against. So there’s a few reasons. I think being able to work with the squad Monday to Friday, preparing for one game a week is shown in a collectiveness and the performances.
To have that threat up front breeds confidence into the team that you’re playing in. It puts a little bit of doubt into the opposition’s mind because they know that United can go and score goals.
Is Danny Welbeck a sensible target for winter?
It would be a big shout, actually, wouldn’t it? Danny’s been excellent. He seems to get better as he gets older. I think he’s the highest scoring Englishman in the Premier League this season.
Danny’s obviously a Manchester boy, came through the academy. But it’ll be interesting to see what United do and for how long Sesko is actually out for.
Because they spent a big on him. He was the one that they wanted in the summer. But with strikers, and I know that myself, we’re very selfish.
Any striker joining United in the winter will know that Sesko will be coming back, and almost certainly play ahead of him. Are United going to go and spend big and get a centre-forward that’s going to come in and then have two centre-forwards that have got a big price tag? Is one going to sit on the bench?
Especially in the January market, it’s really difficult to go out there and get the players that you want. Then I know with Danny Welbeck, if United come in, it’s not even certain he will want to leave Brighton or if Brighton would let him leave.
At the back of his mind, he’s going to be thinking ‘How many games am I going to play?’ Because when Sesko comes back, he’s probably going to be the main No. 9 that they’ve got in their squad. So it’s a really difficult one for him.
Do you want to see a more competitive United, or are you happy with the current status quo?
More from a banter point of view, because obviously I’ve lived in the Manchester area for the last few years. I do bump into a lot of United fans, and especially when I was playing, when City weren’t very good and United won everything, the amount of stick that I used to get was terrible, but all good fun.
Over the last few seasons, the tables have turned. Now, I’m not gonna say everyone at City wants United to be competitive, because obviously they are big rivals. But I think it’s good to see them coming back again. I’m not one of those that takes any great pleasure in seeing managers struggling or teams struggling. I’m pleased for Ruben Amorim because he’s a really good guy. He stuck to his principles, which he took a lot of grief for. Now it seems that over the past four or five weeks that he’s really turned it around, and his team looked good. They look strong.
I still worry about United in certain areas. Sesko is maybe out, but Cunha and Mbeumo are top signings, who know the Premier League. They have talent and quality, but I worry about the back three when they have their two in midfield. They get outnumbered, whoever is partnering Bruno, whether it’s Casemiro or Ugarte. They still look a little bit too open for me at times. But as I say, going forward, they look as if they’ve got the talent in there to go out there and win any game.
Kobbie Mainoo has reportedly been guaranteed playing time if he moves on loan to West Ham – should he take that offer?
I think if Kobbie Maino was made available for a loan spell in January, then there’ll be a number of clubs that would snap their hands off. I think he’s a wonderful talent.
He’s probably a victim of the system that Ruben Amorim plays, I’ve heard Amorim saying before that if Kobbie is going to fit in there, he’ll probably be in the Bruno Fernandes role. We all know Bruno Fernandes is United’s captain, their best player. So those chances are going to be few and far between unless he gets injured.
And to be fair to Bruno, he plays more or less every game. For Kobbie, he needs to be playing first team football.
I think he would be a wonderful signing for West Ham. I also think he’d be a wonderful signing for a number of clubs, because he’s got so much talent about him, as we’ve seen in a United shirt and in an England shirt. I’m pretty sure he will want to get out and play first team football.
United have made numerous bungles in the transfer window in recent years, was the sale of Scott McTominay the biggest?
With Manchester United, you could have a competition of players in that regard (laughs). There have been so many bad sales. It’s one of them where, at the time, I don’t think anybody thought it was a crazy decision to sell McTominay.
I’ve always rated Scott really highly, and sometimes when you come through the academy at a big club, you don’t get the appreciation that you deserve, with all the money that’s spent on big signings.
There’s always pressure on managers. If they’re spending hundreds of millions on players, nine times out of 10 they’re going to get the nod ahead of an academy kid who’s there, because it’s the easy option sometimes.
Scott, I thought never, ever let Manchester United down. I was really surprised in the season before last, when United were struggling, that he didn’t play more because the one thing Scott will do is give his all on the pitch.
The flip side of that is that I don’t think anybody could have imagined the season that Scott had last year, which is a full credit to him. To go to a different country, to go to a club like Napoli where it could be difficult to settle in. He’s gone there and he’s been absolutely outstanding and he’s getting better all the time.
I’m pretty sure if you ask United fans, was it a big mistake, 100% will say it was If you ask them that now, but at the time, they probably would have agreed with it.
LUTON TOWN
Should Luton strengthen in January in order to push for a play-off place?
I think that January is always a difficult time as a club to buy and sell. I watched Luton against Mansfield in Jack Wilshere’s first game.
You could see what he wanted them to do, but they couldn’t quite go out on the pitch and execute the plan.
But then you look at them since then. I’ve seen bits of the game against Stockport County, who for me are probably the favorites to go up, the strongest team in the league, with the strongest squad and they’ve done well there. I think once Jack has time to work with the players he’s got, it’s going to still be tough to get funds in January. But Jack’s a really bright guy, a really bright young manager, because of what he’s done in his career, he’s got automatic respect from the players at that level to go out there and try to execute what he wants them to do.
I look at their squad and there’s a lot of Championship players in there. In League One, I think if Jack can just get them consistent, I don’t really see the need for them to go out and strengthen in January, especially after the recent performances.
TOTTENHAM
Do you think Thomas Frank will come under pressure if Arsenal beat Tottenham?
I think Thomas Frank is a top manager. Over the last couple of years, I’ve spent a bit of time down at Brentford and around the football club, and he’s wonderful.
It’s going to take him a little bit of time. There’s been a lot of disruption over the summer, but I’ve no doubt that Thomas is the right man and he will get it right.
He showed at Brentford that if you give him time working with the players, he’s a very good tactician. He knows how to get the best out of a team, and he knows how to create a really good atmosphere within a football club. That doesn’t happen in two or three months.
I think we’ve seen glimpses of Tottenham looking really good, but we’ve also seen glimpses of the old inconsistency that Tottenham have had over the last couple of years. It’s going to take time for Thomas to sort that out. On the flip side of that, if he can go to the Emirates and get a result, I’m pretty sure all the Tottenham fans will get off his back very quickly.
LIVERPOOL
Did Arne Slot and Liverpool change too many things this summer?
I think hindsight’s a wonderful thing. If you look at them over the last month or so, you would probably say yes. But at the start of the season, when they were making all these signings, everybody was waxing lyrical about how strong they’re going to be and how difficult they’re going to be to beat.
There’s no doubt that with the signings that they’ve made, especially in attacking areas, they are top quality players. But what you’ve got to do is try and integrate these individuals into a team very quickly. If the team’s not performing, it’s really difficult for you to do. But with the likes of Isak and Wirtz, there will be great stuff to come, but it’s hard for them to hit the ground running when your teammates are struggling.
You need players who know the pressure of being at Liverpool and know the pressure of being champions, but they aren’t performing either.
CELTIC
Do you think Martin O’Neill can be tempted to stay on for another season?
Well, I would love him to. The guy’s a legend. But every time he has his interview, he mentions, and sometimes he shouts, that he is there for the interim. So I think that would tell you a story that he’s not there for the long term.
I could see a situation where he does stay until the end of the season, and tell Celtic to get the right manager in. Martin’s influence is already showing, not just with the team, but with the club in general, and his relationship with the fans is up there with the very best. So I’m not sure how long he’ll be in there, and I do hope it’s a little bit longer than a couple of weeks, but he’s definitely one of the top managers who knows the football club inside out.
Until Celtic get the right man, Martin, for me, could stay there as long as he wants to, but I don’t think he said he’s got any plans about taking the job in a permanent role.
RANGERS
Is the Danny Rohl appointment going to persuade Rangers fans to believe in the current owners?
I don’t know if Rohls appointment will change the fans’ minds about the current owners. I don’t know. Maybe that’s going a little bit too far.
But what I do know about Danny is that he’s a wonderful coach. The Rangers fans, as passionate as they are, if Danny can start winning football games as he has done since he came in, and the style of play that he wants to play, that it will take the pressure off the board a little bit.
Then the fans can then concentrate on the team going forward, trying to push Celtic and Hearts a little bit more. They can push in games in Europe, games in the cup.
Nicky Weaver, an old teammate of mine, was actually working under Danny at Sheffield Wednesday a couple of seasons ago. I was asking Nicky what it was like and he couldn’t have been more complimentary of him. He said he’s got all the attributes to be a top coach at a top club.
So if he can get Rangers playing to a tune, as I said, the fans will be on his side. Fans just want to win football games, don’t they? And if they’re winning, it’ll then take the pressure off the board a little bit. If they’re not winning, the Rangers fans are going to go after the board again. Trust me on that one.
HEARTS
What do they need to do to maintain their title charge?
They’ve done wonderfully well already. Derek has gone in there and got them playing really good football, really difficult to beat, scoring lots of goals.
They need just a little bit of consistency. They got the draw at the weekend and people were saying that Celtic’s closed the gap a little bit again.
But they’ve shown already against the Old Firm that they can not just compete, but beat them. It’s going to be difficult to sustain that all season, but we’re in November now. They’re clear at the top. There’s no reason why they can’t keep that going.
Have they been good or have the Old Firm been that bad this season?
I think it’s a little bit of both. I don’t want to be disrespectful to Hearts and the run they’ve been on, and where they are at the top of the league because they’ve been magnificent.
I don’t think anyone could have foreseen that in the summer. Celtic, and especially Rangers, have been really poor from the start of the season, but both teams now have got new managers.
This is where Hearts have got to be wary. With Martin O’Neill at Celtic and Danny Rohl at Rangers, they’re only going to get better from here. Hearts have got a little bit of a cushion there, and if they can keep that consistency going that they’ve got, there’s no reason why they can’t be up there at the very end.
SCOTLAND
What do Scotland need from the international break?
Two wins would be nice. I’m not gonna lie to you, it’s two difficult games. I’ve got full faith in Steve to set the team up right, especially away in Greece, which is going to be difficult. I know we beat Greece last month, but Greece were very good that night and Scotland were very lucky. You take your luck of course, but you wonder if he goes there and tries to take a point off Greece and then look for a win in Denmark. I would tend to think Steve, with the players that he’s got as well, that he would want them to go there and try and win and then it puts a little bit more pressure on Denmark for the final group game. You know, maybe the playoff place is secure, so why not go for the top? We’ve shown we can get a result against Denmark and Greece already in these stages, so there’s no reason why they can’t go there with a team with this experience, and get two really positive results.
Shankland is back in. Do you expect him to start given his form and the fact that he’s been brought back after missing the last four games for such a big double-header?
I don’t think so. I think Che Adams will start. His goal return isn’t the best, but in the system Steve Clarke plays, he’s really effective.
He’s done well for the team, and Steve is loyal to the players who turn up for every camp, and put a shift in when they play games. But Lawrence is a great option to have coming off the bench if the games are tight.
Against Greece and Denmark, Che will run the defenders ragged. He’ll run himself into the ground. With half an hour or 20 minutes to go, then Lawrence can come on with his goalscoring ability, because he is a natural goalscorer. He’s one to come off the bench alongside Lyndon Dykes.
Lyndon does great for Scotland whether he starts or comes off the bench, so whether Lawrence starts, I doubt that, but he’s certainly a fantastic option to come off the bench. He makes the squad stronger.
Is there someone who you would have called up for the international break?
Not really. I look at the squad and the balance of the squad. There are players like John McGinn, Scott McTominay, Andy Robertson, Aaron Hickey. A lot of players are playing at the top level. Lewis Ferguson and Billy Gilmore in Serie A, Che Adams too.
Lawrence Shankland is the one I was really hoping to come back in. The squad for me looks as strong as it has been for a long time. Not just with the experience that’s in there, but the level the players are now playing at.
Maybe going back to when Steve first took the job, the pool of players that were playing at a high level was much smaller. No disrespect to the Championship or the SPL, but it’s not the equal of playing in the Premier League or Serie A. There are Scottish players all over Europe’s best leagues now.
It makes a big difference in how the squad’s going to perform on a consistent basis.
What would a World Cup place mean?
It’ll be huge. I think Steve’s done an absolutely fantastic job. If we could get to America, there’ll be thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of the Tartan army going over there to support them. I think it’ll be huge.
Especially with the group they’re in. Denmark are a top quality team. People might look at Greece and think it’s just Greece, but they’ve got some really good players in there as well. So to be able to come out of that, if it’s automatically or through the playoffs, I think it’ll be a huge achievement because of the quality of the sides that we’ve been up against.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Has Frank Lampard shown that he has learned from previous mistakes at his previous clubs?
I’m delighted for Frank, I really am. I think he’d done a great job at Derby. I think at Chelsea and at Everton he was a little hard done by. They had well documented problems off the pitch at the time. To see him doing what he’s doing with Coventry – last season, nobody would have expected him to be anywhere near the top.
A lot of people in the summer thought that Coventry might have, after getting to the playoffs, they might have had a bit of a lull and dropped off a little bit. They were nobody’s favourites to get anywhere near the playoffs last year. Not even this year, I wouldn’t have thought so. The performances, the goals they are scoring, the way they’re playing. I’m delighted for Frank because he’s a fantastic guy, but he’s also a fantastic coach, which gets spoken about less. To see the way the team is playing with not many big name players, you might not know them all. That’s not disrespectful, but there are teams with more familiar names.
But he’s got his group of players playing some wonderful football and scoring lots of goals. So yeah, I’m really pleased for him.
Should Boro consider bringing Michael Carrick back after Rob Edwards joined Wolves?
I think it’s maybe a bit too soon. I think Michael’s quite happy at the minute working out what he’s going to be doing next. He’s spending a bit of time with family, doing his media work.
The flip side of that, is that you never know. He has a fantastic relationship with the owner, three really good years there.
Then on the other hand, they do say that you should never go back when you’ve been there once as well. So I’m sure Steve Gibson will already have a number of candidates. He’s done a great job there as chairman, appointing managers. I’m sure he’ll know who the next one is as well. But I’m not too sure Michael’s ready to go back in yet.
What do you make of Rob Edwards’ departure?
He’s had a fantastic start. I’m sure the Middlesbrough fans won’t be very happy. I’m led to believe that his family actually still live in the Telford area, which is a lot closer. You know, he’s living up there on his own, so maybe that’s a factor. He spent a long time at Wolves before as a player, too.
People say that he’s maybe used Middlesbrough by jumping ship too early. But when you’ve got a real affinity with the club and the area, it’s very difficult to turn them down.
Whether he can keep them up, it looks like a huge task already, even though we’re only in the middle of November. I’m pretty sure it won’t just be for football reasons, probably family and personal reasons as well, to be back closer to them. It’s a massive job, and I wish him the best of luck with it.