In an exclusive interview with BoyleSports , former Chelsea and Ireland midfielder Andy Townsend speaks about Arsenal’s striker issues and if Brendan Rodgers could return to Stamford Bridge.
Townsend also argues that Celtic would make an impact in the Premier League and discusses if Ronaldo could get involved with Wrexham or elsewhere in the EFL after his Saudi stint.
Arteta’s Arsenal Underachieving?
It’s fair to consider if Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are the best team not to win the Premier League, they have been consistent and healthy but not got over the line.
People turn around and say that they have bottled it and that's a very easy accusation, I don’t see it like that, they have been very competitive against the best teams.
Striker Issues
What they are missing is clear, you can’t play to a nine or ten out of ten every week and that’s why you need a forward like Erling Haaland or Mohamed Salah who will get you over the line when the team plays to a six or a seven.
The best example is Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid in the Champions League, the team might be ineffective, but he’d score, Karim Benzema did the same after him.
Look at the very best Manchester United teams, they were by no means brilliant every week but had Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Teddy Sheringham, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ruud van Nistelrooy, the list goes on. They got paid the big bucks to make the difference.
Arsenal don't possess that. Kai Havertz is a fine player; he's a good player and works incredibly hard for the team. He ticks all those boxes but the one box he doesn't tick is that match-winning ability when your team needs you the most.
Gyokeres Missing Piece
Arsenal go and acquire that and whether that's Viktor Gyokeres or someone else, they need to find that player and integrate him. It’s not always about beating Liverpool and Manchester City home and away, it’s about not dropping points to the sides you are expected to beat.
Could Brendan Rodgers leave Celtic?
Brendan Rodgers is more than capable of getting Premier League jobs given what he did at Liverpool and Leicester and then had even more success at Celtic. He might even fancy a stint abroad, but this time he won’t leave Celtic for a Leicester, I think he took it loud and clear when he first left the club, and he got a lot of stick.
I don't see him walking out of where he is. They did really well in the Champions League, and I was really impressed with the way they went about it and the way they played.
Chelsea Return for Brendan Rodgers?
I think he would like to build on that naturally for next season. But say the Chelsea job becomes available; he’d be tempted, and you understand. It would’ve been the same if Eddie Howe had taken the England job.
But if Andoni Iraola leaves Bournemouth, I don’t think he’d go for that role, as good as Bournemouth are. I think the Champions League improvement was significant and the test is to build on that.”
Old Firm Derby in the Premier League?
There’s no question that Celtic and Rangers would find things difficult in the Premier League, but it would be an unbelievable spectacle, there are no two ways about it.
It might never happen, but I think they would end up being competitive in the Premier League thanks to their grounds, their fanbases and how they would be able to attract players.
I think as things stand they would survive in the Premier League without pulling up any trees but after a few years make a real impact and improve. It’s been spoken about so many times and is still hypothetical, we’d all love to see but it will probably never happen.”
Ronaldo Could Buy Wrexham
Cristiano Ronaldo could probably buy Wrexham and have Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as his drivers if he wanted to. But what an incredible story.
They've given so much hope to people coming into football that potentially could buy clubs and could get involved in our game to show you what can happen.
If you’re prepared to put time and money in you can create an incredible story, but I can't see any involvement for Ronaldo.”
Ronaldo in the EFL
I would not be surprised to see Cristiano Ronaldo buy a club when he finishes playing. We have seen him invest in hotels and other things and he has plenty of interest in business.
I could see him buying a football club, maybe in the Football League, because he loves the game and I think he’d back himself to run a club, I could really see that.”
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