The former Chelsea and Manchester City winger spoke to CanadaSportsBetting.ca about the chaos at Stamford Bridge, the FA Cup Final, and the futures of Haaland and Guardiola at Manchester City.
The Manager Search
Chelsea have sacked Liam Rosenior and are now linked with names like Filipe Luis and Cesc Fabregas as potential replacements. Who would you like to see take over?
Shaun Wright-Phillips: “It’s a hard one. The owners are running it, but I think for the type of players they may have there, I feel like they need a stronger manager. A manager with ‘presence’ that they’re gonna respond to.
“At the minute I think you can see they’re still suffering from the Maresca sacking. That hasn’t worn off yet and they need somebody like that or bigger that’s gonna stamp their authority.
“So I’m not quite sure who it could be. I know Cesc has done really, really well in Italy, but I don’t know what type of manager he is. I know what type of player he used to be and if he can emulate that as a manager, it would be a good one. But look what happened to Liam Rosenior at the same time, they thought he would be a good one. He was young and look how that ended. I honestly haven’t thought about it, but it’s one of those clubs that at the minute, that can turn it into a poison chalice in terms of managers. Does anybody wanna risk their career reputation on it?”
The FA Cup Final
Your two former clubs will face each other in the FA Cup Final. Who do you see winning — and who would you prefer to win?
SWP: “Now, I’m a City fan, so as much as I love that club and the supporters, I would like to see City doing the double. The way they’ve played in that tournament and getting to that second final of the year and the way they’ve been playing — I know they had a little slip up the other night in terms of Guehi making mistakes you don’t normally see him make.
But the way they’ve been playing in general, taking it to the final whistle and not giving up. It would be nice to see them win it. And the way Chelsea are playing it, they’re gonna have to prove something.”
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The Garnacho Question
You previously claimed Alejandro Garnacho could unsettle the Chelsea squad. How much do you think that has rung true in his first season at the club, and was it the right call to sign him?
SWP: “I don’t know how much of it’s true in terms of him unsettling that Chelsea squad. There’s too much about him, away from the game. There’s always something about him deleting clubs off his Instagram and stuff like that. I just didn’t see him as the right character to sign for that dressing room, especially how he was at United. And in many ways, his performances are showing just that for whatever reason.
“So I’m not sure if he’s the reason as to why it’s breaking down. But I just think Chelsea’s breaking down from the top and that’s kind of rubbing off right down the chain, to be honest with you.”
Transfer Rumours
The future of Enzo Fernandez is still up in the air, and he has been linked with a sensational move to Manchester United. Would that be a step up for him?
SWP: “Does he stay in England? I don’t know. He came out and said it would be his dream to play for Real Madrid and if he’s on a free or his fee isn’t that high, does Real Madrid buy him, because I feel like they got a lot of players in that position as well. So it’d be interesting.
“Does he go to United, but who does replace? I don’t think he does what Casemiro does. He’s more along the lines of Kobbie Mainoo in terms of playing passes, trying to get forward and scoring the odd goal, but he’s not that defensive midfielder. So if United do get him, they still have to replace Casemiro. So I’m not quite sure where he goes. I didn’t honestly know he was linked with anybody in England.”
Cole Palmer has been linked with a move away as well. Where do you think he would fit best, and how big a blow would it be for Chelsea to lose him?
SWP: “Yeah, for me, that would be a massive blow if Chelsea lost Cole Palmer because I don’t think they have anybody else in that squad of players with that sort of level of creative idea, the ability to take the game by the scruff of the neck and sometimes winning the game on his own for them. I don’t think they have that in the locker.
“But I did see something that Cole Palmer said he’s happy there. He has a contract and he doesn’t wanna leave. Obviously he said he’s homesick. But he has no reason to want to leave there. So we don’t know who’s telling the truth here, but I heard he was linked with Man United as I know he’s a United man. But I think he only goes to United if Bruno leaves, and I don’t see Bruno leaving just yet.”
Joao Pedro has been linked with a move to Barcelona. How would you see him fitting into their squad, and would it be a good move for him?
SWP: “I think it would be a fantastic move for Joao Pedro, if he gets to go. Personally, the way Chelsea’s run now, if I was him, I would snap off somebody’s arm to take that move! To play at the Nou Camp, to play alongside Raphinha and Yamine Lamal, create chances running behind — he’ll score lots of goals as we see him do this year in a not so good Chelsea team. And now I can’t even see Chelsea getting in Europe.
“If you’re Joao Pedro, you want to be playing in Europe, you wanna be playing in the Champions League because he has the ability and he deserves to.”
All eyes will be on Joao Pedro in the upcoming World Cup – we’re expecting some interesting markets on all the World Cup betting sites.
John Terry and the BlueCo Problem
Would you have given John Terry the interim role? What do you make of the reports that the club snubbed him?
SWP: “I don’t actually know. It’s a tough one. I speak to people about it all the time, and I always say there has to be another reason as to why he hasn’t been given that interim role, because he has all the badges. He was the captain of Chelsea, the captain of England, so why would you look over that for somebody that doesn’t have no badges and hasn’t achieved as much as he’s achieved in the game? There has to be another reason. So I’m not actually quite sure why they haven’t picked it, but I do think there’s more to it.”
Some Chelsea fans feel BlueCo are turning the club into a transfer farm and player trading model rather than building a title-winning squad. What do you make of that feeling among the fanbase?
SWP: “I couldn’t agree more with them, to be honest with you. But the weirdest thing is, it has to be some trading thing because they aren’t selling players — because the players that they’re buying aren’t performing well enough for them to sell them anyway. So everyone they buy is just stuck there! For me, none of it makes sense, and I’m so on board with all the Chelsea fans, to be honest.”
Haaland, Guardiola and City’s Future
Erling Haaland has been linked with a move away from City every transfer window since he arrived, with Real Madrid, PSG and Barcelona all mentioned. Can you see him leaving, especially if Pep Guardiola goes?
SWP: “That is a hard one, because I think he’s got a contract until 2033, or something like that. So for him to sign that, that’s him saying he’s happy. Anybody to get him out of that, it’s going to cost them more than an arm and a leg because he’s still young. I feel like his prime’s been since he’s about 20 — he’s still in that prime.
“So for one of those clubs to come and get him, they’re gonna have to pay seriously. Then it’s whether the club here and the man himself wants to actually leave, but I’m not sure. He’s been linked every summer. I don’t think the time is now, I don’t see it happening in the next two or three years.”
Speaking of Guardiola — do you think he leaves after this season, or does he stay one more?
SWP: “Personally, I would love to see him stay because it’s nice to have managers like that at the club that you love, but not only at the club, in the Premier League. To see what he’s done to football across all levels, down to grassroots, it just shows you the impact he’s had on football and the culture within Europe, in England.
“It would be nice to keep him around a little bit longer, but as you know, it’s high pressure for him. Nine months a season. And even when he isn’t in season, I can imagine he’s still thinking of ways to make this team better and play differently and unpredictable. So he’s pretty much 12 months around the year, just go, go, go. So if he did step down, it’s understandable.”
How important is Guardiola to Manchester City? Could they maintain their dominance without him?
SWP: “I think if he did leave, I wouldn’t say they would struggle because of the personnel they have here and the structure that Sheikh built before Pep got here for Pep to come into. I think all that, those foundations are still gonna be here, and there’s still gonna be that similar way to play the game.
“Obviously, the next manager that comes in will tweak it a little bit and do something a bit different within it, but the foundations are laid, and I feel like as long as they stick to those foundations, I don’t think they will struggle. They might not be the powerhouse straight away, because it’s a new manager teaching the squad new things within a system that already exists. So it may take a little bit of time, but we’ve got some young, unbelievable talents here, and will be here for the next four or five years. So you can see all the potential there, and whether Pep stays or goes, the squad now, especially since January last year, has been starting to be rebuilt for the future, and you can kinda see it coming together now.”