1 Apr 2025
On The Premier League
Who has been the most impressive youngster in the Premier League this season?
There have been lots of impressive youngsters that have caught my eye in the Premier League this season, but at various stages. The one player I would say that has done it throughout the season is Liam Delap at Ipswich.
I think he's been fantastic this season, leading the line for Ipswich. No disrespect to Ipswich, they’re not as good a team as a lot of the teams he's coming up against, and he's still single-handedly causing a lot of problems, getting his goals. I would say he is the one who I'm looking at and looking forward to seeing his growth in the game, and the chances he gets.
I have to give a massive shout out to Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwanieri at Arsenal. These guys have come in at the halfway point of the season and taken the Premier League by storm. The future’s bright if you’re an Arsenal fan with those two.
Where will Delap be next season?
What's made Delap’s decision even more difficult is the fact that it's looking likely that Ipswich are going down. If they weren’t, then I imagine his dad would be telling him that he could stay at Ipswich for another season, he could continue his development with them in the Premier League, get more goals and more games, and then go from there in 2026. I think with them looking like they’re going down, that might have changed their plans in many ways.
Even if he does leave, he's going to want to go to somewhere he's playing regularly. He doesn't want to stunt his growth within the game, as it's going superbly well for him.So it's going to be a tricky one.
I thought with Arsenal needing a striker, he might have been someone they were looking at in January, but it just never happened.
Thomas Tuchel during the next international break?
There are so many young names that are doing fantastically well, but Delap has been doing it from the start of the season right to the end of the season. Another one is Wharton. Had it not been for his injury, he probably would have been in the squad. I wasn't surprised that Lewis-Skelly got into it either, because the way he's played for an 18-year-old at left-back to be playing out of position as he is a midfielder by trade, he’s coming on leaps and bounds. He’s unbelievable. It looks like he’s solved England’s problem at left back – that spot looks assured now for the foreseeable future.
Has Lewis-Skelly nailed down the No. 3 spot for England?
Without even thinking about it, he has nailed that international spot. I think he's only going to get better and better.
And some people have looked at me and frowned upon me when I've said it, but I don't think I've seen a left-back display or left-back play like him since Ashley Cole, in terms of how good he is with the ball. The runs he makes to get involved, the way he defends.Yes, he started off a little bit badly, where he's getting a yellow card before he comes on the pitch, then the referee's having a go at him because of his earrings, and then the sending-offs when he does come on the pitch.But since all those moments, his growth and maturity, and the way he's changed little things within his game. It's been fantastic. Definitely good news if you're an Arsenal fan.
Do Arsenal have the faintest glimmer of becoming champions or is the title done and dusted and heading to Anfield?
No, no, that's just a straight no. And that's nothing to do with saying Arsenal may not be playing well enough, or Arsenal are just rubbish. That's just because I think Liverpool are that far ahead and I don't see them dropping that many points for Arsenal to close the gap.It's a big gap for nine games if Liverpool do start dropping points, then it's not just going to be up for grabs for Arsenal, is it? There's other teams that can get pulled back into it.
Who’s going to get top five?
It's down to the run-ins, really. First of all, there's a lot of pressure on Arsenal without a striker.
They’ve got Real Madrid on the horizon in the Champions League, and they don't necessarily have to play well to beat teams two or three-nil. They could just take three chances and with the players they have, they tend to normally end up in the back of the net. So, there's a lot of pressure on Arsenal right now.As much as Arsenal, for me, are sitting second, they're still in a tricky position, because as soon as they draw, or they lose one game, then people are going to say, can Arsenal still finish second? Because other teams are now hot on their heels.
The top five is interesting, but I would say it'd be about the teams that are there now, so Liverpool, Arsenal, Forest, Chelsea and City.
I'm not sure what the order will be from Liverpool down, but I think it will be the teams that are there now.
Forest will still be a thorn in people's side. They've got nine games around now to go. If they lost where they are now, they would definitely shoot themselves in the foot.
And then when you watch what Nuno did on the weekend, where he kind of in many ways rested Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga, you're starting to think, are they prioritising those Champions League positions? And it seems to be that way.
On Chelsea
Do you think a Conference League win is enough for Maresca to keep his job if they don't keep top five?
Maresca should stay on. I think he's done incredibly well in the short time that he's been there in terms of keeping what he needs, which should have been done under the other two managers before that. I think it's because the squad was too big to coach in general.
For him to narrow it down and get the performance he's so far in there in the position that we're in, I think he's done incredibly well. They still do have a long way to go, in my opinion, but Chelsea are firmly on the right track under Maresca, so I'd be massively surprised if he's under pressure.
Even if Chelsea don’t get in the Champions League, and I think they will, he should be the man in charge next season.
Does Raheem Sterling have a future in the Premier League?
If Raheem can stay in the Premier League, if he has an offer in the summer from another Premier League club, then he should stay in the Premier League. We know it's the best league in the world, and we’ve seen him cause problems to a lot of different teams at multiple times during his career.
I still believe he has it. I think he just needs to be coached. I think when he was at Liverpool, he was coached to play a certain way. He played really, really well. For City, he was coached again to play a certain way, a completely different way to what he was used to. It benefitted him massively. You saw the difference in the stats, numbers, goals and assists, just from being in better positions and the way the team was playing.Sterling’s definitely got it in there. I just feel like, when you’re a winger that relies on confidence and you’re not getting a chance, and not getting a run of games, not getting any rhythm to. It will be hard for anyone.
Chelsea continue to sign young players, is that the right approach or should they be looking to add experience as well?
I think they should mix up the recruitment at Chelsea. If you're spending all this money and everyone's still having the same conversation - no spine for the team, no goalkeeper that you can rely on. The best one that they have is Kepa, who's having an unbelievable season and boom, he's out on loan.You've lost the heart of your defence in Tiago Silva. You've got a lot of kids there and don't get me wrong, some of them are talented. But you still need one leader to kind of rein them in, teach them the tricks of the game.
Chelsea still don't have a striker. Somehow, you've spent so much money, and you can't keep spending money on more promise – they need a few finished articles in there.
Chelsea have so many young players. When is it going to be those young players' time to come through? It is nice having depth, being able to get these young, talented players. You always want them to do well, but the Premier League's not a walk in the park. A lot of the players that they have brought in have found that out already.
Has Nicolas Jackson’s absence highlighted how much of a key player he is for Chelsea?
They’ve missed Nicolas Jackson massively this year. He helped with Cole Palmer as well. I think Cole Palmer's missing him. I don't think there's as much space when Nicolas isn't playing because he runs to open up gaps. He's stretching one way and then the next, and you've got Cole Palmer coming in those tiny little pockets. He is, whether people like him or not, the best fit for the way Chelsea are playing right now.
Do Chelsea need to secure Champions League football to convince Palmer that he can fulfil his ambitions at the club?
I don't think that missing out on Champions League football this year is that much of a problem for Palmer. For me, Chelsea can miss out this year and keep Palmer because he’s 22-years-old and Chelsea gave him the opportunity to turn into a superstar.
I think not being able to offer him Champions League football the following season or long-term would be an issue. With his abilities, he’s going to want to play in the Champions League and he should because he deserves it.
He’ll be a Chelsea player next season, but things will have to improve to convince him that his ambition can be matched at the club.
If you’re Enzo Maresca, based on what you’ve seen this season, do you turn Jadon Sancho’s loan into a permanent deal for £20-25m or do you pay United £5m in compensation and send him back to Old Trafford?
The thing with Chelsea, it seems like they buy with potential in mind and what players can possibly be or become, but we all know Jadon's potential. If Chelsea worked the way Chelsea worked, they would normally sign him, because they know what he's capable of and they've seen him do it. But I think what's not helping at the minute is that he's not only scoring, but he's not creating enough.Cole Palmer, he's not playing that well. He's still created 45 odd chances for his teammates, do you know what I mean? You can not play well and still make things happen, with little flashes and little moments. At the minute, for whatever reason, that just isn't happening for Sancho.
Maybe in the Premier League, he isn't a winger. He might be more of a number 10 or an attacking midfielder in terms of getting the ball in different areas rather than having to always try and go past people. His future might be better through the centre, but that we're yet to find out.
If Chelsea are taking risks on the amount of players they are taking risks on, I don't think he's a bad one. We know what he's already done in a game. If he makes his way back, you’ve got a player on your hands.
On Manchester City
How much will City be hurt by criticism of their league form? How big a rebuild is needed?
What’s happened to City this season, you see in football quite often, every other season clubs have a freshen up. They do that for multiple reasons. They do it to keep that hunger, to keep that healthy competition. Normally when you bring somebody in that hasn't won a league or hasn't won a trophy, they have that appetite to win it. That rubs off on the players that have already won it as well. It gives them even more motivation than they've already got.
I think that has been part of the reason City have been able to sustain their success in the past. This, and other qualities they have, and their manager has, has helped them to win four in a row. This summer, they didn’t buy anyone, that has been one of the reasons why they’ve dropped this year.
Nobody foresaw all the injuries that they were going to get especially in the key positions they had. They had a short pre-season, and it was something they had to deal with.
While people say City weren’t at the standards they’d previously set, people now have to start respecting how good the other teams in the Premier League have become. Their levels have risen in multiple ways, not just Forest, not just your Bournemouths, not just your Brightons, not just your Fulhams, but all the other teams.Look where Man United and Tottenham are. Man United's had seasons like this before, but they still managed to finish in the top half or in Europe. They've never fell this low.And that is a testament to all the other teams.
Nobody's scared of trying to go toe-to-toe, or hitting big teams on the counter-attack, worrying that if we go someone's going to score. I think the middle of the table has got so much closer to the top of the table. It's made the Premier League games better and it’s made the league super competitive.
What’s gone wrong with City’s wingers?
In many ways I think it's easy to just look at numbers and say, well, assists and goals. But I think at the same time, there's a little bit of decision-making.Don't get me wrong, I've had games where my decision-making was flipping terrible.It happens to wingers, it's just a thing, but to do it on a consistent basis, you need to at least pick the right decision once or twice.
Normally, with the amount of chances that City and the bigger teams make, one or two of them end up in a goal and that makes the difference. But this year, compared to last year, if you look at the numbers, you'll see the wingers and attacking midfielders haven't chipped in on goals as much as they did during the previous four years. And that could be for multiple reasons, confidence, injuries, or just not being at the races.
City have built a rod for their own back. They've been so good for the last seven, eight years, or if not longer, that now anything fractionally or marginally below means they have cracked.
That's basically how everybody sees it, which is scary. I am a City fan and when people ask me, I say that I expected a season like this to happen last year. After winning everything they won and then the treble amongst that, and then to go on and win four, there was always going to be a dip.
This season, the dip has happened. I think it’s down to fatigue, mental fatigue and key players getting older. Then you've got the injuries, and they had a lot of them.I was at the pre-season, and I think there was only Haaland, Kovacic and Bobb at the time. People were coming back in dribs and drabs. A lot of them didn't even have a pre-season.
When you're in the Premier League and it's as quick and fast and furious as it is, there are possibilities for you to break down and that's what's been happening, with fatigue.
And when you think of what Rodri said at the beginning of the season, and a lot of the players have been saying it since Covid. It's too much. When do they get a break? No one's really had a break, and the only team that seemed to have got through this season without major injuries is Liverpool.
Is the FA Cup a consolation prize?
For a start, I would never ever call the FA Cup a consolation prize. Winning any medal is not a consolation. That is something in football that is so hard to do. You have to be consistently good within that tournament. You actually get your bit of luck here and there. But I mean, you still have to be good enough to win it, regardless of wherever you come up, especially the FA Cup.
As you've seen, Preston didn't get to the quarterfinals by accident.They played well enough to get there and unfortunately, they lost to Villa so I wouldn't see it as a consolation. It's another achievement, another trophy in their cabinet and something to build upon. But there’s still a long way to go.
They've got Forest, which is not going to be easy.
Do they miss Oscar Bobb?
Bobb started pre-season exactly the same way he finished the end of last year's Premier League season. When I was playing, they used to say sometimes if the injury's not too bad, it's not a bad thing to take a step back. You get that rest and build, and go again, so hopefully in his case that's the way it is. But I can imagine he'll be raring to go. I heard he had a little setback in recovery, but I now know he's played an EDS game.
I'm not quite sure how that went but for him. I'm hoping he's on the verge of coming back, and he hopefully gets back in the team before the end of the season.
Are Manchester City facing too much change this summer? They signed five in winter, and might sign as many again in the summer. Is that too much for Guardiola to take on?
I haven't got any doubts about Pep Guardiola’s capacity or commitment to oversee a City rebuild this summer. I don't think there's anybody at the club that has doubts about him, to be quite honest with you.
People are starting to understand the situation, that every other team has stepped up, and it’s just one season.
People are saying Haaland’s not done that well this season - he's got 20 odd goals.I'm just like, we know how he plays. He's done that for the last two years and won a Golden Boot, won awards.But to have 20 odd goals and people are saying he's having a bad season, what's the world coming to?Back when we were playing, if your strikers were getting that many goals... they would snap your hand off for 15 goals a season.
It's just part of football. You may have missed chances, but you still scored some. And then if everybody else is taking the chances they're getting, then do we talk about the chances that he missed, or do we talk not about it?I personally am not worried in any way. And even if it does take two seasons to rebuild to turn City back into an all-conquering team, there’s nothing wrong with that.
City are still here with the same mentality - we're here to play the way we want to play and to try and win the game and create as many chances as possible.
I think next season, they'll be fine. They'll all be-in, obviously, they’ve got the Club World Cup. After that they will rest before going to pre-season, and then going into the season with good staff, good coaches, and they would be prepping for that already.
I can imagine everybody coming back fit, fresh and flying.
If Jack Grealish wants to get back into the England squad, does he need to leave Manchester City?
Jack hasn't, especially this year, been the Jack that he was last year or the year before. There's still elements of his game that are needed. He was a key man, but not a key man the way that everybody wants him to be a key man. He'll be a key man for that team, the way they needed him to be, if that makes sense. He wasn't that maverick on the pitch going past people.
I found this when I moved from City to Chelsea. He doesn't have to do everything. Whereas at Villa, he needed to make everything happen. He feels fine being able to rely on his team.
Yes, everybody wants to see Jack dribbling and at some point that will come back.When he did come on in the FA Cup, I was hoping he would be taking people on, but we don't know the information he's been given in that particular game, at that precise moment. He's come on to take the sting out of the game, stop letting it be open.And for me, Jack's one of the best wingers I've seen at that, you can't get the ball off him.
He buys free kicks. If he plays on Wednesday, we're most likely going to see a different Jack, where he's been told to make things happen as well as play that little part. If it feels like the game's losing a little bit of control and becoming end to end, start slowing it down and gaining control back.
So there may be multiple reasons why we haven’t seen him at his positive best, but he's definitely still got it in there. And some wingers just need that little bit of luck to go past somebody, then the next time the confidence is a little bit higher again, and then he beats him again, and it'll just keep growing and growing and that self-belief comes back.
On Nottingham Forest
Is Nuno Espirito Santo pushing Arne Slot close for manager of the year?
I had quite a lot of debates about this, because I would say Nuno for me, has to be the manager of the year, and everybody says to me, what about Arne Slot? I say, I think he's done an absolutely amazing job.But could he do what Nuno's done with the players that Nuno's has in comparison to the ones that he has at Liverpool? I don't think he actually could, but for Nuno, he's gone to Anfield and won, he's picked up points and beaten all the teams that people never saw him beating.
They've played well with doing it. It hasn't been lucky or a smash and grab. They've got a plan and that plan works.
And the interesting part is, and everyone talks about, how long can they keep doing it?Because I think they have the lowest possession percentage in the Premier League in terms of doing what they're doing and they're still succeeding from it.
When you have the players like Gibbs-White, Chris Wood in the form that he's in, his conversion rate has been scary this year. And then you've got Elanga, Callum, Elliot Anderson, whose been phenomenal in there. Murillo has been unbelievable. And he has been for the past two or three seasons I've seen him in the league. I think he's been excellent. Then you've got Matz Sels that saves them when they’re not defending well.
Everybody seems to be happy, confident and buying into the tactics, and looking like they'll just run through a brick wall for their manager. The team ethos there is superb.
Do you think Callum Hudson-Odoi will finally make the most of his potential?
I think in the past, Callum wasn't given the chance to show it. At Chelsea, he played in a wingback role. Wingback isn't an easy position for an out and out attacker. When you're a wingback, you’re focusing on defending, and attacking. In the back of your head, you're still having to be aware, because you need to defend. At Forest, when he gets the ball or they're on the counter attack, it's almost like they're unleashed.
They just go.When he was playing wingback, I didn't think he had that little bit of freedom.
I think he's always had the potential, he's always wanted to dribble, he's always been a positive player, and I think Nuno is letting them relive that. I think the key thing is they all look like they're enjoying that football.I think Aina he's been phenomenal as well at full back. There's not really a bad word you can say about any one of those players, even the ones that haven’t been starting.
When they do come into the team, they do what they're supposed to do. They cause the same problems, and they make it difficult for opponents.
Is CHO the best five million spent in the PL?
That's a hard one because Brighton don't mess around with their buyers either.It's definitely a bargain.Yeah, you don't find players like that, especially in this age, where you can get them for five million. So, it's a slip-up from Chelsea.
Do you think CHO and Anthony Elanga will attract the big boys this summer?
I'm not sure. Maybe Spurs, but probably not United, because they don’t use wingers. Chelsea could be interested. I'm not sure… I don't think they will go. I think that's not for now.I think they're so happy with where they are, especially finishing in the European spots.They have no reason to go anywhere. They've got everything that they need there and to top it off they're happy playing football.
On Liverpool
If TAA and Salah leave, is it possible to produce a title-winning season next year?
You can’t replace them Trent and Mo. They’re irreplaceable players. You're never going to replace what Salah does, especially not now, because Salah’s aged like fine wine. He just keeps getting better and better and better.
And Trent - I can't name any right-back over my football career that does what Trent can do. Fair enough, his defending can be a problem. When they had Henderson and Fabinho in there, if Trent was out of place, they just slotted into that position, giving him time to get back. So, they did find a way around it. I think that the biggest miss for me, out of those two, would be Salah.I think that's only because we've been lucky enough to see Connor Bradley play already. He might not give you the Trent assist, but he makes the right choices in that final third and he defends really, really well. They can patch that; they can cover that situation.
Salah is the bigger one because there's been times I've watched Liverpool this year, and they haven't looked great and the team's been on top, and Salah either finds a crazy pass or he scores himself. Match winners like that you don't find often.
Rank Salah in top PL strikers?
I would put him up there. He'd be in the top 10 Premier League players for me.I think he deserves it. What he's done and the way he's molded his game. I remember a lack of assists when there was a rift with Mane, but now he does both. He just learns to adapt and make certain aspects of his game better. It’s like he just flicks the switch and just does it.
For me, I think he's a fantastic player to watch, especially on his day.
Arne Slot has been praised for not changing much at Liverpool, but with a rebuild on the cards, is his second season an even bigger test than his first?
He's got no choice but to buy star players, really, because if those three do walk out the door, that is a gaping hole to fill.
Virgil's presence, because he's a monster, he never really sprints, he reads the game so well. The amount of things that the other centre backs, and especially youngsters, can learn from him, that would be a massive, massive loss as well.
I'm just really surprised they let it get to this position to be honest with you.
On Arsenal
How can Arsenal take the final step next season?
It's a hard one with Arsenal. A lot of times, I don't ever think they're that bad. I just think, all right, they might miss some of their chances. But that could happen if you had a striker. They’re not relying on one player.However, they need to go back to what they were last year and the year before.They need to be more front foot rather than conservative. I feel like they went down a more conservative approach, less risk, and focused a lot on set pieces.
Yeah, the set pieces paid off, but I still feel like it took something away from the fluidity of their game. I thought that at the start of the season there was just something different about them.
When you got players like Odegaard, Saka and now Nwaneri, Martinelli when he's on the song, with Havertz and Jesus, and Declan in behind, you could let them go. Arsenal’s defence has been so good for three- or four-years. So, you've kind of just got to let them go again, let them fly. As long as they get back and do the defensive duties. Arsenal will still be solid and Declan does that anyway.
Do you think Arteta would be the right man to take over from Ancelotti? Are the Real Madrid games an audition for anyone?
I don’t think it’s an audition for Arteta or Arsenal players. If Real are looking, they will have seen their qualities already this season.
I think they're going to go into this game and perform the way they know they can perform.They will try to knock Real Madrid off their pedestal. They will be wanting to show that,yeah, we can run with you guys, we can push you guys as far as we need to push you, to try and get that result.
It's also self-satisfying, thinking we beat Real Madrid with Mbappe, Vinicius, Rodrygo, Courtois, all their stars. To be able to beat a team like that will only show them how far they've come in the time that Arteta has been there. And that puts Arsenal where they rightfully belong, among those big clubs that everybody keeps raving about.
Who is the striker they should sign?
Isak. He's probably the most complete striker there is out there. He does everything.If you want to press from the front, he can press from the front. If you don't want to press from the front and you want to play with a target man, we've seen him do that as well.
He scores horrible goals, he scores beautiful goals, he scores solo goals, and he creates goals as well. What more do you want in a striker?He also has that rare quality where he can also create goals by himself. He’s a striker that doesn’t rely on people.
If you back off him, he can go past you or put it in the top corner. It's great to see that back in football, he’s like Drogba or Henry. He’s a striker that does his job properly.
Which Arsenal player do you think is likeliest to 'do an RVP' and leave in search of titles?
I've seen there were talks between Saliba and the club about making him the highest paid player there. I don't know whether that was just paper talk, or it is actually something happening. Coincidentally, there were rumours that Real Madrid are interested in him, so I don't know when there's any truth or if it was to ward Real off.
If I was at the club, I would sign, but then you go to that conversation where you've come close three times a row. Does that give you any doubts about winning trophies with Arsenal in the future?
In Saka's position, does he want to be a one club man, or does he actually want to go and win silverware?
I’m not saying Arsenal won’t win anything, but players know that if they sign for RealMadrid, they’re gonna get a medal every season. That could be in their thought processes.
From what I see, Saka and Saliba love the club. So, for them not to sign new contracts, that would catch me off guard.On The MLS
Would Paul Pogba rip up the MLS?
He would rip the MLS up because of his stature, and his technical ability. Just because of his quality, nothing to do with the MLS. It isn't it isn't an easy league. You’re running up and down, they don't stop. They can just run, and the temperature is a whole new ballgame as well, especially when you play in New Jersey Miami, in 80%, 90% humidity on top of the heat.
It takes some time to get used to. As long as he's been keeping himself in good shape, which it looks like he has over this ban; he still looks the same in terms of trimness, he looks like he's been training hard.
I think his ability is always going to have something to offer and you never know, he might come back. Pogba being out for that long has most probably made him realise how much he loves the game, and that hunger might be back to show people again.
Are there any MLS players you would tip to succeed in Europe?
I thought when I was over there that Tyler Adams would have been great, just because of the way he played, his energy. As you see him over at Bournemouth now, when he was at Leeds, he loves to tackle. For me, he was perfectly suited to play in the English game because he has all the physical, aggressive and technical attributes. He's been here a few years now, and he's managed to make the cut.
Kavan Sullivan from Philly, he's still young, but the stuff I've seen from him in the MLS at his age... The free kicks he tries to take, the way he plays, his positivity. I think he'll do really well. He looks like he could be the first American-produced superstar.
On Ian Wright
Are you surprised that Roy Keane and your dad get on so well?
Yeah, because I think on the pitch, they're both as bad as bloody each other. But they do say opposites attract, don't they? So that's what it is. It’s a bit of yin and yang with those two.
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