Speaking exclusively to BOYLE Sports , former Premier League player Dean Saunders has given his perspective ahead of the January Transfer Window and what stars could be on the move including if Irish Hero Troy Parrott could return to England.
The ex-Wales forward has offered his perspective on whether Wrexham can earn promotion to the Premier League and has earmarked a forgotten England Footballer who could catapult them up the Championship.
Saunders has also given his predictions ahead of some huge games in the Premier League and looks ahead to how the upcoming AFCON Tournament if Salah can return to form and how Man United will cope without Mbuemo.
Transfer Talk
Anderson To Old Trafford?
Elliot Anderson understands the position. He understands when he should go forward and who he's playing with. If he's playing with Morgan Gibbs-White, he's prepared to let him go and join in, and he just slots across and fills the gaps and waits for the ball to get turned over.
Then he tries to win the ball back. He doesn't give the ball away, which is a common trait among the best players I've ever played with. They've all got one thing in common: don't give the ball away. And he's one of them. He's getting better. Forest just needs to get a few more wins and get him up the league so he can play without the pressure being on him. Manchester United picked up another win this weekend, which is keeping the wolves from the door. And I think Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko I think they're better than what they had.
They've signed three good players there; adding Anderson to it would be special. Ruben Amorim has just got to keep surviving, hasn't he? He's just got to keep getting three points when he needs it and giving himself time to work this jigsaw puzzle out.
Could Parrott Fit Villa?
Well, he's scoring goals, isn't he? So everybody's ears prick up. He's going in the right direction. He just has to keep banging the goals in. If I were his agent, I would say, 'If you can get to 25, I can get you into the Premier League, into a club in the Premier League. They'd be queuing up, especially for £25 million. I'd have to see a bit more of him first.
But what else has he provided apart from the goals? What else does he bring to the table? I’d ask if he scored goals, then my next question is if he works hard. If you say yes to that, I'd say bring him down. That's all that matters to me. I don't care how big he is. I don't care how quick he is. If he scores goals and works hard, that's all you want as a manager. So, I need to see a bit of that from him as well.
Would Troy Parrott Suit Aston Villa?
Wilson Destined For Bigger Pastures?
With Harry Wilson, he’s always had an end product. You watch him, when he comes off the bench, or he starts a game, he always has a shot, he always creates a chance, or he always does something with a bit of quality, he'll whip a ball in, or he'll let a free kick over the wall, or he'll pick someone out in the box. He always has an end product. I think his end product is really good. Harry's Wales' best player. I've watched every game he's played for Wales. I've watched him. He always creates a chance. He always does something in the game to affect the game.
He's got a bit of class. His goal at the weekend was world-class. Before he'd even got the ball, he knew what he was going to do. And the way he executed it from where he was, he made it look easy. It's not the first time he's done something like that. If you play Harry for a season, you can more or less guarantee you'll get 10 goals and assists. He smells a goal. He knows where to go for a cutback, or he gets in the box. He gets in there, and he's got great feet. I would have no hesitation in signing him.
By the way, he's 28, not 30. So, it's not too late for him. He was at Liverpool, and obviously, they let him go, which they do with most youngsters. But I would imagine the vultures will be circling around him.
Wrexham AFC
Will Wrexham Reach The Premier League?
I always thought that if we could get Wrexham back in the league, I thought our team would be better than most of the League Two teams. If you get into League Two, you can go up again to League One. Now, when you get to League One, the budgets can be five million, then you get teams like Sunderland, who are in there with twenty million.
You get a few big clubs trying to go up. To get into the Championship, once you get into the Championship, I thought we could get to the Championship, but then you're competing with three Premier League teams who've just got relegated. A couple who tried to go back up but never made it, with massive playing budgets and Premier League players in it. And I thought that might be the difficult bit because you have got to put your hand in your pocket, then try to compete in the Championship. And to be fair, they have. I mean, I'm hearing what some of the players are earning now.
You know, they've signed Josh Windass, they've signed Nathan Broadhead, and Kieffer Moore. They can play at that level every day of the week and all day long and have an impact most weeks. Fair play to the manager because they've turned the players over ruthlessly, so they've kept momentum.
If Wrexham get to the Premier League, I'll be delighted because it's a great club. They've got great, great supporters. And there is a massive catchment area around Wrexham, in between Wrexham and Cardiff, there's a catchment area which they're getting players through now into the academy. Obviously, not far from the other way is Man City, Man United, Liverpool, and Everton. So they normally nick the best young kids. Then you've got Stoke not far away. So they have had all the best players nicked off them, but now everybody wants to play for Wrexham, don't they? Famous all around the world. It's an incredible story.
Sterling To Wrexham? Why Not?
Raheem Sterling to Wrexham? Why not? You might see some big players that have watched the documentary, and they think, ‘I'll have a bit of that. I'd love to play for them, Wrexham. You might get somebody like Raheem Sterling saying that. I can't get my head around his situation. What's going on? He’s not over the hill. He's a very good player.
Having said that, the Championship's not easy to play in. I've managed in the Championship, and sometimes Premier League players come down and play in it, and they can't believe what's going on. We're playing all the time, and every game's a battle. Millwall away on a Tuesday night. When the ball's up in the air all night, some of them find it difficult.
Weekend Predictions
Brighton vs Aston Villa
Tough game. I think that's got to be a draw for me. Villa have won five on the bounce. Brighton are in good form. I'm going to say a 1-1 draw.
Liverpool vs Sunderland
I'm not going to let the result against West Ham cloud my mind. Things are not right at the back, and Sunderland are in one of their moods where they think they can beat anyone. The players have got belief. So I'm going to say 2-2.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal?
I think Arsenal have taken five years to build this team, and they're ready for anything. Villa are in good form, but I think Arsenal, with the bench they've got, have a better bench than Villa. Arsenal have got to the point where the players on the bench are better than the ones on the pitch. So, when you make a substitution, there's every chance it's going to improve the team.
If you're looking at the bench and you've got youngsters you don't know how they're going to play, when you make a substitution, you can make it worse just by trying to salvage something. Every time Arteta makes a substitution now, the players he's bringing on are all better than the ones he's taken off. I think it's going to be a tight game. I'm going to say one-all in that game as well.
AFCON Predictions
Salah For Player Of The Tournament?
You don't become Mohamed Salah unless you've got everything. There are loads of players who have skill and talent. I've seen them come and go. People come to training on trial, and you’re looking for skill, work rate and hear. Salah's got the lot: good attitude, desire, pace, strength, speed of thought, and anticipation. He's got the lot.
He can score in any game of football. He could take Egypt all the way to the final and win it for them. He's that good. For me, he's just a little bit below Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He's probably in the Gareth Bale category, not quite a freak of human nature, but not far off.
Coping Without Mbuemo
Well, for me, Bryan Mbeumo is Manchester United’s best player. He's got desire. He plays with his heart on his sleeve; he doesn't take the easy option when he's around the box. He's looking to score himself and take the responsibility. I was watching him at the weekend. He was trying to cut inside, and he's trying everything to have an impact on the game.
They're going to miss him as other clubs will miss other players; for Sunderland, it’s going to affect the results. It's quite straightforward. I'll be shocked if they pick up as many points as they picked up in the last couple of months when these players go away. Sunderland have got a settled team and a lot of players playing really well. Granit Xhaka seems to be leading the group, but it will be difficult.
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