BestBettingSites.com’s Exclusive Interview With Paul Dickov
Paul Dickov is a former professional footballer and a beloved figure in English football, best known for his time at Manchester City, where he made over 150 appearances and played a key role in their rise in the Premier League. Our team at Best Betting Sites sits down with Paul to discuss Manchester City’s ambitions, the challenges of modern football, and much more.
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Questions on Manchester City
Is there more pressure on Pep Guardiola than there has been for several years to come up with a trophy at Man City next season?
I think that the pressure that’s on Pep is the pressure he puts on himself. He’s a perfectionist. If you look at last season and how it went, I don’t think anyone would have anticipated that we’d end up without a trophy.
At the same time, I don’t think it’s possible to keep that run going after the treble and then winning four leagues in a row. The pressure, despite that, is still on them to win something. Nobody puts more pressure on the club or the players to be successful than Pep himself. He’ll be desperate to put things right and I’m pretty confident that he will – I don’t think there will be too many trophyless seasons with Pep at the helm for Manchester City.
Is there one player across Europe that you’d like to see at City?
I think the way we’re looking at it at the minute, as it stands, it’s a live situation as of this week, but there’s obviously Cherki, which looks very likely. Reijnders looks like he’s on the way if you read the reports and Ait-Nouri was confirmed yesterday.
I am really excited about Rayan Cherki. If you look at his profile, what he brings, then he’s the kind of player that gets people off their feet.
Against Spain, he was absolutely outstanding. He just made his debut for the French national team, and scored. The quality he’s got is there for everyone to see. He looks like one of the most exciting – if not the most exciting – talents in Europe right now.
Where does Kevin De Bruyne rank in terms of being the greatest Man City player of all time?
The club has been through so many different challenges over the year, but definitely since I’ve been involved in Manchester City, and watching them, I think he’s the best player to have worn the sky blue.
There are arguments for different eras, like Colin Bell, Francis Lee, Micky Summerbee, all the wonderful players of the sixties and seventies. I wasn’t fortunate enough to watch them all play live, but as for the players who’ve been at the Etihad, or watching them train in recent years, De Bruyne is far and away the best. Not just for City, but the whole league.
When Kevin De Bruyne joined the club, I don’t think that people would have expected him to have lasted for a decade. It’s been a wonderful ten years at Manchester City for him as a player, and he’s been such a tremendous servant during that time.
He was a key player throughout his tenure and he’s written his name into the City book of legends. He helped the club win 19 trophies. He won countless individual awards. It’s been a pleasure to watch him, and in many ways, I think we were privileged to watch him.
How do you replace Kevin De Bruyne? Is Cherki going to have that responsibility?
I think they play in different positions, for a start. As well as that, it’s going to be almost impossible to replace Kevin De Bruyne. The way he played for City over the last decade, he’s been phenomenal. He’s not just one of the best midfielders in City’s history, but in the whole Premier League.
At times, Kevin dragged the team to wins by himself. People talk about his quality, and that’s undeniable, but there’s his leadership too, and how he handles himself off the pitch. One of the biggest compliments about Kevin is that when he’s on the pitch, he makes everyone around him play better.
Even players like Aguero, Foden, both David and Bernando Silva, Erling Haaland, all say that they’re better players with Kevin De Bruyne alongside them, which is a huge statement in itself.
What do you make of KDB’s move to Napoli?
It’d be very strange to see him stay in the Premier League, in another club’s shirt. I can always wax lyrical about Kevin, but he would be an absolutely wonderful signing for anybody.
If it’s Napoli, and it seems as if the club are making noises to suggest they are confident, I think he’ll be well suited to Serie A. Italian football will help him at his age, compared to the Premier League. He’s got such a good football brain that he can excel at any speed, but maybe this will help him physically.
His football intelligence is up there with the very best, we have seen that since he’s come back this season. We’ve seen glimpses of it and, as I said, I’m sure wherever he goes, not just through his experience but the quality he’s got, whoever’s going to get him is going to be signing a wonderful player.
Jack Grealish is reportedly going to move on this summer. He’s been linked with Napoli – a club that seems to be perfect for relaunching a career. Would Grealish be a hit in Italy?
I think Jack would be a hit anywhere. I don’t buy into this stuff that’s going around that he’s not been a success at Man City.
Yes, look, a disappointing season last season, but he wasn’t picked on the pitch to play enough. When he did play, like the game against Forest at home when we were struggling, or the FA Cup semi-final, he was the best player on the pitch.
The year before that, he’d had plenty of injuries, but the treble season, when we won the Champions League, he was consistently City’s best player in the big games.
He was the go-to man. In the Real Madrid game, he was outstanding and then you go against Inter Milan in the Champions League final. He was up there with the very best and he helped win it all.
I tell you what I will say though, and we still don’t know for sure if Jack does leave, whoever gets him is going to be buying a world class player. Jack will have a point to prove as well.
But you know, talking about Napoli, you’ve just got to look at Billy Gilmour, Scott McTominay, and Romelu Lukaku as well. You know they’ve gone there, resurrected their careers, and been absolutely outstanding for them. I’m sure if there was an opportunity to join Napoli, Jack would go and do the same thing.
Jack’s also been linked to Newcastle United. Do you think it would be easier for him to rediscover his magic away from the spotlight of the Premier League or is the appeal to show the Premier League that he’s still got the magic too much for him to resist?
I think wherever Jack goes, whether he stays in the Premier League, whether it’s a different country, I think that Jack will be a huge success. You know he’s experienced enough to be able to handle the move but more than anything else, you put Jack in his patch and you get Jack. His ability is second to none.
It will be strange. It’ll be sad to see Jack in a different shirt, a little bit like Kevin De Bruyne, after the wonderful years and success they’ve had at Man City.
There’s always an emotional attachment to players that do well for you and then move on. People can say that Grealish has had a poor season, which I don’t agree with, because ultimately, he wasn’t given that many opportunities to show us what he can do. What you can’t say is that Jack wasn’t instrumental in the season’s that Manchester City did lift trophies, particularly during the treble-winning season. He was brilliant, and he’ll always be remembered and appreciated for the role he played during his time at the club.
Did Scott Carson have the best substitute role in football? He’s leaving City after six years, 108 mins of football and 11 trophies at the age of 41.
One every 10 minutes! Scott is a great guy, and, all joking apart, there’s a lot of people that wouldn’t mind having that role. If you speak with anyone who’s dealt with Scott at the club, whether in the changing room or elsewhere, to his team-mates and former team-mates, they will tell you what a huge influence Scott is.
A little bit old school, makes everybody laugh. I’m not saying he’s the class clown, but every changing room needs a Scott Carson in it. But the experience he has in helping the ones that have not been playing, I don’t think that is spoken about enough.
And everybody within the club wishes Scott all the best because first, he’s a character, but he’s been an unbelievable pro since the time he arrived at the club.
Paul’s Thoughts on the Club World Club
Is this the perfect setting for Paul Pogba to make a cameo and relaunch his career?
It’s been slightly quiet on Paul recently, since his ban. But what I will say is that if Paul Pogba can get back to anywhere near his best, then the Club World Cup would be an unbelievable platform to go and show everybody what he’s all about.
His ability is there for everybody to see, and we all know it didn’t happen at Manchester United for whatever reason, but there’s no doubt there’s always been a top player in there and he’ll be desperate to get back on the football pitch just to be playing again.
How do you think Manchester City will do at the FIFA Club World Cup?
I’ve obviously got my blue-tinted glasses on. I’m hoping they do very well. If you look at them from the start of the year, if they’d done a league table from January to the last game of the season, Man City would have been top.
People talk about what a poor season they’ve had, and generally it’s not been great, but they’ve been in much better form of late. Added to that, Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias will be coming in on a high from winning the Nations League.
Hopefully there’ll be the three new signings, and then the players on international duty will be fresh and raring to go. The squad’s going to be looking really strong, and there’s no reason why they can’t go out and win it, but it’s going to be tough.
Look, we’ve got Real Madrid in there. You’ve got PSG, Inter Milan – Champions League finalists. You put Chelsea in there as well. There’s a long list of top teams in there that could possibly win it. But if you’re asking me, can Man City go and win it, 100 percent they can.
Do you think City will really go for it?
Pep wants to win every single tournament he’s involved in, whether that be the Carabao Cup, the Premier League, the FA Cup, the Champions League. He’s a serial winner. He’s a born winner. I think, especially after not winning anything last season, going into the Club World cup, there’s a real opportunity to win a trophy.
It’s the first one there’s ever been with this extended format, so we could create history again, which they’ve done a lot over the last few years. At the same time as well, it’ll give them a massive boost of confidence going into the new season. So when they’re out there, Man City will want to win it, 100 percent. The players are winners themselves.
They’re all disappointed they didn’t win anything last season and this gives them a chance to get another medal, another trophy on the board, which is what they want.
Who do you see as favourites for the tournament in the USA?
You’ve got to say PSG after the way they dismantled Inter Milan. In fact, the way they dismantled a lot of teams over the course of the Champions League. They were an outstanding, young, fresh, energetic team that had a little bit of gold dust up front. And for me, they look like the best team around at the minute.
They’re the Champions League winners, so they’re the best in Europe and you’d probably say in the world, on that basis. They’re going to be very hard to beat. But then obviously you’re always going to have Real Madrid and Man City that are going to be in the frame too.
I think all the clubs that are competing, they’ll go for it. The financial rewards of winning it are massive, but more than anything, these are all top clubs that would love to stake their claim as the best in the world.
Dickov on Arsenal
Arsenal is heavily linked with a move for Julian Alvarez in recent weeks – would he be the ideal fit at centre forward for the Gunners?
Julian’s a top player. Obviously I’ve seen him up close a lot, with his time at Man City, where he was outstanding.
He’s gone away to Atletico and is banging in goals for fun. Julian is a world class player. He starts for Argentina all the time. So if any club did come in and sign him, he’s going to be a major player for them as well.
The one thing I will say about Julian is he’s not an out-and-out number nine. You know, he can play there if he needs to. You look at him, his time at Atletico, he’s played more often than not in the front two of a 3-5-2, with Griezmann or other players alongside him.
He was frustrated a little with Erling Haaland leading the line, because it wasn’t always two up top. When they did play him, he was in a withdrawn role. He wouldn’t be cheap, either. City sold him for about £80 million, so Atletico are going to want to get big money for him.
If he goes to Arsenal, he would be a huge player for them. It would be a major signing for Arsenal, but he won’t come cheap.
What do you think of Sesko? Could he be the right striker to lead the line?
He’s one of the few strikers in the game who looks like a real, out-and-out No. 9. He’s tall, he’s quick, and he’s strong for a big man. He’s really good technically and he scores goals. Lots of them. With his age, you’d think the ceiling would be pretty high in terms of improvement. He’s got good pedigree in the Bundesliga and he did the business when he was given an opportunity in the Champions League, so those are good signs for Arsenal.
But the thing about Arsenal needing a world class number nine, they’re very hard to get. Any player coming into the Premier League, it’s going to take them time to adjust.
They’ve been liked with the likes of Sesko, Alvarez, Osimhen and Gyokeres – they’re obviously going to bring in someone – whoever it is, needs to come in and hit the ground running because i think there will be a lot of eyeballs on the player that they do sign.
The one thing Arsenal have missed out on the last couple of years, stating the obvious, it’s a striker. The task at hand is actually getting one of them through the door.
Do you back the move for Martin Zubimendi? What can he offer that Arsenal’s midfielders do not?
At the very least, Martin Zubimendi offers real competition for places.
He is a top player. He’s a midfielder who’s got a bit of everything about him. He can play in the holding role, he can play a little bit forward. He chips in with assists and with goals. He’s energetic, and that’s something Mikel wants in his team. He’s great in that he’ll add real quality, but also give Arsenal strength in depth.
I think we saw against PSG, when Thomas Partey was missing, that Arsenal don’t really have the depth they need to cope with both competitions.
And for Arsenal, if they are going to be successful next season, we all know that their starting 11 is up there, and can compete at the top level. Their first team can compete with anyone, but with a couple of injuries, they look vulnerable. Bringing in Zubimendi goes some way to solving that for Mikel, just like adding Sesko will help up front.
With a big-money striker looking inevitable, what do you think happens to Gabriel Jesus?
I’ve seen Gabby at Man City a lot. Obviously during his time at Arsenal, he’s been unfortunate with injuries, but Gabby has never really been that one that’s been a number nine. In his time at Man City, he played wide a lot. He played off another forward, whether it was Aguero or someone else. It’s been very similar in his time at Arsenal. So I’m not sure if a striker coming in means the writing is on the wall for Gabriel.
I know Mikel really likes him. He’s a very versatile player. Mikel likes to press high from the front and Gabby’s one of the best at doing that. He’s the one that can set teams off if they want to go for the high press.
He’s energetic enough to do it, and he’s got real quality on the ball. So even if a number nine did come in, I think Gabby would probably compliment whoever it was.
Thought on Martin Odegaard as a Gunners captain?
Yeah, I think Martin Odegaard’s been outstanding for Arsenal since he joined the club. People have been asking questions towards the end of the season there, but Arsenal’s form as a group wasn’t the best. I think it shows you how much they missed him when he was injured.
You know, he’s got leadership qualities, not just without the ball, but with the ball. He takes the ball in really tight areas. Shows real responsibility. And I don’t get this recent criticism of him, saying that he’s not a captain, because I think he’s been outstanding the last couple of seasons for them. He’s also the captain of his national team Norway, so there can’t be any doubts about his leadership. It takes all types of leaders, and what people don’t see is the work that he is probably doing around the team and in the dressing room – I’m sure he takes the role incredibly seriously.
Maybe his injury that he had earlier on this season took a lot more out of him than people expected because he was out for a long time and sometimes it does take two, three, four months to get back into the swing of it again. And I’m sure going forward he’s going to show everybody what an excellent captain and leader he is over the next few seasons.
If Arsenal fail to start the season well, do you fear for Arteta’s support amongst fans?
I think that if things don’t go too well at the start of the season, the pressure will start gradually building on Mikel, but the real questions will come if we’re sat here the same time next year, wondering why Arsenal still haven’t won a major trophy.
I think that’s when the pressure will really be on, but it’s too early to judge anything in the first couple of months of next season.
Do Arsenal need to win something next season to convince their players that they can reach their ambitions with the club, and if they fail to do so, will it be difficult to keep hold of the likes of Saliba, Saka etc.
I think if they don’t win anything this season, you’ll definitely see some players considering their futures. Mikel too. I think they’re all feeling the pressure to win something and compete this season, but for Mikel, that comes with the territory of managing a big club.
The ambition is to be successful, and you look at your rivals. Tottenham winning the Europa League won’t have helped the situation. Crystal Palace have won the FA Cup. Newcastle have the Carabao Cup. Liverpool got the league title when City dropped off. This really is a season where Arsenal might have done better on that front.
A lot of people talk just about the Premier League or Champions League, but winning one of the cups helps you get into that winning habit, so if they do pick up one of those trophies, the feeling might be a little more optimistic.
Paul on Tottenham Hotspur
Were you surprised by the Postecoglou sacking?
I was surprised at how long it took them to make the decision. The longer it went on, the more worried I got for Ange. Despite winning a trophy, given the season they had, the longer it goes without a statement from the club, the more his fate looked sealed.
It wasn’t looking good for him. I know they had a dreadful time of it in the league, with huge amounts of losses, but at the end of the day, he delivered a trophy and Champions League football came with that. I think given that from January onwards, he’d put all his eggs in one basket, the league form is more understandable. They weren’t going down, so he had his eyes on Europe.
And if he’d not done that, and put as much effort into the league, they’d have finished 10th and he’d have still got sacked. He couldn’t win. You know Spurs want a trophy and they want Champions League football, and he gave them that. He needs credit for that, and the opportunity to build on that, and unfortunately he’s not getting that.
Thoughts on Leicester City
After missing out on the Rangers gig, would you like to see Steven Gerrard take over at Leicester City this summer?
I think Stevie would be a good choice. But you know, reading between the lines, there are probably reasons away from football why Stevie couldn’t take the Rangers job. I think if he wanted it, and he could have taken it, he would have,
I reckon he would have been the first choice for Rangers to go ahead and do it. And keep in mind on the back of that, I couldn’t see him really taking the Leicester job if he’s not taken the Rangers one. If it wasn’t for non-football reasons, I think he’d already be in place at Ibrox.
Jamie Vardy has been linked with a move to Rangers. Do you think he would rip up the SPFL?
Jamie Vardy’s got a lot to give. You’ve seen him at the end of last season, still running around as if he was 25 years old, still scoring goals. So I think people look at his age and everything else, but he’s still got a lot of football and a lot of goals in him. Whether that’s the Premier League, who knows? But definitely if it’s a Championship or Scottish Premier League team, he’d be a hit.
I think he would be a big success in Scotland, no doubt about it. Playing for a giant like Rangers, blue jersey, it would be a good signing for them.
Where do you think Vardy will end up?
I don’t know. You know, I’m sure he’s got a lot of offers and they are probably at home and abroad as well. I think he’ll be able to take his pick.
Maybe he’ll want an entirely new challenge, to take his family abroad for a couple of years. Perhaps he’ll want to drop to the Championship and take a club back to the Premier League. Moving to Rangers, there’s the challenge of taking on Celtic. It all depends on what’s going to motivate him next.
Back or Sack Ruud van Nistelrooy
The longer the rumours go on, and they’ve been around for a couple of months that he’ll be sacked, the worse it is for Ruud.
The silence at Leicester is deafening. You have to let the fans know Ruud is the manager if that’s what you want, so people can start planning. If it’s someone else, you need to say. They need to get to work to get promoted from the Championship, and any delay stops the new manager doing what he needs. Whoever it is needs to get their own players in, assert their authority, and build for promotion.
At the moment, the club feels like it’s in a state of limbo. It’s hard to look to the future when there is so much uncertainty over the manager’s position.
Paul on Scotland
Do you think Steve Clarke is still the man to lead Scotland to the World Cup?
I’m a big fan of Steve. People say it’s because I know him personally, but I take that out of the situation. Look at what he’s done for Scottish football over the last few years.
Scotland have got to major tournaments with a squad that would leave other managers struggling. He’s managed without too many players coming through at the moment at the top level.
The one thing he’s doing generally is making them really competitive. We’ve got such a small pool of players. Luckily there are players like Gilmour and McTominay, but there are others who would not normally be in other countries’ national teams.
I think for Steve to get them to this level with the resources they have, he’s a victim of his own success. By qualifying for big tournaments, he’s made a rod for his own back. He’s outperformed expectations, and people want him to keep doing that. So I’d definitely keep him on.
Scotland are struggling for strikers, do you think Tommy Conway can crack it?
Steve’s shown before that he’ll give young players a chance. Adams, who’s been out to Italy, he’s been out there and done really well. So there are players there. Lyndon Dykes has never let Scotland down once whenever he’s pulled that shirt on.
But we need younger players like Tommy Conway, pushing the ones that are in there already and showing that they’re good enough and willing enough to make that next step up.
Thoughts on Kieran Tierney going back to Celtic
I think it’s a good move for Kieran. His injuries have been horrendous in his time at Arsenal. I think it speaks volumes given the reception he got from Arsenal when he’s appeared.
He’s a big hero up at Celtic. They’ll be looking forward to him coming back. And from Kieran’s point of view, it’s imperative that he keeps fit. He’s been so unlucky. Every time it looks like he’s coming back from an injury and getting a bit of form, something happens and he’s out again. So from Kieran’s point of view, I hope he has a good summer, gets a really good pre-season under his belt, and if he stays fit next season, he’ll be a huge asset for Celtic once again.
Is Russell Martin the right man to manage Rangers?
Time will tell on that. His record at Southampton obviously up to the Premier League season was fantastic. Getting promoted, everybody keeps talking about him having an identity and a style of football that’s attractive to watch and that’s what Rangers need.
Over the last few years, Rangers have been poor. They’re putting up a limp challenge against Celtic, having no real identity from the managers or the players that have been in there. And I think that’s the first thing Russell’s got to do, get the fans back on board as well, because the Rangers and Celtic fans, when they’re on board, they can literally make such a difference for you. But that connection’s not been there probably since Stevie left when they won the league.
And that’s what he’s got to do first and foremost. It’s going to be a tough challenge for him. Hopefully it’ll help them with the takeover happening, new investment coming in because they’ve been way behind Celtic in what they’ve spent in transfer fees.
It’s going to be interesting. It’s pretty clear it was between him and Stevie who was going to get the job. He’s now got it and he’s got to go up there. He knows the size of the club. He’s been there for a short spell as a player. He knows what the expectations are like. He’s going to have to produce, but he needs time. Because they’re so far back from Celtic at the moment.
Dickov on the Premier League
Who wins the Premier League next season?
Liverpool look as if they’re strengthening. They’re making signings already. But for me, I can’t see Man City having as bad a season as what they did last season.
From the start of the year to the end of the season, Man City would have finished top, and that was them having a bad end to the season by their standards.
They added players in January, they’re adding players now. They’ll have players back from injury. Rodri coming back is absolutely huge. They will want John Stones, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji back and fit.
With all that, I think Man City are going to be really hard to beat next season. But I do expect next season to be the hardest Premier League in a long time for anybody to win.
United already have made a couple of signings. Chelsea are going to get better with the young team that they’ve got. Arsenal are making signings. Newcastle and Villa are going to be in there and around it again. It’s going to be so tough to win it next year. But I just think the quality that City are going to have in the squad, not just the starting 11, the strength and depth and the quality and depth that they’ve got, they’re the favourites for me.
Do you think Leeds United could stay up next season?
I was chatting to a few Leeds fans funnily enough the other day, and they were all doom and gloom. They’re expecting the worst already but I quite fancy Leeds to stay up.
I think that with their investors in place, they’ll have a bit of money to spend.
We all know Elland Road is a difficult place to go when they’re up at and you.
Sunderland and Burnley, it might be a bit different. Sunderland might lack the quality, and they have a young squad. They need to spend a lot of money to change things around.
Burnley did exceptionally well under Scott Parker, but I’d back Leeds of the three to stay up.
What do you make of Sunderland selling Watson?
You know, that’s not going to help them. It’s not going to help the fans and their expectations for the season as well. But at the same time, I don’t think anybody really expected Sunderland to get promoted. They’ve done exceptionally well to go up there. So are they looking at it as, ‘Let’s have a season in the Premier League and enjoy the ride and see where it takes us?’
Is there a Premier League side who should be moving for Jean-Philippe Mateta?
Anybody that’s not playing in Europe, particularly in the Champions League, would love to go to a Champions League club.
I think Mateta surprised everybody with his performances and his goals, especially last season and the season before. He’s a real handful. We talk about the need for a real No. 9 at Arsenal or Manchester United.
I think he’d be a great fit for any of the teams that are on the lookout for a striker like that because he’s big, strong, and he holds the ball up ever so well. He gets himself in the box, you know. And there’s a real danger when he gets in there.
It seems that everyone apart from Man City with Haaland, and Newcastle with Isak, are on the hunt for a No. 9. I think Mateta would be a great signing for anyone.
I think there’ll be a lot of clubs looking at what’s happening with them given the situation Crystal Palace find themselves in. I think European football – or its absence – is going to have a huge effect on which players Palace can keep, who wants to stay, and who are going to want to leave. Maybe, even, who will have to be sold for financial reasons.
Are Mbeumo and Cunha the right forwards to revitalise Manchester United?
I think Cunha is a wonderful player. Cunha is a game changer. He’s showing that he has fantastic ability. He scores goals, gets assists, and has already experienced a couple of seasons in the Premier League. He’s a wonderful player.
But I think it’s going to take a lot more than Cunha to make Man United better. Rasmus Hojlund struggled. In midfield, Bruno Fernandes has been outstanding, but is there anyone else in there with creativity? Harry Maguire was their best defender, but there wasn’t much help around him.
So you’ve got to say that the one signing, the two signings if they land Mbeumo, is not enough. Very good players, but they need more.
What do Manchester United need to do to challenge for a European place?
They’ve brought in Matheus Cunha already, there are rumours about Bryan Mbeumo as well, who’s a top player. I think they need to defensively be a lot better than what they have been. Ruben needs to have two, three, four windows to put his team together, but they’re a long way away at the minute. I just hope they give him time. I think they will give them time.
They’ve got good people, you know, Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox, who I know really well from their time at Man City, they’re really good people, top of their job, but very patient as well. They know it takes time to build a squad, to build a culture with what Ruben’s trying to do. He’s not really been given the opportunity to do that yet. Last season they were really poor.
It was awful for them as well. So you would think they can only get better. But I still think that they’re a long way away. They definitely need another three, four, if not five to have any chance of pushing into the top six or seven.
Would you try and keep Marcus Rashford if you were Aston Villa?
I think Villa’s problem is going to be with the PSR rules, isn’t it? Marcus is obviously on a lot of money at Manchester United, which is well documented. I think if Villa could afford to keep him, they probably would because he looked to be getting back to his best form before the injury.
We all know the player he can be, but I think financially it could be really difficult for Aston Villa to do a deal like that when they want to strengthen elsewhere as well. They have to deal with PSR and they need to strengthen for another season in Europe.
It’s slightly crazy that even with a year in the Champions League, they still can’t go out and sign the players that they want. They’re possibly going to have to sell players before they can bring in others. With Marcus, they’re probably going to have to prioritise different positions purely for financial reasons.
What do you make of Fernandes staying at United?
Yeah, it’s a huge boost. And I think fair play to him. It would have been very easy, looking at the reported figures. The money the Saudis were looking to offer him was incredible. Lots of players have been happy to go there and take the money.
But Bruno obviously feels very settled in Manchester. He lives locally actually. So you see him around, with his wife and family. Clearly, he loves the area and clearly loves the club and I think it’s a fantastic statement. He is setting the standards for everybody else at Manchester United – he’s staying loyal and wants to stay. He’s been the best player by a country mile since he came to the club.
Are you surprised by Craig Bellamy’s success with Wales?
Not surprised at all. Anybody who knows Craig will tell you that on the pitch and even the training ground sometimes, he was just nasty. He was horrible. He was evil. But it was only because he set his standards so high and he expected everybody to be up to those standards. And if you didn’t meet Craig’s standards, he soon told you about it in no uncertain terms.
But I loved that about him, I really did. He was a top player, top mentality. And as I say, the standout thing about Craig was his standards, having pride in everything he did. And I’ve seen that already in these Wales teams, you know, there will be no slacking off, trust me. But as much as I’ve made him sound like a horrible character, he’s a lovely bloke.
And you know what? If you’re on his side, you’ll have a great chance of being successful. You can see that already with his Wales team. I’ve seen Craig when he was Vincent company’s assistant at Burnley, and he was always going to be a manager in his own right. I’m delighted that he’s doing that because he’s very passionate about his country. He’s very passionate about Wales. And to see him having the start he’s had, I’m buzzing for him.
Is Liam Delap an upgrade on Nicolas Jackson?
One thing I’ll tell you about Liam Delap is he’s going to be a top player. I’ve seen a lot of them coming through the ranks at Man City, the EDS and the academy teams, then being involved in the first team squad.
He’s a bit of a throwback, a number nine. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s quick. Looks to get lots of shots off, can finish left foot and right foot, and in the air.
People talk about his age, but he said he’s had a really successful season for his first full season in the top flight, in a team that got relegated in the Premier League. The creative players at Chelsea, when they get in and around him, they’re going to create chances for him. I think it’s a really good signing.
His mentality is fantastic. He won’t be overawed by going to a club like Chelsea, who want to challenge for things. I think he’ll thrive in it and I think he’ll make Chelsea better next season. I really do.
Paul on Crystal Palace
Is Eberechi Eze someone you expect to see in demand this summer, and is he ready to play for a Champions League-level club?
Eze is definitely ready to play Champions League football. I think he’s a wonderful player. When I’ve seen him play over the last couple of years, he’s really impressed me. He’s a game-changer. Two great feet, quick, fantastic ability and very creative as well. And I think the teams looking to do well in the Champions League, I think he could go to any one of the teams that are in Europe next season and do really well.
I think a lot might depend as well on whether the situation regarding Crystal Palace and European football is resolved. The ownership issues need to be cleared up, and if they don’t compete in Europe, it’s going to be really tough to hold onto Eze.
Even with European football they might find it tough to convince him to stay, because he’s an outstanding young talent.
It’s a shame, because Palace deserve to be in Europe. I was there when City lost to them, and obviously I was disappointed, but at the same time I was delighted for Palace. The fans were unbelievable, I’ve never heard a set of fans like that at Wembley. It was a wonderful achievement and it would be a travesty for them to miss out.
Does Palace winning the FA Cup and having Europa league football help convince the likes of Eze and Guehi to stick around for one more season.
I think Marc Guehi will be looking at his options, maybe a few other players as well. You know, Jean-Philippe Mateta, if they’re not going to be in Europe. I think unfortunately it could be really difficult for Crystal Palace to keep hold of them, because of the season that they’ve just had.
There’ll be a lot of interest in them. But I’m just hoping for Crystal Palace, the club, the fans, they’ll be involved in it, that they can come to Europe next season. It’s still a little bit unclear with the owner also also running Lyon in France.
Paul’s Thoughts on Blackburn Rovers
What’re your best memories of playing at Rovers?
I had a wonderful time there. It was just the relegation clause in my contract at Leicester that said I could leave cheaply if we went down and I’d scored a certain amount of goals.
Graeme Souness was the manager who signed me, and he was a hero of mine. And then very quickly into my Blackburn career he went to Newcastle, and Mark Hughes came in, and we had two wonderful seasons there.
When Mark came in, we were struggling in the relegation zone. We finished that season in an FA cup semi-final and qualified for Europe. European football the following season, so it was a great time. I probably would have stayed. It was just a lure of going back to Manchester City at the end of my contract that I couldn’t resist.
But yeah, great times. Played with some wonderful players as well. And you know, Mark made us into a really tough, hard-working hard-to-beat team when he was there.
What did Mark Hughes do that made that period for the club so successful?
Mark really got the squad to click together. We were probably at that time the most horrible team to play against. You know, when you think with the likes of Lucas Neill, myself, Robbie Savage (laughs).
Then watch the following season, because it must have been the smallest, nastiest front two ever, with me and Craig Bellamy up front together. We didn’t give the centre halves or referees any rest!
But with some quality, real quality in there as well. And you think of Morten Gamst Pedersen and Tugay, who was one of the best players I played with. We had Steven Reid, and Brad Friedel in goal. David Bentley came in, Brett Emmerton and we had an unbelievable team spirit.
But God, did we work so hard for each other. You know, probably the fittest I’ve been, the fittest team I played in as well. And I think that showed in the pitch, and it showed the success that we had as well.
