The Betway ambassador gives his thoughts on the new Ireland boss, the candidates to be England’s next manager and where the top Premier League sides need to strengthen this summer.
Troy Parrott deserves key role under new Ireland boss
The announcement of Heimir Hallgrimsson as the new Ireland manager is a really good appointment, and I’m not surprised he’s got the job given his experience in international football with Iceland.
I’m interested to see what style he will bring to the Ireland team. He’ll need to adapt to the players he has available, but at this stage it’s all about qualifying for tournaments. That’s what Irish fans are crying out for.
I hope that striker Troy Parrott is given a key role under the new manager. He’s still only 22, and he made a brave choice to go and play in Holland. I like when players step out of their comfort zone by moving to a new country. It’s something I did in my career. You learn a lot about yourself, and about new styles of play under different managers.
Troy did well at Excelsior, scored some goals, and now he’s got a good move to AZ Alkmaar. I’d like to see him given a bigger role for the national team now.
The England game in September is going to be huge for Ireland. Of course, we’re going to be the underdogs. We don’t know who the England manager will be, but the players will want to impress whoever comes in, so it will be a difficult game. It’s a derby, though, so the Irish lads will be well up for it.
The focus for Ireland in the Nations League should just be to try and finish as high as possible, to get some momentum going and bring some good feeling back to international football. Hallgrimsson has dived straight into it, gone to a lot of games and already might have got the crowd behind him.
Strong contenders to be next England manager
I wasn’t surprised to see Gareth Southgate leave England. I always believed that Euro 2024 would be his last tournament. I think he’s done a great job, reaching two finals at the Euros and a World Cup semi-final. He was unlucky to lose a final on penalties to Italy, and you would have to say he’s done a very good job.
I do think England should have won a tournament under Southgate. They had a great opportunity against Italy, and I thought they were the better team at that time, and they let that one slip. Spain were the better team at Euro 2024 and they deserved to win that final.
There are a lot of names being thrown out for the next England manager, including Lee Carsley, who I played with and know very well. We speak on a regular basis. He’s a very good coach, he knows the young English players coming through and the ones who have broken into the first team, and he likes to play good football.
I know Eddie Howe a little bit from playing against him and speaking to him occasionally, and he’s done a tremendous job at Bournemouth and Newcastle.
If England want to go down the foreign route, Mauricio Pochettino is very good with young players, the players all love him and he’s very likeable with the media. I know Mauricio very well, and he’s a great guy. If you look at what he did at Tottenham, he gave the youngsters a chance at the very start and did an unbelievable job with them.
Ideally you would want an international manager to come from the same country as the team, but it depends on who is available and it’s ultimately about getting the right guy for the job. I don’t think England have to appoint an English manager from the Premier League – as long as the new manager has success, nobody will care where he’s from.
Arsenal can push Man City for the title
It’s now time to look ahead to the Premier League season, and it’s hard to go away from Manchester City as the favourites. I think Arsenal will be the team to push them, but to win the league they need a striker who will score 20 league goals. They just fell short last season and it was clear to me where they needed to strengthen in order to take the next step.
Behind Man City and Arsenal, Liverpool have a new manager coming in and it might take him a while to settle into the Premier League and figure out his best team. To follow Jurgen Klopp is going to be very difficult, but I do like how Arne Slot comes across and it seems the players like being around him.
Liverpool could also do with another striker as they often rotate their attacking players. Diogo Jota often plays up-front but isn’t really a No. 9, while Darwin Nunez is more in that mould but has also played on the left. Nunez has all the ability needed to play there, the question is whether this will be his season.
I could also see them strengthening in midfield and defence, but they aren’t too far off. Trent Alexander-Arnold has been linked with a move to Real Madrid, though, and he would be a big loss as he’s technically outstanding. You can see him there, with the way he plays, and it’s difficult to say no to Real Madrid wen they come calling. He’s a Liverpool lad, though, so I’m not sure whether he would decide to move if it came to that.
Neto and Eze are great fits for Tottenham
I’d like to see Tottenham up there with the leaders but they certainly need a few more players. I know Archie Gray very well, having coached him at Leeds, and I think he’s a great signing for Spurs. His potential is very, very high and he’s a lovely lad. Tottenham is a really good fit for him, and I think he’s got a great chance to go all the way.
He played a lot at right-back for Leeds last season, but he is definitely a midfield player so I’m interested to see where Ange Postecoglu plays him.
Tottenham have also been linked with Pedro Neto, who I would sign straight away, and Eberechi Eze, who I said they should sign four years ago. I think he’s a real Tottenham player. They are both really exciting players and I think the fans would be very happy if they got both of them.
If you look around world football at the moment, you don’t see a lot of out-and-out No. 9s like Erling Haaland, or someone like Fernando Torres. I think Spurs still need a player like that. I hope Richarlison comes back fit and ready to go, but I think they need another one to keep their attacking players on their toes. Of course, it depends who is out there, and to get one they might have to start spending big money, given how the market it.
Of all the big clubs, it’s Manchester United who have made a few signings already, but I still can’t see them pushing into the top four. I think they’re a little way off at the moment.
What I’m looking for in my next job
My plan for the near future is just to take some time out. I really enjoyed winning the league and the cup at Maccabi Tel Aviv, and I’m now just waiting for the right opportunity.
I’ve had a few offers, but nothing that I’ve really fancied at this stage. It might take a little bit of time, but I’m watching a lot of games and a lot of different teams, keeping an eye on things.
I’m not currently looking at international management or a non-manager role on someone’s coaching staff. I enjoyed being a head coach for the past year, and it’s something I would want to do again as I see myself as a day-to-day coach trying to help players to improve.
I wouldn’t rule out international football in the future, but you only get a couple of days with the players and it’s very difficult to properly coach them and make them better.
I’m looking in England, but I’m quite open in terms of where I would manage. I enjoyed being abroad last season, and I’m not one of these managers who is afraid to go overseas. I learned a lot about coaching in another country and managed to win a league title, which isn’t easy, so I would be very open to managing in Europe if the right opportunity came up.
The long-term goal would eventually be to manage in England, but, again, it’s about doing what is best for me and my staff.
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