Football
Emile Heskey talks exclusively to William Hill
Emile Heskey talks exclusively to William Hill
On Liverpool
“You must take your hat off to the Liverpool recruitment, Arne Slot and the squad of players. It’s not easy having a new manager come in and changing stuff for a side that would have been so used to a certain style of football that Klopp played, but part of why that transition has been down smooth is down to Arne Slot. I don’t think he’s made any major changes; he has made a few small things to the set-up which have worked well rather than trying to entirely reinvent that side. Klopp’s football was very high intensity and gung-ho, where Slot’s is a lot more methodical as they look to build up through the thirds – it’s really working. You need the players to carry that out for you as it’s not easy to change philosophies so seamlessly from something you are used to, and it shows the level of ability and professionalism in the squad that Klopp left behind. I think they’ve picked up that knack of winning ugly, they get over the line in games where they aren’t brilliant like we saw in the Southampton game on Sunday.”
On Salah
“I think Mohamed Salah will stay, the pressure is on Liverpool to get the right contract for him, they must sit down and meet his needs. For Liverpool, it’s difficult if he goes, you need to find a player to replace the level of output Salah gives you, that’s at least 150 million’s worth of a player and you’re getting nothing for Salah, where are they getting that money from to spend to replace him? His numbers are unbelievable, he is a fantastic player, and I am surprised he hasn’t been getting nominated for Ballon D’Or’s or even been in contention for the award, he has been tremendous year in year out. To get 30+ goal contributions is not easy at all, as Liverpool fans, we still want more from him! He’s going to be disappointed that they haven’t come to an agreement or sat down with him, the club need to do that and get the situation sorted.”
On Liverpool transfers
“If I am Arne Slot, I would push to keep hold of all three of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Salah would be my priority but the case of the other two players is interesting, you cannot separate all of them. Virgil van Dijk is the leader of that team; he knits it all together at the back and throughout the team. Trent is a local lad that has come good and become a world-class player, all the fans live their dream through him and his connections to the Liverpool supporters is special, it helps he’s an outstanding player as well!”
On Trent Alexander-Arnold
“Trent Alexander-Arnold will be a success at Real Madrid. He’s a phenomenal talent and he’s adaptable, we have seen him step into midfield as well and I can’t see a reason why he wouldn’t hit the ground running at the club.”
On Liverpool vs Real Madrid
“I favour Liverpool to beat Real Madrid on Wednesday at Anfield. The roar of the crowd and the passion from the supporters, it’s a daunting place to go for any team no matter how good they are. I recall Champions League nights when I played for the club, we stayed solid away from home knowing that when our opponents came back to Anfield, they would have no chance. I don’t think that has changed either.”
On Kylian Mbappe
“It’s been a tough start to life at Real Madrid for Kylian Mbappe. He was so loved in France at PSG; he could do what he wanted, and the team was centred around him. That’s always difficult when you step into a team where you aren’t that anymore, he’s having to become a cog in that Real Madrid side, he maybe feels he’s losing himself a bit as a player currently, but he needs to work out where he stands in that ecosystem. He’s no doubt talented enough but it’ll take time to realise that there are other superstars there now, he was the superstar at Monaco and at PSG. When you make such a high profile move, you must perform and unfortunately, he hasn’t performed at that level quite yet. I have no doubt that he will come good for Real Madrid though.”
On the Champions League
“Liverpool shouldn’t fear anyone in the Champions League currently, if it was to be anyone it should be Real Madrid. When it comes to that type of tournament, it’s about who has the knowhow to get it done. Real Madrid have got the knowhow, Bayern Munich have got the knowhow, it doesn’t matter how they are doing in the league. They are a top side in Europe with that experience behind them.”
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On Caoimhin Kelleher
“I think it’s harsh on Kelleher, whenever he has come into the side he has done well. He’s always been Number 2 at Liverpool, it was never a case of him playing well for Liverpool when he got his chance and keeping the spot from Alisson, he has always been considered inferior to Alisson. He absolutely deserves his chance to be a Premier League Number 1, he has made some excellent saves for the club and has never really let the side down, he deserves to go elsewhere and fight for that spot.”
On Leicester
“Leicester have gone from Brendan Rodgers who had a style of play, to Enzo Maresca who had a different style of play to then Steve Cooper who completely changed the style again. Leicester needs to find a manager to suits the players at the club and suits the mould, Cooper did not fit and it’s going to make things difficult going straight into the Premier League and trying to stay up, it might have been due to the Nottingham Forest connection, but the appointment was a strange one. Now, the club must decide whether they want to build long term or short term. Long term, they should go for Graham Potter but if they want somebody to keep them up, it must be David Moyes.”
