Glen Johnson on Son: “He has every attribute to suit the Liverpool team”
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As Sadio Mane’s exit from Liverpool looks more likely than ever, it’s still unknown who the club are going to bring in to replace him. We’ve been speaking to the club’s former full-back Glen Johnson, who believes Tottenham’s Son Heung-min has all the attributes to suit this current Liverpool squad. Glen also spoke to BettingOdds.com regarding Chelsea’s interest in Jules Koundé, the captaincy situation at Manchester United and a potential Premier League return for Álvaro Morata.
Son Heung-min is rumoured to have piqued the interests of Liverpool. Considering that he’s a joint golden boot winner, do you believe he could go on to better his scoring achievements at Spurs if he was to join the likes of Mohamed Salah and Luis Díaz at Liverpool?
“I’m a massive fan of Son. I think if there was ever the opportunity of him moving to Anfield then that would be a magnificent signing. I think he would score even more goals than he has at Tottenham. Let’s face it, he’d be in a better team, playing in more games and having more chances created for him. I think he’d be an unbelievable signing. I think he has every attribute to suit the Liverpool team and I can see him scoring bundles of goals if they sign him.”
Serge Gnabry is another player being mentioned as a potential Mané replacement. Considering his uncertain future at Bayern Munich, do you believe he’d be an incredible replacement considering that he’s expected to leave on a cut-price deal as his contract also expires in 2023?
“I think he’d be a brilliant replacement for Mané. I really like him. I believe that’s a deal that Liverpool would look at more seriously because of the price and because of his age. That move would tick their criteria much more. That’s smart business.”
Sevilla and France defender Jules Koundé is supposedly Chelsea’s number one defensive target this summer and is reportedly valued at £76 million. In your opinion is paying that much a risk considering that he’s never experienced the Premier League before?
“In that sort of position, then yes I do believe £76 million would be a risk. We’ve seen a lot of big money transfers from other leagues that haven’t worked. I’d certainly be a lot more cautious about spending that sort of money on a player that’s never played in the Premier League.”
Arsenal, Tottenham and your former club Chelsea are all linked with a move for Everton forward Richarlison. Now if Chelsea are in the market for a striker this summer, then do you believe the Brazilian is good enough to fit their criteria?
“I certainly believe he would suit the way Chelsea play more than Romelu Lukaku. Whether he’s good enough to be their main man and get 20 goals a season, then I’m not so sure. I do like him though and I think he’s a good player and it could be a sensible move if the fee is reasonable.”
Christian Pulisic is linked with a move to Italian giants Juventus. How would you sum up his time at Stamford Bridge? Do you believe it would be silly of Chelsea to let him go? He’s linked as another potential replacement for Sadio Mané at Liverpool, and that’s partially been attributed to him previously working under Jürgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund.
“I like him. He’s gone to a big club and I think he’s done okay. I don’t think he’s set the world alight but I do like him and he’s a good squad player. When he’s on form he’s fantastic. If he was to go to Liverpool then I think that would be a really good signing. He’s the sort of player that Jürgen likes, so yes I could see him fitting in there well.”
A potential replacement for Pulisic, if he was to leave, is RB Leipzig winger Christopher Nkunku. He scored 20 times and assisted on 13 occasions last season in the Bundesliga and won the League’s player of the season award. He’s also linked with a move for Manchester United. Would Chelsea be a more likely destination for the player considering they have Champions League football next season?
“I believe Chelsea is a more realistic destination than Manchester United if both clubs are genuinely interested. A player going to a top team that’s had a really good season will be looking for Champions League football.. I definitely think that’s where these sorts of players look first. If he was to leave RB Leipzig, then I think Chelsea could be a better fit.”
Another winger Chelsea are linked with is your former teammate Raheem Sterling. He’s also linked with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. If you’re Raheem, where are you going? Or would you stay at Manchester City? Do you believe he would relish moving to a London club?
“I think he’d relish going back to a London club for his lifestyle, but then, it’s hard to turn down the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. With Madrid, you’re going to be going deep into all the competitions and at Bayern you’re pretty much guaranteed to win the league. I guess it’s all about what Raheem wants. He’s got to start at City. If he feels like he’s not getting enough game time then he’s got to leave but I think only he will know that. If he wants to leave, it depends how hungry he is, does he want more trophies, or does he want to go enjoy life in London?”
Conor Gallagher is being linked with a move to Frank Lampard’s Everton. Is he ideally what Everton need? An all-round midfielder with an excellent workrate. We know you’ve said previously that he’s not ready to start for Chelsea next season.
“In terms of learning the game and developing even further, then yes it would be a good move for him. I don’t think the deal will happen however, so a loan move may be Everton’s best chance of signing him. He’s certainly the player they’d want for sure, but it depends what Everton do. They stayed up by the skin of their teeth this season, so to go to a team that is struggling isn’t going to be easy. They’re going to need a lot more than one decent player. I think it’d help his football in terms of things he’d learn but whether the deal would happen is something I’m not sure of.”
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is being linked with a £17 million move to Inter Milan this summer. Now looking at how Ruben’s fellow Chelsea academy graduates, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori have flourished in Italy, do you believe Ruben could be equally as successful if he was to make the move to Serie A?
“Yes, I do believe he could be a success in Italy. I think he’s got a big decision to make because he needs to kick on. He’s always shown ability and he’s obviously a good player, but he’s never really hit the heights that people expected of him. I think he now needs to make a decision and really stamp authority on his own career and that might be abroad. I certainly think that style of play would suit him.”
West Ham are being linked with a move for Burnley’s Maxwel Cornet. He stood out despite his side's relegation this season and he’s said to have a £17.5 million release clause in his contract. Would he be a smart piece of business by your former side?
“I haven’t seen much of him but it’s not easy for players to stand out in teams that are struggling. As we saw with Burnley, they were struggling, and if he can perform that well for Burnley then I’m sure he’s more than capable of doing much more in a better side. £17m doesn’t sound that much in today’s money, so he would be a good squad player for West Ham.”
Former Chelsea striker Álvaro Morata has been linked with a move to Arsenal in recent weeks. Are you surprised that another big Premier League side is willing to take a punt on him considering his unsuccessful spell at Stamford Bridge?
“I’m a bit surprised Arsenal are keen on signing him. It didn't go to plan at Chelsea but he’s a good player and he’s a goalscorer. As we saw before, I think the Premier League looked a bit too quick for him and I'm not so sure that he’ll be a good fit at Arsenal.
“They’re also linked with a move for Gabriel Jesus, but I think he’ll definitely think twice about that move after Arsenal failed to secure Champions League football. I see him being a much better fit for Arsenal for sure. After being successful at Manchester City, you’re going to want to be in the top tournaments and fight for trophies. I don’t think they’re going to be too far off it next year, but it’ll certainly put a spanner in the works with how he’s thinking.”
Now finally onto the captaincy situation at Manchester United. Firstly, do you believe Harry Maguire can continue at the club if he’s stripped of the captaincy in such a high profile manner? Do you personally believe he shouldn’t be United’s captain? And who do you believe should succeed him?
“I don’t know to be honest. The captaincy role doesn’t mean what it used to mean. I don’t even think it’d be a big deal if he was stripped of it. The new manager is going to come in and he’s going to get to know the players. There’s no point in giving it to Ronaldo who might only be there for another year. That doesn’t make sense because then you have to find another one in the near future. I think you’d give it to somebody much younger if you want to build the foundations as you don’t want to be giving it to somebody new every 12 months. It’s a tough question, I’m not sure who would replace him.”
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