Clinton Morrison looks back at the latest transfer movements, managerial changes in the dugout, and also pays tribute to the world’s oldest professional footballer after he brought an end to a four-year goal drought.
I’ll begin this week with Vinicius Junior’s reported links with Arsenal. Bringing him to the club would be a huge statement, and I know Arsenal need to strengthen in that position after losing Leandro Trossard.
That said, I do not believe he will leave Real Madrid, and I expect him to sign a new deal. Reports have said he wants something in the region of £400,000 a week, and I do not think Arsenal will be able to meet that figure.
There is also plenty of discussion around Rodri potentially joining Real Madrid, but Manchester City must do everything possible to keep him.
I read that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez still needed to make the final call on whether to push ahead with a move, but I am surprised he has not already said Rodri is their number one target, because right now he is the best holding midfielder in the world.
He was not always at his very best for Manchester City last season after returning from injury, but Pep Guardiola said we would see the best of Rodri at the World Cup. And what happened? We saw the best player at the World Cup. Rodri was outstanding.
I know he has a back problem and needs time to recover after his operation, but I am sure Manchester City will be doing all they can to keep him and make sure he signs a new contract. There is no doubt he would be an unbelievable signing for Real Madrid, but I want the best players to stay in the Premier League, so I would love to see Rodri remain at Manchester City.
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Moving on to Chelsea, I can understand the decisions to sign both Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson. Chelsea’s approach has always been to bring in younger players, but that did not work for them last season.
There were simply too many young players who did not have the experience needed to manage the group.
That is why I think they tried to sign Granit Xhaka earlier in the transfer window, and Xabi Alonso clearly wants to add a more experienced head to the squad.
As for Welbeck, he was one of the leading scorers in the Premier League last season and would be a solid addition. They have players such as Joao Pedro, and we still do not know what will happen with Nicholas Jackson or Liam Delap, but at least one of them will probably move on.
Henderson would also bring extra leadership to that Chelsea squad, and I feel they will have a real go at the Premier League next season with no European football to worry about. We saw that with Manchester United last season.
Turning to Liverpool, there is a lot of talk that Bradley Barcola could arrive for more than €100 million. He is a good player, but that is a lot of money, and I feel he still needs to improve technically. One thing he definitely has, though, is electric pace, and he is a real threat. We saw that at the World Cup with France and again last season at Paris Saint-Germain.
Liverpool do need to sign a winger, not as a replacement for Mohamed Salah because nobody can replace Mo Salah and I do not think anyone will match his numbers. But Barcola is at a good age, he has pace, and he would be joining a massive football club with a top manager in Andoni Iraola. He would be a decent signing.
They also have defensive issues that need sorting out. I saw that Micky van de Ven has been linked with Liverpool, and that would make a lot of sense. He plays regularly alongside Virgil van Dijk for the Netherlands, and the understanding between the two is excellent. Even so, I think Tottenham Hotspur will keep him now, because Cristian Romero looks set to leave this summer.
There have also been three major appointments in international football, with Germany, France and Italy all naming new managers. Jurgen Klopp is the perfect man to take charge of Germany, who will be trying to recover after a hugely disappointing World Cup. I would have loved to see him back in club football, but that was never going to happen unless he returned to Liverpool.
As for Zinedine Zidane, he said this was the job he always wanted. He has not worked for a while and had other offers, but he waited for this one. He carries that aura when he walks into a dressing room because people respect him for the incredible career he had, and he has also proved himself to be a brilliant manager.
France still have plenty of talent available to him. I know they did not show up in the semi-final against Spain, but it remains a top nation with top players. I think both Klopp and Zidane will improve their countries massively. The Euros in two years’ time will be very interesting.
As for Roberto Mancini, he has a huge rebuilding task on his hands with Italy. I do not understand how they have gone so long without qualifying for a World Cup. They were knocked out in the play-offs before this year’s finals, and there was no excuse for that considering the players they have available. Even so, I think bringing Mancini back is a good decision, and hopefully they can start qualifying regularly for major tournaments again.
I’ll finish this week by talking about the world’s oldest professional footballer, Kazuyoshi Miura, who scored his first goal in nearly four years last weekend. To still be playing at 59 is unbelievable. At my age, I go to the gym and I am absolutely knackered afterwards. I have gone for two days and my body is in bits, I feel like I can hardly walk, and he is still playing at 59. It is a testament to staying in great shape and loving the game.
At 59, I do not even think I will be walking properly, never mind running around a football pitch for 90 minutes. I hope he keeps playing beyond the age of 60. What a career he has had, and huge congratulations to him.
