In an exclusive interview with BOYLE Sports , the former Aston Villa and Chelsea favourite Andy Townsend speaks candidly about Oliver Glasner's touchline tantrums and if that'll impact him getting another job come the summer and whether Julian Alvarez is really worth £100m.
Former midfielder Townsend also offers his perspective on the latest Jude Bellingham related drama, whether he will make the World Cup and if he could be on the move in the summer while also debating who could be best candidate to replace Fernandes at Manchester United and Salah at Liverpool.
Oliver Glasner
Glasner’s Next Move
Has Oliver Glasner hurt his chances of a job with Tottenham or United this season? No, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having an opinion or being disappointed at the way Palace as a club are operating. The way that Manchester United operate is significantly different to the way Palace have to do business, so I don't think that goes against him, but he's got a couple of annoying traits that might cause him a problem in other ways.
When I watch Glasner on the touchline, he has this habit of turning round to the bench during a match with his arms up while the game’s going on behind him because he’s seen something he doesn’t like. It’s like he’s speaking to his coaches to say what on earth’s going on, or I told you so about this player or that player isn’t good enough.
Don’t tell the coaching staff. Turn around and tell the players that they are out there! They're the ones that need to see you. That’s who you need to eyeball. Any player who looks over and sees the coach flapping his arms will end up thinking, what's the matter with him? If the manager is pointing at you, screaming at you with a claret face and bulging eyeballs, you understand instantly what he's saying. He needs you to wake up. He wants to see a reaction from you.
Will Oliver Glasner Be In The Premier League Next Season?
It's almost like coaches like Glasner have got this pre-rehearsed routine on the sideline and in the technical areas now, but players just need a coach who will make demands of them. You can watch Pep Guardiola on a weekend. He keeps bouncing up and down because he sees something he doesn’t like. He was going bonkers with Rodri in the Liverpool match. He isn’t doing that for effect.
He’s doing it because something isn't right out there, or he’s seen something he fundamentally dislikes. He's telling that individual right there and then to get it sorted. When Glasner turns around and looks to his coaching staff with his arms out, in a huff, it’s like he is saying I’m better than this lot, and I don’t like that. You can’t get enough out of them? You’re the coach. You’re the manager. It’s a habit he needs to get rid of.
A club like Spurs or United need a manager who will demand more out of their players, and I think Michael Carick is getting that at the moment, but some of these other guys who come in haven’t been able to do it. Ruben Amorim didn't do that. He never convinced anyone with what he was doing, and part of it was his pacing up and down, crouching on the floor, staring at his feet that sort of body language isn’t going to cut it.
Julian Alvarez
What’s Next For “£100m” Alvarez?
I like Julian Alvarez, and I know he’s scored goals at Atletico Madrid , but I've never quite seen him as someone who would make the difference for Chelsea or anybody else at the top of the Premier League to really kick on and go and grab the league out of Arsenal's hands.
He’s clearly a clever footballer. He's a good finisher. He had that brilliant knack for coming on and making the difference for City . But I don't know if he's got enough to come in and play as the starting striker in the Premier League and be the difference for some of those teams trying to close the door on Arsenal . I don't quite see that. So many people are always looking for that individual. Who's going to come in and do what Harry Kane has done at Bayern Munich or what Erling Haaland does for City?
There aren't many out there, you know. Go back to my era, and we could have had an hour on the best strikers in world football, but they're just not out there now because very few players can play the way Haaland does, where he doesn't get so involved in the general play. Very few can play like that, not be involved and still get those devastating numbers that he does.
Serie A used to always have a glut of top-class strikers, but they’re not there anymore in Italy. Kylian Mbappe is spoken for, but I still question when we are going to see him at his best in a Real Madrid shirt because I don’t think he’s been anywhere near his top level for them yet, even with the numbers he’s got. He’s still probably the ultimate number nine of the modern game. I think there are very, very few out there that would tempt you to spend over £100 million, and maybe that's why there is so much talk about Julien Alvarez . He might get a gig somewhere because when you actually sit and analyse it, you've either got to go and pay over the odds for Alvarez or spend a lot of money on a gamble you hope you can develop into the real deal.
Jude Bellingham
Could Bellingham Leave?
Jude Bellingham is a £150 million plus player, but I think Premier League clubs are prepared to pay that and more now for him because he’s the sort of running No 10 they all want. Let’s be honest, there are only a few clubs that could do a deal like that. Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea could afford to sign Bellingham , but I don’t see him going to Chelsea . I just don’t see it happening.
Would Bellingham make the difference for United ? Not while Bruno Fernandes is there, not that he isn’t a better player than Bruno . He’s got every quality and great belief. Bellingham has so much presence on the field that you genuinely feel that when he makes a run into the box, you sense something will happen, and he might well be on the end of it. He convinces you like that.
Zidane Comparisons Are “Unfair”
People compare Jude Bellingham to Zinedine Zidane , which I think is grossly unfair because he could only dream about being as good as Zidane , believe me, but Bellingham is still such an effective player. He can score big goals in big moments, and that's priceless, and that’s what Real Madrid are all about. They're always looking for players to make the difference in those moments. Bellingham has already shown us that he can do that, and Morgan Rogers is developing into that sort of player with his end product, too. He’s getting better and better.
When Morgan Rogers is running with the ball from the halfway line to the 18-yard box, he’s as good as anyone else in the game, anywhere. He’s worth watching on his own, and he can be a devastating player. If he can add a little bit more consistency to his finishing and his end product to make himself a 15-18 goals-a-season player, I think he’s a £100 million plus player too.
Replacing Fernandes: Bellingham vs Palmer
Is Jude Bellingham or Cole Palmer the right player for United ? I think Cole Palme r is an unbelievable, generational talent. I really love him. He's so natural and gifted, and I think he's a brilliant footballer, but I think Bellingham is a big game, big club player.
To go to Real Madrid and show what he's all about there, it says it all. It’s going to be fascinating to see if he can take that quality on to the international stage this summer. I’m not sure if Thomas Tuchel and Bellingham’s relationship is always going to be rosy. I would say out of these two players, Bellingham would be the one who is ripe and ready to go to Old Trafford. He would go into Manchester United and improve them, without a doubt.
Who Would Be Best For Man Utd Next Season?
Replacing Moh Salah
Who can Liverpool bring in to take Mohamed Salah’s place next season? I think Jarrod Bowen would do very well for Liverpool . I don't quite get the Rodrigo links. Clearly, if you play for Real Madrid , you’ve got great ability, but I’ve never seen him as a Galactico . Jarrod Bowen would absolutely go to Liverpool and be a real threat for them from the right on that side. They’d have Cody Gakpo, Hugo Ekitike and Jarrod Bowen. They give you pace, work rate, goals and real output. That’s a frontline that has everything you could want.
Liverpool are going to have to look at Bowen because I just don’t see Salah staying beyond this summer. Whatever's gone on at Anfield , it's just taken a bit of wind out of Mo’s sails. Whether it's a relationship problem or he’s just getting older, whatever it is, he’s never going to be able to keep producing the numbers as he has done in the past. It just looks like Mo is now running out of steam, and there’s no shame in that. It’s just football. It’s part and parcel of getting older. Mo’s best days are behind him, and they’ve got to replace him.
Would Bowen Be A Good Replacement For Salah?
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