In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Aston Villa and Liverpool striker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, including Steve Cooper’s surprise new Nottingham Forest contract, whether or not James Maddison should make England’s World Cup squad, Marcus Rashford’s links to Arsenal, and much more.
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Steve Cooper’s new Forest contract is great news…
The news that Nottingham Forest have given Steve Cooper a new deal did take me by surprise but I think it’s a fantastic decision.
It bucks the trend that owners are looking for a scapegoat. Cooper took over at Forest at a very difficult time. They were bottom of the Championship and now they’re in the Premier League.
The club obviously had a very busy summer and I am not a fan of signing 21 new players because managers and coaches much prefer to work with 15 to 18 players to work so they can spend more one-on-one time with them on the grass.
They could have got away with it if they were in a lower league, but now they’re in the Premier League, every decision is going to be scrutinised. I know some people will say “but Cooper has to take some responsibility for all those signings too” – well, yes, but it isn’t as simple as that. A manager is very rarely going to question the owners and turn players down but when it comes to coaching, that many new faces can become a hindrance, and I think the owners will know that.
So I am sure Cooper has taken personal responsibility for the club’s summer business, but I think his new deal sends a really clear message from the board to their supporters and that’s that the manager is here, he’s here to stay and we believe in him.
Chelsea trust Graham Potter with youth project…
This week’s Champions League group game against AC Milan saw Chelsea put in a great performance.
I know they have some huge legends, Frank Lfampard, Didier Drogba, John Terry and the like, but one thing that does go under the radar at times is how good their youth academy is. They have so many young, homegrown players and the owner Todd Boehly and Potter both know this and it’s clear to see that they’re both prepared to focus on developing what they have in-house.
Credit to Boehly for bringing in Potter, someone who is a great tactician, very familiar with the English game and a manager who isn’t afraid to take responsibility for a lot of areas within the club.
Kepa’s Chelsea lifeline…
Kepa is a player who is benefiting from Potter’s arrival.
He’s started in Chelsea’s last two matches and he’s playing well. This is another great decision from Potter.
He’s come in and said ‘look lads, I am here now, so everyone has a clean slate – impress me.’
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In Kepa’s situation, he was written off very early into his Chelsea career and Potter has come in, opened his door, put his arm around him and has now created a competitive environment among the club’s shot-stoppers, and the biggest winner out of this situation is not the goalkeepers or the manager, it’s the football club, so fans should be really pleased with how Potter has handled this since he arrived.
Dean Henderson was to blame for Man United departure…
Similarly to Chelsea’s goalkeeping set-up, Manchester United have recently experienced a situation whereby two players capable of being the club’s number one were fighting for the same spot – David De Gea and Dean Henderson.
Obviously, as we know now, following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dismissal and Erik ten Hag’s arrival, Henderson will now spend this season out on loan with Forest.
Although it was dubbed ‘a nice problem to have’ at the time, De Gea and Henderson’s competition to be the side’s number one led to the latter leaving.
I think that after his successful loan spells with Sheffield United, Henderson should have kept his mouth shut but what he actually did was go around telling any media outlet that would listen that he was the best and he was ready to become Man United’s number one.
Don’t get me wrong, he is a top-quality goalkeeper and definitely worthy of a place in England’s squad, but I think his outspoken attitude about being good enough and needing more game time was only going to annoy his manager – whoever that was.
United would have sat there and said ‘we like you, we know you’re good, but let’s keep it in-house’. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are still people at Man United who would say Henderson rattled too many cages by constantly saying how good he is.
Madd about James…
If I was talking about James Maddison making England’s squad a year ago, I would have said ‘no chance’, but that answer is very different now.
He’s in red-hot form and is a player who has a lot to offer. He is capable of running with the ball, spearheading attacks and has great set-piece delivery.
Sometimes he comes across as over-confident but there is no denying that he’s playing well, assisting and scoring goals. He definitely should be on that plane for next month’s World Cup.
When you look around the England squad, we’re blessed in so many areas and midfield is obviously one of them, but I would certainly leave a spot open for Maddison.
Arsenal would be a great move for Marcus Rashford…
Marcus Rashford would be a great fit for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
Away from the pitch, he’s done some great work, but in footballing terms, he’s been a Manchester United player for so long that I worry familiarity is breeding contempt.
A perfect example of when a player makes the decision to switch things up and move clubs and it benefits all parties is Gabriel Jesus. Since he left Manchester City and joined Arsenal earlier this year, he has been sensational and arguably the biggest contributor to the Gunners’ incredible form.
But back to Rashford – he knows what it’s like to play for a massive club, so I would have no doubts that he could deal with the pressure of playing for Arsenal.
I think Rashford would benefit massively from a move at this stage in his career. He’s only 24 years old, so he still has plenty of football left to play.
From Man United’s perspective, if it were up to me, I would let him go and take the money for him, and it would be good money too. You’re easily going to be talking £60m, maybe more. I think that scenario would be good for United, good for Arsenal and good for the player himself.
Only Jurgen Klopp can decide when it’s time to go…
He’s going nowhere until he wants to go.
It would be lunacy on a grand scale if FSG looked at Jurgen Klopp as a busted flush.
Put it this way, if he left Liverpool today, he could go to Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Juventus, the Milan clubs and Barcelona and be a success. However, what I am worried about is his body language. He looks a little deflated, a little dishevelled. He must be looking at the current situation and be saying ‘I have won everything there is to win and the owners haven’t given me half as much as I need to keep pace with Manchester City’.
So if FSG can give Klopp the tools, even though he isn’t asking for anything, to remain competitive, they should do it as soon as possible because in a minute, if they’re not careful, it isn’t going to be Liverpool sacking Klopp, it’s going to be Klopp sacking Liverpool.