Donald Trump’s antics summed up all the bad things about the Club World Cup, Jadon Sancho would suit David Moyes’ style at Everton, I love the idea of Christian Eriksen at Rangers, I was a Spurs fan going to White Hart Lane as Chelsea’s Player of the Year, you can start comparing Cole Palmer to Zinedine Zidane again
Chelsea legend Pat Nevin has labelled Donald Trump’s appearance and the overall antics at the Club World Cup final ‘ridiculous and embarrassing’, in an interview with Compare.bet.
Ex-Everton star Nevin has also tipped Jadon Sancho to suit David Moyes’ team, and described how Christian Eriksen would thrive with a move to Rangers.
Nevin also revealed he was attending Spurs games as a fan at White Hart Lane… while being Chelsea’s Player of the Year and explained why you can start comparing Cole Palmer to Zinedine Zidane.
For the full transcript, see below.
Donald Trump’s antics summed up all the bad things about the Club World Cup
“Donald Trump’s antics summed up all the bad things about that competition. It summed them all up. Lots of things are wrong with it. Ridiculousness. Don’t start me because there’s so many. The Americanisation of it.
“You’re not allowed to have more than 15 minutes of break… unless you’re FIFA. This is bad for players. You stiffen up. It’s very dangerous actually. Never laugh at injuries.
“The time of the year, that amount of games, the stupidity of the Americanisation drove me nuts. Gianni Infantino getting involved in everything as if he’s a god drives me nuts. And you can’t surely put Donald Trump in there, my God.
“It was just embarrassing. However, I suspect if you ask large numbers of a generation, a much younger generation, they probably loved all the razz-ma-tazz. There are members of a younger generation who aren’t pure football fans, they are there for the celebrity thing. And they’re all over the world. They’ll buy into that. I think they will.
“So it doesn’t matter whether I like it or not. It’s not important. The game’s being Americanized. And to me, we all knew that the game had been bought by Saudi Arabia or America and being used in this global way. Well, that looked like the sale going through. That looked like ‘Here’s the sale and here’s the receipt and that’s it’.
“It’s kind of saddening for some of us, but hey, it just may be the way it’s going.
“They’re aiming at people who have a vague interest in football and it’s about the celebrity of football. And if you look at the numbers where they’re getting them from, they will be from Southeast Asia, they’ll be masses from America. They don’t think of people, they think of units. I know how it works.”
“I’ve studied them at degree level etc. I know what they’re doing and I get it, I did marketing. I’ve done all that stuff. So I can see what it is. And from a marketing point of view and from a business point of view, it might work. I don’t like it, but what’s it got to do with me?”
I am most excited by Estevao out of all of Chelsea’s signings
“I am always hopeful that you get the unexpected win in the transfer market and it will be Estevao.
“There’s been many great Brazilians who have come over and it’s looked great and then it’s not quite happened. And then Chelsea have been lucky, the likes of Willian, that they’ve had. There have been a few.
“Estevao is very young. He looks ready. He scored against Chelsea, it wasn’t a bad goal either. If he can come in, he can be another 10. He comes from wide areas, but he can take some of the load off Cole Palmer in time.
“It may well be that he’s a classic Chelsea. We’re buying him now, but you’ll know in three years whether A, he is world class, or B, we’ve sold him and we’ve made a big profit. Either way, both work.
“I just want to be excited. I want somebody to make me go ‘Wow, did you see that?’ There’s a wee chance that he could be a ‘Wow, did you see that player?’ So he’s the one I’m looking forward to.”
Noni Madueke moving from Chelsea to Arsenal is a sideways move – but it is great for him
“It’s a sideways move for Noni Madueke, it’s not a step up, it’s not a step down, it’s a sort of sideways move, which is fine, it’s great.
“I don’t like using too many Americanisms, but that’s the Chelsea method and you have to understand it. So if you go and watch the way it works in the American game, American football or baseball, that’s just the deal. They do it and they try to make it work. They’re much more comfortable than we are.
“We’re beholden to it and heartbroken when our favourite players go. It’s kind of not like that really. And I don’t think Americans see it that way. I don’t think Chelsea see Noni Madueke as an average player or a poor player. He’s an England international. He’s a young player who’s getting better all the time. I think it’s a great move for him.
“From Chelsea’s point of view, they’ll get a load of money, right? That’s great. So they’ll make a profit. Great, that’s what they like doing. They’ve got other players, they’ve got Jamie Gittens, they’ve got Pedro Neto. They’re okay, they’re fine, they’re all right. So it’s not a panic for Chelsea.
“Arsenal, they need something else. Bukayo Saka, one side, fabulous. Are you dangerous down the other side with Gabriel Martinelli etc? I’m not saying Martinelli’s not a great player, he’s a good player, but he’s not Saka.
“So what you’d like is the same danger coming down the left as you’ve got coming down the right, if you’re Arsenal. And because Martin Odegaard fades to the right a lot of the time and works with Saka, you need to have a bit more on the left. You need to have balance, you need to stretch the opposition a little bit. And you need to get the ball into the centre forward, if they ever get a centre forward.
“Madueke is perfectly comfortable left or right. I remember when I played wide, I couldn’t care less. Left or right, no difference whatsoever, none at all. I always find it quite surprising when players say, ‘I’m on the right only’. What? You’re a footballer, do both or even 10.
“Madueke is going to do well for Arsenal. I think it’s a good decision if you get him. You get Kai Havertz back and if you do get Viktor Gyokeres or whoever they get as a centre forward, they’re looking good. Arsenal are looking good and I think Madueke could be a big part of it.”
Chelsea fans should not boo Madueke when he returns to Stamford Bridge
“It could be worse, Noni Madueke could sign for Spurs. That’s a Chelsea fan’s point of view.
“Personally, Chelsea fans, although it’s Arsenal and they are big rivals, Chelsea fans aren’t stupid. The fans that go to all the games that are die-hard in the world of blue, they know when a player has been pushing to get out, that’s not Noni Madueke. Absolutely not. So if a player does that, they’ll dislike him for that.
“Any Chelsea fan who, as long as he doesn’t say anything negative about the club if and when he does go, it’s not the way Chelsea fans behave to boo them. Absolutely not. So I would not expect any negativity from Chelsea fans. One or two might do it. That’s just wrong.”
Chelsea do not need Rodrygo – but they might sign him anyway
“I always look at balance. Chelsea have spent a huge sum of money in the wide areas and you need to get settled. Then, my God, they’ve bought another one. But that’s the way, that’s just the way they do it.
“Many years ago under the Roman Abramovich era they kept on changing the manager. It used to drive me mad. I was thinking you need to get a settled manager. You need to make sure that you can build… oh you’ve won another league! Keep this manager and do it. Oh you’ve won something. You’ve changed them again. And you’ve won another.
“There’s more than one way to do it. And I think Chelsea’s a bit like that. So they might get Rodrygo. They don’t need him. But they might get him.
“He would do a job elsewhere, absolutely the case. But always remember the Premier League’s different, it’s harder, it’s more physical, it’s got different levels of demands and types of demands. No, better or worse, just different.
“Rodrygo is a very, very good player, but they want a lot of money for him. Top English clubs want to get people that have done it in England. It really helps if you’ve done it in England because it takes away some of that uncertainty.
“Rodrygo is a good player but is Chelsea going to need him? No.”
I was a Spurs fan going to White Hart Lane as Chelsea’s Player of the Year
“Spurs tried to buy me from Chelsea and it was close.
“Also, I used to go and stand on The Shelf Side while I was a Chelsea player. I didn’t know Spurs and Chelsea hated each other.
“So, as Chelsea Player of the Year, every Wednesday night I went and stood on The Shelf and watched Ossie Ardiles and Glenn Hoddle because I liked them.
“There’s no antagonism towards Spurs for me. Never has been.”
Dominic Calvert-Lewin wouldn’t score huge numbers of goals for Man Utd
“Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the air, he’s probably the best in the Premier League, which is a big call. He’s the best, the best leap, best player. Have a look at the numbers though – not absolutely top drawer because of his injuries.
“Last season he worked hard to get back from it, but you’re still taking a risk with Dominic. Yes, he’ll do a decent job and I think it helps a team like Manchester United because in a 3-4-2-1 he doesn’t need to be scoring 30 goals. He’s creating the space for the two behind him. So it kind of could work there. And it’s good players he’s got behind him there as well. Matheus Cunha’s a very, very good player.
“So I can see why they would be expecting it and wanting it. United, like most teams, want to see a forward that’s iconic and scores huge numbers of goals. You don’t really get those numbers off Dom all the time, but he might get more chances off Manchester United. But then again, he might not, after what United have been through.
“I hope it works for Dominic because of my love of Everton, and I do have a dear, deep love of Everton, what they’ve gone through, and he was there for a long time, and many would have actually left earlier, and he stuck around for tough times. He got us out of holes now and again.
“Are Everton supporters devastated and think the club’s finished because Dom’s going? No. They’re not. They think it’s okay. Moysey’s there. You need to bring more people in. You need to bring people in that reflect Moysey’s attitude. Moysey would get something out of Dominic, but I think he’s looking elsewhere.
“Man Utd? Maybe, maybe not. It’s a big call, it’s a tough call, but it’s not an absolute certainty he’s going to be Manchester United’s saviour.”
There is concern over Everton’s stadium move – but the new ground is unbelievable
“Well it breaks my heart to say that they needed to move stadium but they did and I was there on the pitch that last day and it was really really moving because I love the place, I deeply deeply love Goodison Park. But if you’re going to be able to compete you need a big stadium so it had to be done.
“Arsenal took an eternity to grow into that new stadium. It was a long time, it was dead for a long time.
“I didn’t think it took Spurs as long to settle in. Sometimes when it’s rocking in Spurs, the stadium now is off the scale. It’s just amazing. Arsenal’s better now too since they got the new song, that’s helped them a bit.
“But moving stadiums can have a negative effect. I still don’t think West Ham’s is right. Not much good, full stop. Just doesn’t really do that well. They are absolutely passionate fans, but you can be as passionate as you like, if it’s not a football stadium, and that isn’t a football stadium, you just can’t keep the atmosphere in. So it is a concern for Everton.
“However, I’ve been down there to the new stadium. It’s going to be fine. It’s amazing. It’s unbelievable. You can put half the people in that stadium. It can be half empty and it’ll sound brilliant.
“The only problem is not winning games and that’s got nothing to do with the stadium. They’ve got a stadium. It’s going to be full or close to full a lot of the time. It’s all about the expectations. So it was about survival up until now, but Moysey’s got his claws into it.
“They had an amazing period after Moysey came back. They’re just amazing. You have a look at where they should have landed. Had they had Moysey from the start of the season, what a season that would have been.
“They’re going to have big changes now because Moysey will change a lot and bring a lot of players in. We know a lot have gone, so it’s going to be a new Everton, a new stadium. And if I wanted somebody to do it for me at Everton Football Club it would be David Moyes.
“I think it’s going to be all right. I think it’s going to be fine.”
Everton signing John Stones could mean selling Jarrad Branthwaite
“I think most Everton fans would take John Stones back in a heartbeat. I think that’s what you would say right away. Remember he can play everywhere. He can play centre back, right back. Centre midfield, probably that deep line midfield is probably going to be the position for him going forward. Looks like that to me.
“He’s perfectly comfortable in there because he’s got the defensive mind but he’s comfortable on the ball. So he’s got everything you need in a good player.
“In the background is Jarrad Branthwaite. If Stones gets brought in, he may be seen as a make-way for Branthwaite.
“Branthwaite is fantastic. I think he’s the future. He’s going to be amazing. I looked at Dean Huijsen and Branthwaite the same. That’s a big thing to see when considering where Huijsen has now gone to (Real Madrid).
“So that would be the worry. Excited about Stones, but do we lose Branthwaite? Because financially Stones will cost a lot, his wages will be a lot, all that sort of stuff. So it’s a concern, but that’s the job that David Moyes has to do and David and his team have to do. They need to work that out. And it may well be that you lose one or two.”
Jadon Sancho would suit David Moyes’ style at Everton – Marcus Rashford I’m not sure
“Oddly, the one that looks right to me for David Moyes would probably be Jadon Sancho (out of Sancho, Antony, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho). He would be the one that looks best style-wise. I’m not saying he’s the best player.
“He did OK at Chelsea. Just OK. If he did OK at Chelsea, that might be good enough for Everton.
“Marcus Rashford is a tough one. Anthony and Garnacho, you shrug your shoulders. They’re better suited both to the continent. But Marcus is tough. Because we all know if you get the best Marcus Rashford, you’ve got somebody who’s absolutely top drawer.
“There’s a lot of work being done by the word ‘but’ in that sentence. A lot of work. And this is the concern, because if it doesn’t go right for whatever the reasons, and we don’t all know what the reasons are, why he’s not been producing it for quite some time. Did OK for a wee while at Villa. They may have taken him had the finances worked out well.
“But someone like Everton, if it was a pay-as-you-play thing, yeah you would take him in a heartbeat, but he’s nobody’s saying that, no chance. So I think that’s a gigantic risk for everyone at the football club, I really do, even though I think he’s a brilliant player.”
Sunderland’s Chris Rigg is the type of player Everton need
“Most of the time when an 18-year-old has broken through you think, ‘Right, stick with your team and enjoy it, learn your trade, all that sort of stuff’. Now and again, there’s a certain type of manager that if you move to him, you’re going to be okay. Everton actually sounds alright to me. Here is David Moyes, he’ll work OK with you. If you work with him, he’ll make you a better player. But the other thing is they don’t look to me like a team that’s finished yet.
“So if you’re walking into a team and think that you’re only going to get 10 games this year and five of them are going to be from the bench, then don’t go. Stay with Sunderland or sign for Everton and go back on loan.
“But I just get a feeling that for Everton he’s the type of player Everton need. They need to build that way for too long and for a long time. We’ve been building, buying players that in the end, there’s no resale value and Everton need that.
“So unless they produce their own, they get players in and then they’re worn out and then they go. It’s no good. That doesn’t work. That has been shown not to work forever with the financial situation they’ve been in. You need to be cleverer than that.
“The clever thing is to be good at finding some young players that might do it for you and are styled correctly for you. So from both sides actually it may not be a bad thing, but I understand that would upset Sunderland fans.”
Everton is the perfect fit for Evan Ferguson
“All the bits are there. Everything’s there. So just put them all together now and a little bit of maturity, a little bit of certain bits of the game.
“I think Evan Ferguson is lacking one thing at the moment. He’s got to get lucky. You’ve got to get lucky with the right team, the right manager behind you.
“There’s plenty of guys out there, and I think he absolutely is one of them, where it’s put you in the right team with the right setup, with the right manager, and you’ll explode. You’ll be brilliant. And he’s one of them.
“If you put him in the wrong team, and it could be a perfectly good team, be a perfectly good manager, that maybe just isn’t great enough with chances, all that sort of stuff, or you’re not quite suited to the players around you – it just doesn’t work.
“You need somebody who works off your strengths as well. And that’s not really been happening to Evan, but it’s all there.
I’ll admit at the moment I’m quite obsessed with Everton doing well, but they would be perfect for Evan. I really do think it would be perfect because of the manager, the way he plays, the type of players they have managed to get in.
“There’s a bit of creativity now whereas there were limitations in creativity before. There’s a bit of creativity so I think his eyes might light up at that one. But again, it’s about the finances.”
Everton would take James McAtee – his situation is like Cole Palmer
“One of these people who’s got his choice. James McAtee can choose whatever he wants really.
“He was getting some games at Man City, but he’s not going to get games every week for City, and that’s just City. It happened with Cole Palmer.
“You can be brilliant but you need to be able to show it, and you learn so much more when you’re playing every week.
“We’ll take him at Everton, but that’s just pure bias! I think he’s got lots of choices. I think James has got lots of places in Europe he can go and lots of places in the Premier League he can go as well. I don’t think he’ll struggle.”
It’s unfair but Russell Martin has to win the league at Rangers
“Rangers have got to be winning the league. It is so unfair. Celtic have got so many advantages. They’ve been in the Champions League for so long. They’ve got so much more money behind them. They have got that base with the good managers that they’ve had with Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou before it. They have got so many more advantages.
“Rangers, they’re a big club. They’re obviously financially better off than any other club in Scotland apart from Celtic. But you’re asking so much. They’ve come back from a long way down, we all know that. But for Russell, in my eyes, if you challenge for the title right up to the end, well done, you deserve another year, mate. Well done.
“Whether the Rangers fans will put up with that, I don’t know. But in my eyes that should be good enough to let them build for a couple of years. That’s what I think. But that’s just not what it’s like up here, I’m afraid. It’s just not what it is.
“There has been an astonishing amount of change at Rangers. Not just the manager, but the moves out. Rangers fans’ heads must have been spinning. Really, Leon Balogun and Tom Lawrence, Ianis Hagi and Vaclav Cerny all going. These are players that were playing all the time – gone.
“But they brought a whole bunch of players in as well. Lyall Cameron’s come in as well, which is a very interesting one actually. Down south you go, really? Is he that all? Up here that can make a difference. That can make a big difference. So, it’s interesting.”
Rangers fans could get very angry, very quickly at Russell Martin’s style
“Am I thinking Rangers are going to win the title? No, not yet. Because Celtic have got so many advantages over Rangers at the moment.
“But Russell, what will be intriguing and the thing I’m most interested in is the style.
“Russell’s played a certain style which is lovely as long as you’re winning. And then you’re not winning, fans get very, very, very angry about it. And Rangers fans will get angry very quickly if it’s not winning.
“They’ll get really angry with that system because it looks dull and it looks predictable. But it’s very considered. We all know what it is. We’ve watched it. It didn’t work in the Premier League but it did work before.
“But the expectation at Rangers is you don’t keep on doing the process when you’re 2-0 down to Falkirk.”
I love the idea of Christian Eriksen at Rangers
“I love Christian Eriksen, particularly as a 10 now, not as a midfielder. As a 10, let him do that. He’s still fantastic. You watch him playing from Denmark – brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
“I know he’s older now, but ask him to be a running up and down midfielder? Not sure that’s going to work at the top level as much anymore. He can do it but not to the level of the top players or anywhere near it.
“Christian would be great at Rangers, but remember you need legs. Celtic for years, particularly under Ange Postecoglou, you better be fit to keep up with this. And Brendan Rodgers’ kept a bit of that in his time there.
“So maybe one – at a push two (older signings like Eriksen), but no more than that.
“Scotland’s done that for years. We’d go way back to Ian Wright at Celtic. They’ve done it and you might get a year or two out of them. That’s brilliant. But don’t load your team, it doesn’t work. And remember, there’s no resale value and that’s important in Scotland. That’s absolutely gigantic in Scotland.”
I don’t see Kieran Tierney and Andy Robertson playing together at Celtic
“You could play Kieran Tierney at left centre-back and it’d be absolutely fine. You’re not getting the best out of him. Left centre-back of a three is better, but Celtic don’t play with a three and won’t and have no need to play with a three. There’s no point in having to do it.
“Kieran’s been played at right back and he’s alright, but he’s not anywhere near as good as a left back. And certainly Andy Robertson’s a left back or left wing back. So that’s it.
“You’ve got a problem that Scotland had for quite some time, which was you had to fit them both in. Now Scotland were lucky, because they ended up with a 3-5-2 or a 3-4-2-1 and you fitted them both in. I can’t see it working for Celtic.
“So I would be surprised (if Robertson came to Celtic), although I’d be delighted to see Andy back up the road in Scotland.
“I’m happy to see Kieran. I think Kieran’s a fabulous footballer.
“But I think there’s other areas that we probably need to look at now. So that’s what they’ll be looking at.”
Benjamin Nygren, Luke McCowan and Hyun-jun Yang could fill in for Jota
“They have got two possibilities (when it comes to replacing Jota). Remember they’ve brought Benjamin Nygren from Holland. Now, two million is quite a lot, right? And for lots of people going, ‘Yeah sure that’ll be a backup player’ – not for Celtic.
“That’s a player they’ll expect to come in and play and play well.
“They can move it about – young Luke McCowan, a good player who can move it and not necessarily a right attacking player but a wide attacking player and a midfielder. He can do it to some degree.
“If it’s not Nygren, Hyun-jun Yang, who’s been playing for a year or so, and he’s got what you need up there. He’s definitely got it. He’s got the technical ability to do it. He’s got the ability.
“Not to say they’re better than Jota, because Jota’s got something pretty special. He’s got that fabulous cocky arrogance and he is a special player.
“But enough to see them be top of the Scottish league? Yeah, there is. What they will miss with the likes of Jota is in the Champions League games.
“Celtic had a great run last season. I was at both of the Bayern Munich games and it was so close. It was so stunning for Celtic to get that. And you just thought, well, this is a great step forward.
“And then you lose a couple of your best players, but that’s Scottish football. And that’s what Brendan Rodgers has to deal with.”
Brendan Rodgers should never come back to Scotland if he leaves Celtic now
“If Brendan walks now, before the end of his contract, don’t ever bother coming back to Scotland, you won’t be welcome here.
“But if he waited until the end of his contract, well, contract’s a contract. That’s fine, that’s okay.”
Celtic fans would throw out the red carpet if Ange Postecoglou came back
“Celtic would throw the red carpet down to let Ange come back. My team is Hibs but I’d still want Ange back up, because I loved what he did. Whether he could do it again, who knows?
“I think Ange is a wee bit too far ahead of the curve for some parts of England – which is kind of unusual because people are going, ‘What are you doing that for? You’re too attack-minded, you’re playing nine men, you’re still dead’. All that stuff.
“You know what Ange’s thing is? When you’re left to do the thing he wants to do with enough players to do it, it’s attack. And when he was at his best at Spurs, it was fabulous. It was great to watch. It was just amazing. The buzz around the place.
“I remember one game against Man Utd down there and it was absolutely great to be there. And as a Spurs fan, you’re thinking, that’s us, that is who we are. We want to be entertained, we demand it.
“We quite like winning a trophy now and again, but we want to be in it. We demand good football. And not all teams are like that. They all say they are, but they’re not. But Spurs are.
“Look at PSG. Just look at PSG. It’s really close (to Ange’s style). It’s really, really close. Now, Ange didn’t have the players, although he did win a European trophy, which is amazing.
“But if you give him enough players and enough back-up – because it hurts players and it destroys players and it injures players – it just happens. But not if you’ve got 22 and they’re all good back-ups for each other.
“So I’d have him back in a heartbeat in Scottish football because I think he’s pretty cutting edge. Which surprises a lot of people when I say that.”
Celtic fans would accept Damien Duff as manager
“It would work for Damien Duff. Celtic fans would accept him. He played for the Republic of Ireland – a big link there with a lot of the Celtic fans as well.
“Would they like a big name sometimes? They most probably would – Ange Postecoglou or someone? But when you give somebody a good chance at that level, they’ve done their years of coaching elsewhere, they’ve done the hard yards.
“And also you give them a good job, which is right. Here’s quite a lot of money in comparison to everybody else in your league. Here’s a good team as well. It must be a temptation.
But it won’t come down to the heart, it’ll come down to the head with Celtic. They’ll look around the world and they’ll probably have quite a few more names. Because remember, Ange wasn’t in the top 10 in the betting when they brought him in.”
Billy Gilmour could play for Man City – but he should stay at Napoli
“Billy was playing for Chelsea when he was 18, playing against Liverpool and looking like the best player on the field. Then he doesn’t get his chance.
“He moves to Norwich, a team that wasn’t suited to him. Then he goes to Brighton, finally a place that suits him, and they loved him and he was doing really, really well. But he didn’t suit the way they were buying and selling so they moved him again.
“Honestly I do think if you stuck him in the centre of Manchester City’s midfield he’d be fine. He’s good enough. He can do that technically with his quality.
“But why would you move back from Napoli? It is heaven over there for a player. If you’re winning the scudetto, if you’re getting lauded the way he and Scott McTominay are, I would be staggered (if he left).
“I think he’d look towards Spain if he were to move. I think that would suit Billy down to the ground. And I think he’d love them there.
“People that don’t watch Napoli or Scotland sometimes roll their eyes and think it’s just a Scottish guy. He plays against some of the best players in the world and he outshines them quite regularly.
“The downside is he’s not going to score you any goals and he’s not massively creative either. But he controls games. That control in games is massively important for certain types of teams.
“So Billy could do it in the Premier League, but why bother?”
