Goodman: I Expect Wolves to Be in the Top Two and Parrott Would Excel For West Ham United

Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman has given his thoughts on the promotion favourites as the new Championship season gets underway.

The former West Brom , Sunderland and Wolves striker has tipped Wolves for the top two, backed Troy Parrott to excel if he joins West Ham , and hailed Middlesbrough 's summer business.

Goodman has also urged Burnley to find some form quickly, assessed the Tolu Arokodare saga at Molineux , and explained why Southampton should shake off their points deduction to challenge again.

Sunderland Tribute

Would You Give Brian Brobbey the 'Big Bad' Honour?

I would love to have a shirt, yeah. I would love to have one. I love it. I absolutely love it. If I was to want anybody to have the honour of having a 'Big Bad' anything T-shirt, then it would be Brian Brobbey , to be honest with you. I love the way he plays. He had a great World Cup , even though the Netherlands didn't.

He was amazing last season for Sunderland . Because he is playing in this era where the game is much less physical, it is nice to see a big strong lad doing the business as a striker. Comparing him to myself, I think I was quicker than him, but he would win a strength battle. I might be able to run away from him, but let's hope that it never happens!

Burnley

Are Burnley Starting to See Trouble With Recruitment?

No, look, I think we are at a stage of the season where, particularly for Championship clubs, they have to be patient. There is lots of other business to be done, and they might be interested in lads who might have half a chance of a better move to a Premier League team or a club abroad. Players are not really committing, and certainly agents are not committing, and they play a massive role.

On paper, if nothing changed between now and the window closing, Burnley have a very capable squad, capable of being in the top echelons of the Championship . Obviously, they are on this streak where they have not won for what feels like forever. Yes, they won on penalties, but the reality is they did not beat Notts County at the weekend. They drew with them and needed penalties to beat them. That is a little bit of a concern, and that is something they need to address very quickly if they are going to get towards the top end.

All in all, they have quality players that most of the rest of the Championship would probably envy, really. When you look at it player for player in isolation, that is a very good Championship squad. But this time last year, we were saying the same thing about Leicester , Ipswich , and Southampton . Look at what happened to Leicester , for instance. Ipswich and Southampton recovered, but look at what happened to Leicester . So, they need to win a game of football and get that confidence up.

West Ham and Wolves

Would Parrott Fire West Ham Up? Is £20m Fair?

Well, the fact that they are being linked would really make you feel that at least one of their strikers may be in line to be moved on. I watched Troy struggle a little bit at Preston and Millwall when he was on loan, but there is no doubt that back then he was younger and needed more experience. He has gone to the Eredivisie and found his goalscoring touch, so he is a much better version of himself now.

I do have an issue with £20 million, but not £20 million specifically on Troy Parrott . I think Championship clubs pay crazy money for players who have not really done enough to warrant it, but I am not going to get into individual players. If that is the going rate, that is the going rate. If you put Troy Parrott in West Ham 's team, I would imagine he would score a lot of goals because they are going to be one of the best teams, if not the best team, and they are going to create a lot of chances. Any striker forced to play at Championship level would view West Ham as an attractive prospect.

Was Wolves' Statement Around Arokodare Justified?

Yeah, I would say it is difficult to talk about that because Tolu Arokodare is disputing claims. Wolves have got a player out the door that they did not want, and the player who did not want to be there has got his move, so it is a win-win all round. If the reported fee is accurate, then they have done well to get that much money for a player who did not set the world alight.

Looking at pre-season, Wolves have looked pretty good, actually. It is a slow burner with a new manager. Again, like West Ham and Burnley , player for player, if no players left and none came in at this moment in time, you would have to say Wolves would be expected to be in the top two. For me, they have got a solid squad with a lot of athleticism and dynamism, which is something that really hurts Championship opponents. I would still expect quite a bit of movement, though, as Championship teams haven't much choice but to be patient regarding transfers. They have quality players they could get decent money for, Krejci for instance, and there are probably new players the manager would like to bring in. He has got to ship some out first, so I expect a bit of movement in and out. At this stage, I see no reason why they would not be up at the top end of the Championship .

Middlesbrough & Southampton

Thoughts on Middlesbrough's Summer Business?

Middlesbrough last season were both my favourite team and my most frustrating team all at the same time because they really could not break down a low block towards the end. England had it at the World Cup . How do you break down a low block? Well, you go round it, get crosses in, and get bodies in the box. Coventry were the masters of that last season, and that is why they absolutely romped the league, because Burnley , Wolves , and West Ham are going to have to find ways of breaking down a low block. Wolves have just recruited one of the best crossers of the ball in Kieran Trippier and one of the best people at getting on the end of crosses in Raul Jimenez .

So from Middlesbrough 's perspective, it seems like a really astute piece of business with Will Lankshear , because he is a good, decent all-round striker. Again, I spoke about the price. There is a reported £20 million fee, which just seems bonkers really for somebody who was struggling at Championship level with West Bromwich Albion not that long ago. Having said all of that, transfer fees are often very inaccurate. I suffered that when I signed for Wolves , actually. There was an initial fee, and then there were add-ons, and once those are done, if Will Lankshear is an absolute roaring success and gets Middlesbrough to the Premier League , then it will be £20 million well spent. So I like him.

I like the fact that Vitik is a fantastic goalkeeper. Kyle Joseph is a good squad player who will cause damage. There are a couple of Americans who played in the World Cup that I do not really know too much about, and Myles Peart-Harris from Oxford was dynamic. So it looks like they have looked to address the attacking areas and the goalkeeping spot more than anywhere else. Again, I would expect them to be challenging. They are going to come up against the same tactics where teams are going to sit in, and they have got to find a way of breaking down low blocks. In Lankshear , they have got a big, strong lad who likes getting on the end of crosses, as well as having a lot more to his game than just that. But it is a starting point.

Would You Expect Southampton to Challenge Next Year?

Yes, absolutely. Look, it is a rather strange scenario overall, given that we do not yet know what will ultimately happen regarding Tonda Eckert . If he managed to escape a ban entirely, I would be completely flabbergasted, and I think some serious questions would inevitably be asked, to be honest with you. I am well aware they are starting the campaign on minus four points, but I fully expect that minor deficit to disappear very quickly and for them to establish themselves among the elite teams in the league once again.

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