BestBettingSites.com’s Exclusive Interview With Don Hutchison
Ex-Scotland star Don Hutchison, midfield linchpin for Liverpool, Everton, West Ham and Sunderland and scorer of that famous 1999 Wembley winner, joins Best Betting Sites. The fan-favourite pundit unpacks transfer sagas, the 2025 Club World Cup, this summer’s Premier League moves and reveals which of his former clubs could spring a surprise.
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Questions on the Club World Cup
Could Thiago Silva still succeed in European football?
He absolutely could, even at 40. I always think with Chelsea that they’re buying these youngsters, who look amazing on paper, and it sets them up well for the future. But they need to find the next Thiago Silva. That is, someone in their early or mid-thirties, who can lead players alongside him. Like he did, like Frank Leboeuf did.
Thiago Silva still looks amazing now. He’s been helped, because his manager knows he can’t play every minute of every game, and that two games a week isn’t something he can do regularly. It’s a credit to the player too, because he’s smart. He doesn’t let his ego demand he plays every game. Even now, he’s got the quality to play at the top level.
Chelsea find themselves in the semi-final. What have you learned about this Chelsea team over the last few weeks? Are we still waiting for them to show us if they can compete with the big boys given their route to the final?
They’ve been strengthening this summer already. Liam Delap was a good signing, but I think Joao Pedro is the best move they’ve made so far. I think Pedro, alongside Hugo Ekitike, are the best players who have almost gone under the radar this summer.
We all know about Victor Osimhen, Viktor Gyokeres and Dusan Vlahovic, but Pedro is one of the guys I’d have been looking at, along with Ekitike, if I was a Premier League side. Credit to Chelsea for getting one of them,.
That leaves a dilemma now for Nicolas Jackson, who acts like he wants to fight the world, because with Delap and Joao Pedro, there are three players for one No. 9 spot.
Chelsea have done really good business so far, but I stand by the idea they need to add more experience. If they keep on with the current strategy, it can only take them so far. It’s older players who will get them over the line, and they need to address that.
What has been your favourite moment of the Club World Cup so far?
Well, I was out there for six games commentating on the game, so I was very lucky. The travelling was really great. I went to Orlando for the first game, commentating on Mamelodi Sundowns, which is a South African side, against Ulsan, which is a South Korean side.
So watching all the different styles and Brazilian sides play against European sides or MLS sides was really good. But probably my standout moment was commentating on Inter Miami versus Porto, when Messi scored the winning goal, the free kick. So it’s nice to be on comms and nice to be in the stadium for that one.
I think it’s been brilliant. Like I said, my intrigue from before a ball was kicked was seeing how different sides from different regions faced off. We see Champions League football, but we’ve never seen Fluminense play MLS sides, or South Korean sides take on Mamelodi Sundowns or Borussia Dortmund.
Before it all kicked off, we expected European sides to do well because they’re fitter and stronger, but it’s the Brazilian sides who have done great. They have the technical ability, and I’m intrigued to see how far that will take Fluminense.
Who has been your player of the tournament?
I think there’s been a couple in the Sundowns squad that’s been amazing. A couple of Brazilian boys have really shone.
I think for Dortmund, Jobe Bellingham has been exceptional, with everyone just waiting to compare him to his brother. The way they run, the way they play, their confidence, you can see the similarities. But I think just watching Lionel Messi, because sometimes you wonder if he’s slowed down in the MLS, but he’s still got it. He’s still amazing, still the one to watch.
Questions on Manchester City
Have City’s displays been cause for optimism of concern for next season?
I don’t think we can read too much into it for City. For them, this is a chance to get Rodri some minutes after his injury. It’s a mini pre-season for him.
As well as that, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden, neither of them were coming into the tournament 100 percent fit. I think Pep Guardiola won’t have expected too much from the competition. He’d have used it to start gelling all those new players, not just signed in the summer but in the winter too. It’ll be giving him ideas about what to do at the start of the campaign.
Obviously, every team goes into a tournament hoping to win it, but as far as City are concerned, going out a little early might be a blessing in disguise. You see Chelsea doing well, and all credit to them, but come the end of the season it might be Arsenal and Liverpool who have an advantage from that extra rest.
Can you tell if Guardiola has made some tactical tweaks already?
I think it’s going to be interesting to see where Rayan Ait-Nouri plays. I’ve watched him for years and he’s done well as a left wing-back for Wolves. They played with two natural wing-backs on their flanks. But if Pep Guardiola is going to use Ait-Nouri as an orthodox full-back, it’s not going to suit him at all.
He excels at being higher up the pitch, almost as high as a winger. It’ll be interesting to see if Guardiola moves to a back three and Ait-Nouri stays high. Otherwise Pep might think he can convert him into a left-back, which personally I struggle to see.
Why has Guardiola brought in Lijnders?
Player confidence is always brittle. A couple of games of it going wrong and you end up questioning everything about yourself.
For a manager, it must be a million times worse. Can you imagine Pep looking back on this season? He must be staring at videos all day long, wondering what to do, because he’s such a brainiac when it comes to watching football.
I think maybe that’s why Pep Lijnders has been brought in. Pep’s never been scared of new ideas. He took in Mikel Arteta and Enzo Maresca. He’ll bounce different ideas off people, take in all the information you can. Sometimes you can be single-minded and one-dimensional, so a different voice every couple of years shakes that out.
Maybe what Pep is doing will be a trend. We change players regularly; maybe new coaches more regularly will keep things fresh.
Lionel Messi is rumoured to be keen on a loan to Europe before the World Cup – would a reunion with Pep Guardiola still work well?
I think probably not, because I think if that was the case, then Pep would have probably kept Kevin de Bruyne on. He’d have kept a genius veteran, which is what Lionel Messi is now.
I think for Pep there might be something sentimental, too, that he will want to remember him as the magical talent he was at Barcelona. I’m a Maradona man myself, but for Pep and others, he’s the greatest ever.
Because otherwise, he’d have kept De Bruyne for that same sort of genius level. But he wants to try and take the club and steer the club through this difficult little period, and a short-term move for Messi probably doesn’t help him.
Hutchison on Everton
Jack Harrison could return for yet another spell with Everton – do you think he has done enough to earn it?
I think it’d be good. I think David Moyes is in a position where, at the end of last season, I think he had about 12-15 players who were out of contract or their loan spell was up. He’d know that it wouldn’t be good to lose too many all at once. So if he can retain Harrison, it’s a sensible signing.
You know what you’re going to get with Jack. He’s very reliable, very consistent. He’s never going to put in a 3-out-of-10 howler, and he’s never going to shoot the lights out. You can depend on seven or eight out of ten, every match. Those kinds of players are crucial in your starting line-up and when you need to bring players off the bench. He’s not someone who’ll let you down.
If Everton can get him on a short-term contract, it’s a no-brainer.
With no big spending this summer, could Everton be drawn into another relegation battle in their first season at a new stadium?
I think for fans it’s tough, because we’re all watching the Club World Cup and it’s exacerbating panic about transfers. In reality, there’s loads of time before the season starts.
They’ve got until the middle of August to get the players in. Of course, when the window opens I think it’s best to get your players in early, give them time to meet their team-mates and take part in training. I don’t understand why some clubs leave it until the last day or two, because it can mean you’ve wasted half a pre-season until everyone gets a feel for each other.
At the same time, there’s still plenty of time left to act, so we shouldn’t get too concerned just yet.
Everton have been linked with Millwall’s Mihailo Ivanovic. He’s been labelled the next Tim Cahill by the Liverpool Echo – can you tell us anything about him?
I’ve seen him play, and I think he’s got the ability to step up several layers. I’ve seen enough of him to see that Everton would be a natural jump up for him.
I think if he went straight into a top European side, it might be too much. He might not get enough minutes on the pitch and he might struggle to develop or get in matchday squads.
To go from Millwall to Everton, I think that’s doable in terms of his profile and the way he plays at the moment. It could probably work out well.
I think if he went any further than that in terms of, you know, your European size, I think he probably wouldn’t make the 11s or maybe struggle to get in the squad. But I think in terms of Millwall and his profile and the way he plays, I think it would probably work.
Thoughts on West Ham
Is El Bilal Toure a sensible transfer target?
Gasperini was at Atalanta for about a decade, and there are so many players he has turned into superb footballers. Look at Ademola Lookman, or Scalvini at centre-half. He’s suffered a bad cruciate ligament injury but it seems like Newcastle are keen.
Toure is another player who’s come on so well at Atalanta, and I think he’s got the ability to kick on further if he came to West Ham. He works hard, and doesn’t leave anything on the table. He could be ideal for West Ham, because he’ll run all day and work hard, and they need that.
Is West Ham’s squad too old?
They’re too old, they’re too slow. Graham Potter needs to add speed and legs at the top end of the pitch. They have Bowen, but Kudus is on his way, and the midfield is just slow. They can’t press high or quick because they can’t get to the ball or the players.
The majority of their midfield, like Ward-Prowse, Alvarez, Rodriguez, Soucek, they’re good players but none of them are rapid. They need someone aggressive who presses, but they’re just one-paced right now.
Mohammed Kudus looks like he’s on his way out of West Ham – Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs are all interested. What club is the best fit for him and his very obvious talent?
I think Spurs is the best destination for Mohammed Kudus. I think now they’ve got Champions League football and Thomas Frank in, they’re building something. Obviously Chelsea and Arsenal can offer Champions League football too, but with Spurs, he’s almost guaranteed to start.
The other clubs have so many attacking players, but with Frank at Tottenham, he knows he’ll be a priority. I like him as a player, and it’s a shame that he’s leaving West Ham, but Spurs will have a cracking talent on their hands.
Graham Potter has a lot of work to do to revamp his squad ahead of the new season – are West Ham fans right to be concerned that it could be too much to do in one summer, and a relegation battle is a realistic possibility as a result?
I don’t think a relegation battle is likely, but at the same time, I think probably what they’re waiting for is that domino effect. They’re probably waiting for the Mohammed Kudus deal to go through. Then they’re looking at £50-60 million they can spend.
West Ham are, of all the clubs in the league, the one that needs the most extensive rebuild. They were getting a bit boring at the end of the season. I couldn’t see any identity, it wasn’t obvious what they were doing. They weren’t closing down quickly, they weren’t pressing high. Weren’t doing the basics. I didn’t see a team that was good in possession.
I think Graham’s got a huge job on his hands this summer, but it can only get going once the Kudus money comes in.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is being linked to West Ham – given his recent injury problems, are West Ham at risk of repeating past mistakes with striker signings if they bring him in? Surely he’s not the answer?
Anyone that takes him on is taking a gamble. Anyone in the league would want a fully fit DCL in their squad, of course.
Right now, he’s being linked with clubs with Manchester United, West Ham, and there had been a chance he’d stay at Everton. That’s the level he’s at right now. The problem, of course, is that you just can’t guarantee any kind of volume of games from him.
For athletes, the best ability is availability. That’s what you need first of all. You can only be good if you can be fit. You can’t be world class on the treatment table.
For Calvert-Lewin, what he has to make sure of is that he gets a strong pre-season. If he goes on a free to a club and he’s on decent wages, if he gets injured before the season begins, all of a sudden people think you’ve wasted money, and he’s under pressure to rush back, which doesn’t help anyone. So that’s why clubs are probably backing off just now.
Hutchison’s Thoughts on Newcastle United
Would Scalvini suit Newcastle?
I do think Scalvini suits Newcastle. I mean, Sven Botman’s top drawer but he’s again coming back from a serious knee injury. So I don’t know for sure, but Scalvini at the top of his game reminds me of a young John Stones.
He can be superb, but he’s coming off the back of a long-term injury. To me, I think he’ll be a great fit in the Premier League if he can get another solid Serie A season under his belt, to churn out 35 games. Right now he’s a gamble, but if he can prove he’s 100 percent fit, confident in his body, then no question is he what Newcastle need.
Is Anthony Elanga a meaningful improvement over what Newcastle already have?
Bringing Anthony Elanga in will add extra quality, and Newcastle need that with the season coming up. It’s tough, because Jacob Murphy is coming off the back of a brilliant season. But Elanga provides a brilliant option if he’s in Eddie Howe’s squad.
If he arrives, that’s two players who can fight it out for one spot and the competition can spur them on. With the number of games, Elanga could also play one match and Murphy could come in for the next. There are so many competitions and games to play in with the Champions League. Whoever is in form gets the nod for the biggest matches.
If only one is match fit, it makes the decision easy, but if they’re both on fire you can rotate. Signing Elanga also addresses the gap in the squad since Yakuba Minteh went to Brighton because of PSR rules. Newcastle are a bit light in that position, but Elanga and Murphy would provide massive quality.
Would you want Elanga or Mbeumo?
I mean as a Newcastle fan, I think Mbeumo would be a better signing than Elanga. Because he can play on the right side, but he can also play through the middle. He can step in if Alexander Isak gets injured.
If I was Eddie Howe, Mbeumo would be one of the first I’d want through the door. By signing him, you’re harming Manchester United, you’re taking a brilliant player away from Brentford, and you make your squad better too. There’s three ways to win by signing him, even though I do think he’ll still go to Manchester United. He’ll be a brilliant signing.
Is there a particular name you think they should target?
For me, I want Newcastle to sign Hugo Ekitike. I know people will say that Newcastle have got Alexander Isak already, and they don’t need two No. 9s.
But you need a deep squad, and Inter Milan can set up with two strikers and make it work. I think Newcastle have got the players to work with two up top. They’ve got Schar, Burn and Botrman, that’s a natural back three. Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento can play wing-backs either side, and they have that brilliant three in midfield. Put Isak alongside Ekitike up front, and that’s quite some partnership.
You can have Anthony Gordon, Antony Elanga and Jacob Murphy battling for spots, and Gordon can play through the middle. But I really don’t understand why Ekitike isn’t getting talked about more, because he is a super centre-forward.
Would you take Rashford at Newcastle?
I mean, probably not because Anthony Gordon’s a better player than Marcus Rashford is. The thing Newcastle would need is to convince Rashford to play on the right but he’s done that, what, half a dozen times. I know he can play it but he’s not at his best there, nor is he a No. 9.
He’s best as a wide left player so it’s tough for him to break into the Newcastle side. For Rashford, it’s a tricky landing. We’re told he wants Barcelona, but he’s not going to get in ahead of Raphinha. At Real Madrid, he’s not going to displace Vinicius Jr on the left or Kylian Mbappe. He’s not going to start at Paris Saint-Germain.
It’s very difficult to see where he goes from here.
Questions on Sunderland
Could the Bellingham brothers play in the same team?
I absolutely don’t see why not. I mean they’re very similar, but that could be a great thing. It depends on how a coach would see it.
I think Newcastle and Liverpool are good examples to use. Newcastle have the best midfield in the league, but you probably would give Liverpool’s trio the edge over Newcastle’s. I think Alexis Mac Allister is better than Joelinton, but the dynamic of Eddie Howe’s three just works that little bit better, they complement each other. It’s like when you look at PSG’s midfield three under Luis Enrique. Each of them are great players but the way they work together is exceptional.
Jobe and his brother, my goodness, what a duo they could be. You’d be getting the best of both worlds by putting them together.
Have they done enough to have a chance of staying up?
I think Sunderland are in the middle of a transfer window where they have to add numbers to their squad. I’m not sure any of the players they’ve brought in so far will really blow anyone away.
Because they’ve just come up, they need to find those players who are a little under the radar, not attracting the biggest sides. They’re not going to get any huge names through the door, so they have to be a bit cute about how they do their business. They will be looking at their data and analytics, finding players with potential who are going to grow at Sunderland.
It’s hard, because they have to find players who will do well in the Premier League, but who can cope in the Championship if they go down. These are the calculations they’re doing, and it’s vital especially in the first year of the Premier League.
The most important thing is that they stay up. From there, they can build, they could establish themselves like Crystal Palace or Fulham. They need to stop being a yo-yo club, and as one of my former clubs, I really hope they stay up.
I know it’ll be hard, the stats show that it’s such a tough ask of any club. But someone has to break that mold, and why not Sunderland?
Would Jamie Vardy be a sensible addition?
Jamie Vardy is someone who would massively suit a move to Sunderland. I think Wilson Isidor is an excellent player who’s already at Sunderland, and they’re building a decent team there.
But what sides need when they get to the Premier League is someone who has been there and done it. Vardy’s won the league before, he’s always scored goals. After leaving Leicester, he’ll be chomping at the bit to show that he can still do it.
They might need to juggle the contract, give him £50 grand a week and maybe the same again for a win bonus to make it work, to give him an extra incentive. If they give him a bonus if they stay up, that could work too. I think for Vardy, Sunderland are a really good fit for him.
Questions About Manchester United
What do you make of United’s transfer policy in regards to selling Elanga and McTominay?
You can’t say anything good about how Manchester United have gone about selling players. I think they’re in a position now where there’s probably four or five players that they need to move out the door, and they’re going to have to take a loss, because I think even the manager Amorim at times has said completely the wrong thing.
He said he’d rather play his goalkeeping coach rather than Marcus Rashford, which probably hit his transfer fee right away.
I think clubs will be looking at United players this summer and thinking, they need to sell, we can wait. They might want 50 million for Rashford or Alejandro Garnacho, but clubs know they can wait until the last few days and offer £20m. They just don’t have the bargaining power anymore.
Where could Rashford go to?
I think he could potentially go to Bayern Munich. They just lost Jamal Musiala to a bad injury, so there’s a chance that he could step into that position, maybe on loan. If they shift Kingsley Coman to the other side, he could slip in there.
He just needs an opening really. He needs somewhere where he can slot in and play regularly, rediscover his best form. It was only a few years ago that he was on fire, and scored 30 goals. Apart from that one season, though, his numbers really don’t match the talent he appears to have.
Are the United transfer team any better than Ed Woodward?
I’m not sure the guys in charge at Manchester United are any better than Ed Woodward. Of course, finances come into it where Bryan Mbeumo is concerned. United don’t have European money, their sponsorship is reduced, and they finished way down in the league. All that hits the bottom line.
I find PSR chat a bit boring, but from what we’re told, United are struggling to balance the books, and so they might need to get players out the door before they can ratify the deal with Mbeumo and Brentford. Maybe when Garnacho is sold, Mbeumo gets done the day after.
I’ve been through loads of transfers in my time, and sometimes I knew the club wanted me, they just needed to sell someone before they could make it official. Mbeumo might be aware that he’s next in line, and they’ve given him their word. He will know he’s going to be regularly playing alongside Matheus Cunha and Bruno Fernandes.
I think when Garnacho, Tyrell Malacia, Antony, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho – one of them – go, Mbeumo will get done.
What do you think Graeme Souness would have made of Garnacho’s Instagram post?
I think a kick up the arse is exactly what Garnacho needs. Having said that, I think that when he does move somewhere and feels settled, he’ll be on fire, he’ll be great.
We all know the talent is there, the speed is there. The decision-making and confidence will get better. You can measure almost everything about a player with statistics except their confidence. I think when it comes to Garnacho, he’s in a little funk, and it won’t change until he leaves United.
We can see he wants out, the manager doesn’t rate him, and he’s not playing his best football because he’s low on confidence.
I think the biggest problem is that Amorim is playing him in the wrong position. He doesn’t need to be inverted, cutting in. He needs to be on the touchline and tormenting full-backs. When he gets a manager who does that for him, he’ll be fine.
Yeah, in Keane’s day he’d be pulled into line quickly, and that isn’t helping. The culture and standards at United are all wrong now.
Hutchison on Arsenal
Are you surprised that Arsenal signed Christian Norgaard? What can he offer Arsenal?
I don’t think it’s a bad move at all. I see lots of reasons why Mikel Arteta will have done it. It’s not exactly the same of course, but Gerard Houllier pulled off a masterstroke when he brought in Garry MacAllister at about 35, but he added great knowledge, good experience, still had ability.
Norgaard has all that too, he’s exceptional. Any player from Brentford under Thomas Frank could slot in at top teams and do their job well.
I think for him he’s not going to want to be a squad player, but with Martin Zubimendi coming in, he’ll be aware that he’s not going to play every game. He definitely won’t start every game, at least, and he’s not going to kick up a stink if he’s left out.
He knows Norgaard has a great character and with the number of games coming up, he’ll know he’ll get plenty of games with all the cups and European matches. Arteta will be looking at his squad knowing he can’t lose many from his squad, so he’s not just adding Zubimendi, he’s adding depth and character.
Would signing Cristhian Mosquera suggest Arsenal are planning for life without William Saliba as Real Madrid lurk?
I think Mosquera is coming as cover for William Saliba and Gabriel. If one of them gets injured or suspended, they’re in trouble.
The volume of games for Arsenal means that it’s inevitable there will be absences and gaps, he can help there. For Arsenal fans, they will see they’re strengthening the spine. They’ve got Kepa, and Mosquera, they’ve got Norgaard and Zubimendi. They’re stronger in depth through the middle of the pitch now. It’s a sensible move.
The other top sides have had decent windows too, but Arsenal are getting their deals done well. For them, they need to push on that little bit more now. They can’t keep coming second. It’s time to win one of the big trophies.
Is Noni Madueke a good signing for Arsenal?
I don’t understand this transfer. From an Arsenal point of view, he plays where Bukayo Saka does, so it’ll be tough for him to get games. The competition, of course, makes sense, especially if Saka is injured, but they have Ethan Nwaneri.
His contract is running down now, and I’d have been tempted to use money earmarked for Madueke to get a deal done for Nwaneri instead. Spending £50 million on Madeuke, who hasn’t been brilliant for Chelsea, is strange.
The Raheem Sterling deal definitely didn’t work, and you worry if this is another player coming from Stamford Bridge to sit on the bench.
Is Viktor Gyokeres worth waiting for?
Personally, I would have gone for Hugo Ekitike because I think he suits how Arsenal play. He fits into the possession style, and he’ll link up well with Martin Odegaard and Bukyao Saka well, they’re both technically adept, and so is he.
He can move, he’s graceful, he scores, and he can take players on. He’s the player they should have gone for, but Viktor Gyokeres, there’s just no denying he will deliver you hatfuls of goals. More than Sesko, probably, too. But it’s interesting they’ve gone for the 27-year-old. There’s no sell-on money they’re factoring in.
I think for Arsenal and Arteta, they aren’t worried about resale at this point, they just want a guaranteed player who delivers goals, because they need to start winning trophies.
Thoughts on Rangers
I know you have family connections with Rangers. Would a move to Celtic have caused a fallout?! Boyhood Rangers fans like Greg Taylor, Scott Allan and Lewis Morgan all switched allegiances to play for Celtic.
I never had an overwhelming allegiance to Rangers over Celtic, it was just that my dad was a Rangers fan. It wasn’t about choosing Rangers and snubbing Celtic. Playing for Scotland I had mates like Neil McCann, Barry Ferguson, Billy Dodds, all Rangers boys. But I was mates with players from Celtic too, there was no antipathy. I just had the pull of Rangers because of my dad.
Is Thelo Asgaard good enough to make the step up to the SPL?
I think it’s going to be interesting to see how he is used by Russell Martin. Martin’s made a few good signings so far, but if he tries to get Rangers playing more patiently, more slowly, like he did at Southampton, the fans will not take to that at all.
That won’t last for five minutes, because Rangers want a high-tempo, edge-of-your-seat brand of football. The fans want to be involved, they want a connection, they want a team that plays direct and with purpose.
I say that as a warning, but if they win 10 on the bounce and it’s boring, nobody is really going to complain. Everyone will take that right away. When you’re not winning though, then it matters. But if you speak to any manager in the world, if you speak to Mikel Arteta, and say you’ll be the dullest team in the world but you’ll be champions, they’ll take it all day long.
Are you surprised Lawrence Shankland was not a target for Rangers?
I really like him. I think he’s a good player. I just think it depends on what Russell Martin wants, so he might not have wanted to push hard for him. Maybe he was always interested in staying with Hearts if he could.
Martin will have in his mind a certain type of player that he wants to work with, a certain type of style. But Shankland has always looked like a good player to me. I quite like the way he plays. I quite like the way he wears his heart on his sleeve, I think. I think he’s an industrious player. It’s making that step up. It’s just a question
We can’t be sure that Martin saw in Shankland the kind of player he thought he needed to get a balanced side at Ibrox.
Hutchison on Celtic
You were once linked with a move to Celtic during your time at Everton in 2000. Your agent said that you would have considered the move had the conditions been right. Did Celtic ever firm up their interest, and as a Rangers fan, would you have made the move?
I never got close to joining Celtic. The closest I got to a move to either Old Firm sides was with Rangers when I was at West Ham. I never heard anything about going to Celtic.
It was a massive pull, that one, ‘cause my dad was a huge Rangers fan, and given I played for Scotland too, I was really tempted to move up there.
It was always going to be Rangers out of the two, but it was a straight choice between Rangers with the Champions League, and West Ham, so I chose the latter.
With West Ham, I was only there for a year in my first spell, so I felt I had unfinished business. I thought it was a natural fit with Glenn Roeder at the time, and it was. I don’t regret it.
I’d love to have had Rangers on the CV – it was a close call.
What are your thoughts on Como signing Kuhn?
I like him, and I like what Como has done under Fabregas. Another team that’s trying to buy the best players, but they don’t mind doing their scouting and they don’t mind buying a player that is perhaps less well known.
They almost got Theo Hernandez from AC Milan in the last transfer window, so they spend when they can if it’s needed, but Cesc is able to work with less established players too. I think it’s a smart signing for Como.
Do you think Brendan Rodgers will be expecting to get into the Champions League knockouts once again?
I think with the new Champions League format, there’s no reason they can’t get into the knockout round. The format helped them last year, and I think that’s why they introduced it. It gives every team more chances to put a run together.
I liked that, but I wasn’t a fan of the way the draw showed you your path to the final, with your likely opponents – that took some of the mystery out of it. But for Celtic, this gives them every chance of getting further into the tournament, and Brendan Rodgers will be ambitious.
Why do players struggle after leaving Celtic?
I think players might struggle after leaving Celtic because they just dominate the league so much, and that’s true of Rangers to some extent too.
I think players need competition to find their levels, and it can make or break you, but you’ve always got to try to find just how far your talent will take you. You’ve got to back yourself, and if it’s too much of a move, you’ll end up moving down again.
Obviously, few people move from League Two directly to the Champions League, but if a player does that, they might have to drop down to the mid-table Premier League sides to be more comfortable. For Celtic players, they might look like world-beaters for the Hoops, then find they can’t play as well for other sides.
Questions on England
What will Thomas Tuchel want to see from Trent Alexander-Arnold next season?
At this point, everyone knows how good he is. I think his defending improved last season, and he was exceptional. I think what will be an interesting dynamic at Real Madrid is how many games he’ll need to be on his game defensively.
I could see Xabi Alonso going to three at the back. Dani Carvajal could play on the right, and then that moves Trent up to the right-hand side in a more attacking role, and he can play that inverted role to bring him into midfield.
Tuchel will like that he’s learning something new after his move, and for all the criticism of his defending, he can show you Premier League and Champions League medals, He’s been brilliant for years. He might not be Paolo Maldini, but Maldini can’t do what Trent does, either.
When it comes to Trent we’re trying to make him into the perfect defender, but they’re almost infinitely rare. Cafu was incredible, but Trent’s just as good, just in a different way. I think when he retires, we’ll look back on him as one of the greatest. In five year’s time, when all the kids watching him now start coming through, everyone will be trying to play how he does.
I think he gets grief sometimes because say you’re up against Vinicius Jr and you get skinned, what do you expect? World class wingers and forwards can make everyone look foolish at times, but most of the time, Trent more than holds his own. It’s the same for Reece James or Kyle Walker – the best forwards will make them look silly sometimes.
Hutchison Answers General Football Questions
Will an extended break have helped Pogba’s long-term fitness?
To be honest, I think the answer to that is, ‘I don’t know.’
Because if Paul Pogba comes back and tries to play really intense football, he could get a muscle injury and see himself out for a couple of months, and then it’s hard to ever find your rhythm in the middle of a season.
So that’s the downside of being out. I mean, I’ll never be able to really consider a doping ban to be a good thing, because that would be ridiculous. I don’t think Pogba will benefit from being out for so long, but we will all want to see him at peace with himself, to see him stay healthy, and play like we all know he can.
Do you think Paul Pogba has a chance of reaching the World Cup next year?
Well, this is a great potential comeback story, I think. In many ways it’s lovely to see him back, because I never want to see athletes when they’re in decline. I always want to see them go out at the top.
Whether it’s Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, or Novak Djokovic while we speak now, it always saddens me a little bit. It can be a hard watch.
For Pogba, I just hope he gets a love of the game back. If he goes to Monaco, stays healthy after two years away, I just want him to find a little bit of peace. I want him to treat the game as he did when he was a kid, to go out and enjoy his football.
Is there a scenario where Ronaldo is the top scorer come the end of the 2026 World Cup?
For Cristiano Ronaldo, there’s no reason why he can’t be top scorer at the World Cup. I’ve commentated on a lot of his games over the years, and I’ve watched him for Al Nassr now he’s 40 years old.
Obviously, he’s slowing down, but he can still excel. The trick is to simplify the game for him. Peter Reid at Sunderland, he told Niall Quinn, he just wanted him to work the width of the 18-yard box and not worry about anything else around him. Don’t run the channels, leaving tracking back to the younger lads.
For Ronaldo, it’s the same. Get him to focus on scoring, nothing else. He’s still so good at that then yeah, he can top score.
Is Nicolas Jackson suffering from pressure?
I think he is showing that he’s under pressure, but even before that, he got sent off against Newcastle when he elbowed Fabian Schar. He’s quite volatile, and that’s not always a bad thing. People like Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney, they had that in their locker too. If you can manage it, then teams can benefit from a few players who always need to be playing right on the edge. It’s not necessarily a problem, and it’s inevitable that they will overstep occasionally. But Jackson has had a couple close together, so you have to ask, does Enzo Maresca have a handle on him?
I’m not sure if it’s because he feels under pressure, because his red against Newcastle was before Delap and Pedro arrived, so I think it’s just who he is as a player. Maresca has to decide if he’ll put up with that, or if he’ll choose to move him on now he has two new forwards.
On Sheffield United
How hard will it be for Sheffield United to bounce back being so close to promotion last season?
I’m disappointed that Chris Wilder’s gone, to be honest. I think more importantly for Sheffield United now, it’s a case of not losing too many players. The worst thing that you can do when you go down is lose two or three of your best players.
If that happens, then the chances of coming back are pretty slim. But I think with the parachute money, I think with the size of the club Sheffield United are, there’s no reason why they can’t come straight back up. It’s just going to need one or two signings in terms of freshening things up. But more importantly, don’t allow too many out the door.
Gus Hamer is one who I think they need to keep hold of. You could – probably should – build a team around him. He’s a match-winner, someone who can turn the game on its head. You can’t afford to lose many players who can do that.
Are there any players in the Champ that you think could replace Vini Souza and Gus Hamer if they’re to leave?
Jamie Vardy is still available. He’d be perfect for the style they play and the kind of club that they are. They have a fanbase that will love a hard worker like him. Vardy will always give it everything.
He’s not lost any of his pace. He could cut it in the Premier League last year, so the Championship won’t be beyond him. He might think that he doesn’t want to drop down yet, which would be fair enough. But for a club like Sheffield United, I think he’d be ideal. He’d still be scoring goals and showing what he can do.
