Glen Johnson: ‘Mauricio Pochettino could do good things as Liverpool manager’
With Sporting Lisbon’s Rúben Amorim the current favourite to replace Jürgen Klopp as Liverpool manager, the club’s former right-back Glen Johnson is adamant that whoever directly follows in the German’s footsteps will have a very “uphill job” to do. Johnson told Betfred that despite his struggles with Chelsea this season that Mauricio Pochettino could do “good things at Anfield” if he inherited this current Liverpool squad and believes the Argentine would “grab everyone’s attention.” Johnson also had his say on the Premier League title race, Mo Salah being linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League and why Chelsea should pursue a move for Ivan Toney this summer.
After this weekend’s results, do you believe Manchester City now have one hand on the Premier League title?
“Now they’re two points clear, with six games to go, then I believe Manchester City’s fans will be very happy at this point in time. They’re going to be very hard to peg back and it was a very big weekend regarding the title race, so it would be a solid decision to back them to win the title.
“It’s going to be an uphill struggle for everybody else, but there’s a lot of football still to play and a lot of unexpected things can still happen. I think Manchester City are huge favourites but anything can happen.
After Liverpool’s back-to-back defeats in the Europa League and the Premier League, do you believe their season is unravelling in front of our very eyes?
“I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s completely flipped on its head from where they were a few weeks ago. Their performance against Crystal Palace wasn’t too bad, but the result was. Nobody envisioned that Atalanta would have beaten them at Anfield on Thursday, so it may look as if the wheels have come off, but I really don’t think that’s the case at all.
“I’m sure they can bounce back in the title race and against Atalanta in the second leg. It’s been a bad week for them, but they need to get themselves back on the horse and come out fighting in their remaining games.”
Where can you see Manchester City possibly slipping up in the run-in?
“When you try and predict too much, then you usually get it wrong. Nobody thought Crystal Palace would beat Liverpool on Sunday, so Manchester City will have to take every game as it comes and if they apply themselves properly, then they will win nine times out of ten. It’s hard to suggest who’s going to stop them and I don’t think anyone will at the moment.”
Do you believe Mikel Arteta will be under pressure at Arsenal if they don’t win the Premier League title this season?
“He should definitely not come under any pressure. Everybody thought what they did last season, pushing Manchester City close, was a flash in the pan, but they’ve improved on the previous campaign. They’re going to be competing for a while and it’s obviously going to be a kick in the backside if they don’t win the title this season, but the fact that they’re even in this conversation is a credit to the players and Mikel Arteta so for me, there’s no way Mikel should come under any pressure if they don’t win the league this season.”
It’s looking increasingly likely that Sporting Lisbon’s Rúben Amorim will become Liverpool’s next permanent manager. Do you believe he’s the best available appointment they can make at present and do you have any reservations about him coming in?
“I don’t know a great deal about him but resultwise, he’s clearly doing a brilliant job at Sporting Lisbon. However, I’m concerned for anyone that has to fill Jürgen Klopp’s shoes. I’m sure that Liverpool will have successful managers again in the future, but to immediately follow Jürgen is a tough job. Anyone who goes there now has a very uphill job to do. It doesn’t matter who you are, it’s going to be a tough job.”
Is there a Premier League manager that you’d back to be a success at Anfield?
“Even though I’ve said that Jürgen Klopp will be a tough act to follow, any manager that comes in will be inheriting a great squad and it will be an improvement in terms of player quality than any candidate would have had at their disposal previously.
“I know people will think that I’m absolutely mad, but Mauricio Pochettino is a big name that can go into that job and grab everyone's attention. That would excite people despite what’s happened at Chelsea this season because I don’t believe what’s gone on there is Mauricio’s fault. You don’t become a bad manager overnight and if he inherited that Liverpool squad, then I believe he could do good things at Anfield.”
Rumours are suggesting that Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad are ready to offer £70 million to sign Mohamed Salah. At 31 years of age, is now the right time for your former club to cash in on Mo?
“It’s a tough one because you’re never going to replace him, but you’ve got a better chance of doing so with £70 million in the bank and you wouldn’t want him to leave the club on a free. He’s going to be a year older next season, so I think it would be sensible to allow him to leave in the summer if they’re offered big money for him, even though seeing him leave would be heartbreaking.
“£70 million would allow them to invest in the squad for next season and unfortunately, he’s not going to keep doing what he’s doing forever. Every year from now, his value will decrease and that’s down to his age, not his ability. If they get the right money for him, then it may be the right time to let him leave.”
If Salah was to leave Liverpool this summer, then do you believe there’s a player in this current squad who can step up and replace him, or will they have to delve into the transfer market? If you believe so, then who would you bring in as a replacement if the decision was yours?
“Somebody’s going to certainly get an opportunity to replace him, so it could mean more gametime for Harvey Elliott. To compare Mo to any other player in the world is almost impossible, so it’s not about replacing him, it’s about moving on and trying to do the next best thing really. Harvey’s been fantastic this season, but is he going to get you twenty goals a season? Probably not, but he’s a player that will help somebody else to get twenty.
“I think Liverpool will have to buy someone and they need a player to come in that’s going to fill the gap in some way.”
According to the Daily Telegraph, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are both said to be interested in signing Liverpool’s Luis Díaz this summer. Do you believe Díaz is indispensable to your former club and can you see him being interested in any of those moves?
“There’s going to be uncertainty about Liverpool until a new manager comes in. If they get everything right, then I don’t believe Luis Díaz will want to go anywhere but for most footballers, if Barcelona comes knocking for you, then of course it’ll prick your ears because it’s an iconic football club. However, they’re no longer the team we all knew and they’ve struggled in recent times. They may not be at the same level, but they’re still Barcelona.
“Liverpool is a massive football club and a huge pull for players, so let’s not forget that. They’re in a much better position at the moment than Barcelona. If they make the right decision regarding the next manager, then I don’t believe Díaz will want to go anywhere.”
The future of Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher is still very much up in the air, with the England international having less than 18 months left on his current deal. Tottenham are said to be his main admirers, but considering his incredible workrate, do you not believe he could seamlessly adapt to this current Liverpool team and do you believe they should be in the race to sign Conor?
“Firstly, I don’t believe Chelsea should be trying to sell him. They’ve really struggled this season and he’s been one of their best players, so at the minute I don’t think they should try and sell him.
“Would Liverpool want him at the right price? I think so. People sometimes give him stick and say he’s not good enough, but people used to say that about Jordan Henderson. Great workrate isn’t enough, but it’s certainly a start, so if players are willing to work their socks off for the team, then their teammates will love them and their confidence will continue to grow.
“I don’t think Conor is world-class right now, but with the attitude he has, the potential’s there. Conor’s one of Chelsea’s few positives, so talking about him leaving is madness.”
Is there any player past or present that Cole Palmer reminds you of?
“I’ve said it before, but he reminds me of José Antonio Reyes. He’s super effective and even though he looks slow, nobody can keep up with him. It’s strange, players of that ilk just glide past people without looking like powerful athletes. He’s quicker than he looks but he always does the right things with the ball and sometimes he doesn’t need to beat people. He’s so calm, happy to try things and he’s fearless, so for me he reminds me of Reyes because he had all those qualities.”
Recent reports have indicated that Brentford will now demand between £40-£50 million for their star man Ivan Toney this summer. Chelsea have always been said to be one of Ivan’s most interested suitors, so for that price, is it definitely a transfer worth pursuing for the England international?
“Yes, 100%, especially for someone at that level? Blimey. He’s English, he’s proven that he can score goals in the Premier League and I can’t believe they’ll let him go for that cheap if I’m being completely honest, but if they do then Chelsea won’t be the only team that comes to the table. That price-tag would entice a lot of other big clubs and naturally the price will be pushed up once that happens. However, you would be getting a bloody good player for £40-£50 million wouldn’t you? I’m sure a lot of teams will come in for him.”
Football Insider have claimed that Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino and his coaching staff have been left ‘unimpressed’ by the development of Mykhailo Mudryk since he arrived at Stamford Bridge. Do you believe Mykhailo still has a chance of having a successful career at Chelsea?
“You’re disappointed in the sense that he offers so much but has done very little across the timeframe that he’s been at Chelsea. You would like to think that he’s had his little dips, picked himself up and kicked on, but that hasn’t happened. The reason I say he’s still got a chance is because the team is struggling so much. At the minute, and I’m not being funny, but if you can’t get in the Chelsea team now, then you’ll never get into this Chelsea team.
“They’re only going to get better and if you can’t break through the door right now, even if you’re a young kid, you’re never going to get a better opportunity. So that’s a bit of a disappointment for Mudryk because coming in as a player with a big price-tag, a big name with all the attributes, and you’re not really doing much, that’s the bit that scares me.
“However, I do think he’s still got time because put it this way, if the team were doing well, he wouldn’t be able to get a sniff, he wouldn’t be anywhere near it, so the reason I’m still keeping positive is because the door is still open for him but it’s up to him whether he wants to walk through it and sustain a proper Chelsea career. I’m sure he wants to but he’s going to have to work super hard to do so.”
Do you believe Chelsea will now be regretting their decision to let Kai Havertz leave for Arsenal this summer? Kai has 9 goal contributions in his last 8 Premier League games for the Gunners.
“I don’t think they’ll be regretting it at all because for Chelsea, he wasn’t doing what he’s doing for Arsenal now. Good luck to him, it’s great for him and Arsenal but he wasn’t doing this at Chelsea so hindsight is a wonderful thing. Everyone could say ‘I wish we never sold him for £65 million’, but you have to deal with what’s going on at the time and for whatever reason, Kai Havertz and Chelsea just weren't working. Don’t get me wrong, I know he scored some big goals in some finals but you’ve got another 40 games of football to concentrate on as well. So it didn’t work at the time, but it's working well now, so I reckon both parties feel relatively happy.”
Graham Potter continues to be linked with the manager’s job at Manchester United. However, considering his spell at Chelsea, do you believe he’d struggle to win over the fans as quickly as he’d need to at Old Trafford? Would it be an appointment that’s received badly by Manchester United’s fans in your opinion?
“I’m not sure. I don’t think he would excite the fans or the players and that would be my concern. Obviously, he’s a lovely bloke, a fantastic manager and coach, but would he put enough fear into the players to get their attention? I’m not sure and I think the fans would quickly get on his back if things didn’t start well.
“If you’re Graham Potter, then you’re certainly going to want to have a stab at it. I get that it’s a big football club, great individuals and the team should be doing a lot better than they currently are, so if he could get the group together and put his vision together then of course he would eventually win the Manchester United fans over, but i think he would have to start with a bang and come out of the traps, for sure.”
Arsenal and Tottenham are reportedly both interested in signing Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, who could potentially be sold by his club this summer to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules. If there’s any chance that Newcastle do sell the Sweden international, then do you believe Chelsea or Liverpool should join Arsenal and Tottenham in the race?
“Yes, I like him. I think he’s showing he’s calm, he can take difficult opportunities, but is he good enough to be in that top bracket? I’m not sure yet, but if you’re getting him for the right price then that’s when things start becoming attractive. I think it will mainly come down to what happens with Ivan Toney as well, if Chelsea are hunting Toney then they might be able to get the cheaper option rather than going for Isak. I think it will come down to what's happening around their main targets, but I think there would be a lot of clubs willing to take him if the price is right.”
Raphaël Varane is set to become a free agent this summer with his Manchester United contract winding down. If he’s available on a free this summer, do you believe he’s an option Chelsea should consider, considering that Thiago Silva is potentially going to depart Stamford Bridge in the next few months?
“Yes, definitely. Good players like that don’t come around often and they certainly come around less often on a free transfer. I know he’s not the Varane he was three or four years ago but he’s still a bloody good player. Yes, he’s had his injury problems but that’s what outweighs the transfer fee – if you’re buying him on a free and he’s only playing 40% of the games, then that’s still a good deal to do.
“As we saw with Thiago Silva, those sort of players who have done everything, played for top teams and clubs, they get the attention of the dressing room and they’re the big names that the younger players want to look up to and obviously they’re great to have around. So, if you have got a chance with Varane on a free transfer and he’s only going to play 50% of the games, I still think it’s a good deal.”
Lucas Paquetá is linked with a huge £85 million move to Manchester City. Do you believe he’s good enough for the Citizens?
“I think at the moment he’s enjoying his football, not to sound disrespectful to West Ham, but he’s like a big fish in a small pond. He’s allowed to do what he wants, he knows he’s the main man, he can do what he likes and try all these tricks, but he wouldn’t get away with that at Manchester City.
“As long as he can adapt his game for the benefit of the team, which he would have to do at City, then of course I think he’s good enough to play at that level. Is he good enough to start every week for Manchester City? I’m not sure. I think he would really have to adapt his game, but the way you watch him play, it looks like he’s enjoying being the main man and no one says anything to him because he’s the best player in the team and he can sort of get away with murder and it looks like he enjoys that, but he won’t get away with that at Manchester City, so that would be my only concern at that price.
“He’s certainly a good player and if he can adapt to the way that Manchester City will need him to play, then of course he can kick on but obviously we’ll have to wait and see what happens.”
