Premier League Preview: Shearer's summer of strikers & Wilder's survival guide for promoted sides

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0:32This is a Global Player original podcast. With the Premier League season about to start again, and it feels like as much excitement in the build-up to this as there has been for a long time, we thought it was time to get some of the Match of the Day gang together ahead of the season. So we're inviting Alan Shearer back onto the podcast, and I promise you we are not just going to vent about Alexander Isak. Although when we say we're bringing the part of the gang together, I'm not involved in that interview. So it's just two of them. We'll talk title race and more with the Premier League's all-time record goalscorer.

1:06And they'll look at how Spurs performed in the Super Cup as well. It was a special operation. Medical terms, the operation succeeded when the patient died. So it's not that good in the end. But while it can often feel all about the big clubs and the mega money signings, which, let's be honest, we all get completely engrossed by, there is a fascinating subplot at the bottom of the table. So former Premier League boss Chris Wilder will join us to give us an insight into the challenge facing the likes of Sunderland, Leeds and Burnley. Can any of them buck the trend of the last couple of seasons and survive relegation?

1:44Welcome to The Sports Agents.

1:54the sports agents with gabby logan and mark chapman hello mark welcome back thanks very much it's lovely to be back and it feels like we've not been together for quite a while actually because our holidays kind of dovetailed didn't they they did and plus the golf so i had the golf then a holiday then you have a holiday so it must be a month. Yeah, so much has happened. I've got a new top of my finger. You've broken one of your fingers. We've both come back from holiday with fingers. That's how in sync we are now since doing the pod. You need stitches in yours. I've damaged a tendon in mine. We have finger injuries from both holidaying in Greece.

2:31But can I tell you, I did listen to David Ornstein on The Sports Agents yesterday catching up with my podcast. Didn't feel like, you know, a bit like you when I was on holiday. I was dipping in, having a look and seeing what was going on, especially in the transfer market. But sometimes it's just good, isn't it, to completely kind of close your mind off to what you're doing. So I felt like I was really brought up to speed with that episode, which you can listen to on Global Player. You can. I have deliberately tried to close my mind off during the summer just so that your back refreshed. And then my week back working in football really started with 30 Carabao Cup titles all at the same time on Sky.

3:06Where you're thinking, oh, my God, has he moved there? Oh, that manager's taken over there. um so it but that that David Ornstein interview did get me up to speed as much as it got you up to speed uh listening. Isaac doesn't have any intention of playing for Newcastle ever again which sounds stark it is a pretty significant development he called Eddie Howe before flying to his homeland of Sweden and reiterated the message Liverpool stance nothing has been indicated to me that they've been put off by this in the slightest they see this as a player who's committed to joining them and is showing his desire to fight his way out.

3:42And you can always catch up with all our episodes, of course, on Global Player or wherever you get your podcasts. And you can email as well, the sportsagents at global.com. And we've got a Q &A on a special Friday episode of the Sports Agents about the Premier League. Yeah, it all starts on Friday night then. Liverpool take you on Bournemouth. Gabby sat down with Alan Shearer. That's next. The Sports Agents. Alan Shearer, welcome to the Sports Agents. On the eve of what feels to me, I don't know if you agree, like one of the most exciting build-ups to a Premier League season for a long time. Yeah, I think because of the money that's been spent again, the teams that are trying to catch up, trying to catch Liverpool, Liverpool have gone again and spent an absolute fortune.

4:21And the chasing pack must look up to Chelsea, City, Arsenal and Liverpool and think, what chance have we got? Those clubs are just in different leagues in terms of spending now. OK, you brought me straight on to it. It's the elephant in the room. and one of those clubs that's chasing must have thought six months ago that they were absolutely on the right track, Newcastle United winning the trophy that they've coveted for so long, feeling like they had a great squad of plays they could add to. In terms of Alexander Isak's behaviour, David Dornstein was on the podcast earlier this week talking about many different transfer moves and machinations and it was very unequivocal that his sources said that he was the one that said, I'm not training, I want to move.

5:02And that is a difficult thing for any manager to hear, for any club to hear, for any fan to hear who's invested so much in Isak as well. And I've heard so much debate in the fallout of that, people saying, well, it's what every player would do. They're looking for their best value. It's hard as a fan, though, isn't it, to kind of feel the love that you've had for a player. How do you feel as a fan of Newcastle United about Alexander Isak right now? Yeah, I don't like it. I really don't because Newcastle are the one that's going to be punished, the football club and the football club is always bigger than any individual the football club is always there individuals move and shift on i've been in the game long enough and you you know the game as well as i do gabby that loyalty is a difficult word in football when a club wants to get rid of you as a player they get rid of you but on the other way around when a player wants to leave it can become very difficult and there's ways to do it at the minute i don't think and many many thousands of Newcastle fans don't think that he's doing it the right way there are ways to to go about trying to get out of a football club refusing to play uh and not going on trips is not the right way to uh to do that and it's not it's not a good look I look at it one day and I think we've got to get rid of him we've got to get him out you can't have a player who doesn't want to be there and then the next minute I think well hang on you actually can't do that until you've got a replacement in there otherwise the football team and the players through no fault of their own they're all going to suffer as well if that happens so it's a really really difficult situation through no fault of any fan or the manager all the other players that are going to be busting the gut on saturday lunchtime at villa park to try and get three points um you have to feel sorry for for eddie howe i mean his plans have been thrown right up into the air he's going into the first game of the season without one of if not his best player certainly his best forward i don't think it's helped that newcastle haven't got a chief executive or a director of football who's leading it is because i think it was last september darren eels announced that he was going to be leaving for for health reasons and for still for for no one to be in in that position at this moment in time i don't know whether that's been a hindrance i'm trying to get players in whether they've not being able to get answers or lack of communication.

7:22I don't know. But that isn't a good look either. Next weekend, the second weekend, already there's a huge fixture in Newcastle-Liverpool, which has been a great fixture over the last few seasons, not least the Carabao Cup final. Atmosphere at St James' Park, with everything that's going on, is going to be intense. It's going to be great as well. I'll be there because it's a Monday evening, so I'm not working on that Monday evening. So with it not being at the weekend, I'm able to go to that game. And I think for obvious reasons, it'll be a little bit more spiky than it normally is, because obviously Liverpool have put the bid in for Riesach, which they were never going to get in for that amount.

7:59I think it was£110 million. They were never going to get in for that. So I think on and off the pitch, it'll be a little bit spiky. And in terms of, I mean, he kind of is probably the standout story in terms of dominating the headlines, because it's had ramifications on other transfers in terms of other strikers. The strikers seem to be the key position this summer, don't they? They're always the key position. Who's excited you most? Which move? Which player? Who's going to have the biggest impact? I'm fascinated to see how Arsenal do with Jokeres. I'm fascinated to see how Manchester United do with Cesc.

8:35Because these guys have scored a load of goals, but they've never scored a load of goals in the Premier League. And that's the big thing. Yes, you're buying potential, but these guys have to do it now. Arsenal have bought Jokeres to win the title, basically. Man United have bought Szczesko because they were rubbish last year and they need a centre-forward who's going to put the ball on the back of the net. Not in two years' time, not in three years' time, but now. And I think particularly those two, because of the fees and because of the size of the football club that they've joined, then I'm really interested to see how they go.

9:09We've already had one big competitive fixture and it all went a bit Spurs-y, didn't it, really, for Tottenham. It's nice to see that Thomas Frank can only change so much in such a short period of time. But 80 minutes, it was looking really good for them and it looked like they were playing a style of football that he'd already kind of tweaked and put his own mark on. Yeah, I mean, it's difficult to judge because PSG, I think, have only been back in, and Louis-Henriques said, about a week, hadn't he, in terms of training. So obviously they're not up to speed and it's going to take them a little bit of time.

9:47But in those 80 minutes, Spurs looked really, really good and really impressive. The will, I've no doubt they'll improve on last year's position. They have to, very much like Manchester United will in terms of their position. Whether they've got enough to get into the top six or seven remains to be seen. Of course, Chevalier came in for Donnarumma, had a few moments where he looked as if he was just finding his feet for PSG. And then Donna Rummer, remarkably, I believe still only 26 years old. It feels like he's 36, doesn't he? Incredible, isn't it? Playing first-team football, of course, at the age of 16.

10:19He's an example of what I said earlier about a club wanting to get rid of a player. I mean, after that team and what he did last season. Incredible. I mean, and then all of a sudden, sorry, mate, we don't want you anymore. You're out finding a new club. See you later. We're bringing someone else in and he's going to play. Will we see him in the Premier League, do you think? Does he suit Manchester City? Does he suit, I mean, even Manchester United? Yeah, without doubt, he's a top-class goalkeeper. Whether that's a priority for Man City, with what they've got, they've already invested in James Trafford, one of Newcastle's targets, gone to Man City.

11:00So you can imagine how he would feel if they went out and signed Donnarumma. But yeah, he would improve Manchester United, I'm pretty sure of that. So I think that's certainly one to watch and he wouldn't be our place at playing in the Premier League. There's no doubt about that. So we've asked our listeners their predictions and Liverpool was the most popular answer in terms of winning the title. Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United. Manchester United? I know, they're so loyal, aren't they? Are City still a bit of an unknown quantity? Or for you, do they sit as the challenger? Yeah, they're a challenger.

11:31I would have Liverpool winning it, Arsenal, City and Chelsea in that order. still I mean Rodri's looks as if he's had a bit of a setback with another injury so we saw how much they missed him last year but I don't I don't see them clicking straight away and I may be wrong I don't see them having enough to win the title. I think one of the answers that came through on Instagram manager to get sacked first was Pep Guardiola which I think was somebody being a little bit facetious it is interesting times for him though isn't it to commit yourself as he did when he could have walked away. He obviously feels there's something unfinished there.

12:09I don't think Pep will be sacked. If Pep leaves, it will be because... On his terms. On his terms, yeah. And that would be absolutely right if that was the case after what he's achieved. But they set the bar. I mean, they have been incredible, haven't they, in what he's done and what they have achieved. And he must feel himself. I mean, they've got other things that is out of his control and our control in terms of the charges as well. But he's obviously very confident that they can get through that. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here. But I don't think we'll see City dominate and City do what they have done in the years gone by in recent seasons.

12:48Who's the Nottingham Forest this season? Who's the kind of surprise interloper? It depends on Palace. If Palace can be pulled of Ezra and see what happens with Geahy, whether he stays for the season and goes for free at the end of the season or whether they decide to cash in on him in the next couple of weeks. We'll have to wait and see. But if they could keep hold of those two, then Palace are a really good team. They could be one of the surprises, but again, it's if they can keep hold of a couple of their big players. And then down at the other end of the table, I believe the promoted sides have spent more collectively than has been spent by promoted sides in history.

13:25So they're all kind of aggressively looking to improve their squads. they're going to have to change their style of football perhaps as well, tweak that if they're going to compete in the Premier League, at least a couple of them. Who of the three do you see being the one that can buck the trend of the last couple of seasons of the three going up, going down? I think if there's one, there's one that's got an opportunity, I think because of Ellen Road, because of the atmosphere and what it generates and how mad they are there in terms of Roar and their team on. I think if there's one that can get out of it this year, it might just be Leeds Go on Alan do you get as excited as ever?

14:03do you get the kind of tingles? I do yeah we had a birthday yesterday you're getting on a bit it's been a long summer thanks it's been a long summer I mean I know we had the Club World Cup but you can't beat the excitement of the Premier League and there's so many ifs and buts and how and maybes and all of that yeah I can't wait I'm really really excited for it and finally obviously there's a new person in the hot seat on match of the day well there'll be three new people three new people yeah words of advice to somebody who's sat there for so many years now how can i give you guys advice i mean you you guys are under far more pressure than we are you've got the most difficult job but you've you've been doing that and kelly has and mark has for years so i can't give you any advice you're all masters at your own trade you don't need any help from me I thought you were going to say bring the snacks or something.

14:54Anyway, I will see you in a green room watching lots of Premier League football very, very soon. Bye. Cheers. Thank you.

15:03Now, in the last two seasons, all three newly promoted clubs went straight back down to the championship. But just how brutal is the battle to survive in the Premier League today? We'll talk to someone next who knows better than most what it takes. Former Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder on the way. The Sports Agents Queen Carvania stood haloed by the morning sun. An army hung on her every word. My champions, I have sold my chariot on Carvana. It was a lovely SUV, an inexplicably queenly offer. They're even coming to the castle to collect it. Tonight, we feast. An offer you can feast on. Sell your car today.

15:50On Carvana. Pick up fees may apply. The Sports Agents with Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman. Chris, thank you very much for joining us. You look very well. You've obviously had a good summer and you've been away. And yet, I'm guessing it feels painful that you're not involved. Yeah, I should be at a training ground or should be on a bus somewhere at this particular moment or stood on the side of a pitch. because that's what I've done for the last 20-odd years and I miss it. And from the back end of a disappointing end to an incredibly challenging and I thought quite a decent season as well in terms of the challenges that we had at Sheffield United.

16:34Determined and as focused and committed as I've ever been really to go again. Spoke to Daniel Fark actually after the playoff final and obviously they had experienced the heartache of losing. at Wembley and had a 45 minute conversation I'd rather have been in his shoes than mine obviously and congratulations to Burnley and Leeds because they had absolutely exceptional seasons you know I thought 92 points wasn't too bad wasn't too shoddy but them to get 100 points was an incredible achievement so yeah of course disappointing and it stings a little bit that I'm not but you have to respect the decision that Sheffield United owners made and the direction the journey that they're on and they want to take the club moving forward.

17:19You've obviously been in situations where you've taken teams up. You've been in situations, as you talked about, where you've been in charge of a team that's gone down. You mentioned Daniel Farker there at Leeds and Scott Parker at Burnley, who've taken their teams up. They've also been at teams who've gone down from the Premier League. And before a ball has been kicked, I feel like I'm being told that they're under more pressure than anybody else in this Premier League, that they go on a run of two or three defeats and there may be a trigger finger from an owner. Is that fair? Well, it isn't really, but that's the truth in the Premier League world that we're all living in.

17:59And every club has this decision to make. So the decision of Norwich City, fabulous champions twice under Daniel. You know, the first season they pipped us to the title and they were a great team and Daniel did fantastically well to get into the Premier League. and then the clubs have a decision what direction they want to go. You know, are they going to go safe? Are they going to go spend a little bit? What's safe? What do you think safe is? Safe maybe is not spend anything and use that money. Take the money. So it's not safety in terms of the league, it's safety in terms of your future and your security.

18:34And protecting and maybe having a legacy off the back of that. Maybe, you know, investing the money into the ground, investing money into the academy, clearing debts, improving training grounds whatever and clubs are praised for that aren't they quite often but you know when you lose four or five games the fixture list comes up and you lose four or five games because the team isn't strong enough the narrative is you're stinking the place out and Daniel's not the not the manager that we should be having and we should be doing this and we should be doing that and then flip side of it is you go and spend £150 million put everything on the line and then you don't succeed in staying in the Premier League as well, which can happen as well.

19:14And I know obviously a couple of clubs have done that. So there's a lot of things involved in it. Is it short, medium or long-term view? What are we looking at? I look at Ipswich as a really good example. They had a goal last year. I thought they were smart in terms of the strategy, in terms of signing the players that they did, knowing that possibly, most probably, they would get relegated. Now in that, if a couple of players have succeeded in the Premier League, they might move them on, which obviously has happened with De Lapp and it looks like it happened with Amari Hutchinson. And they take the money and reinvest it, which they have tried to do.

19:50And they've got a group of players that are used to the championship and have won in the championship. So it gives them an opportunity. But this for me is a medium to longer term view and they have faith in the manager and they have faith in the process and they have enough money to see this journey out. And they don't get edgy when the supporters see them losing games in the Premier League. They don't get edgy when they might lose a couple of games in the Championship as well. They have faith in the process and in the project. It's interesting how the culture is built to create that, isn't it?

20:22Because you're right about Ipswich last season. There was never a sense, was there, that the manager was under pressure. It was almost they were lucky to hang on to him at times because he was linked with other jobs. So where does that creation of that culture come from? Is it the owners? From the top. Absolutely, from the top. the owner, the director of football, the board. But the fans have to buy into that as well then, don't they? Yeah, they have to, but they don't because everything's short-termism, isn't it? Everybody wants to win. Everybody wants to win. They've been used to winning games of football in the championship.

20:51And I suppose that's a challenge as well that Kieran would have had last year as well because all of a sudden they've gone from winning in League One, fabulous season, they go up into the championship, they go right away through the championship. So, you know, out of 46, 92 games, they've possibly won 80 % of games. and they're a winning football team, then all of a sudden the fixture list comes out. They play Man United the first game and they're playing Liverpool away second game and they're playing somebody else the third game. But it's all right. We've got Newcastle at home the fourth game.

21:20So that's where we'll pick some points up. Then all of a sudden, from a mentality point of view, everybody's getting tested. The players are getting tested. The managers are getting tested. And the supporters are getting tested. And there will have been an element of supporters at Ipswich Town last year that would have said, we should be staying up in this division because we've spent so much. But the Premier League, the way that it's moved on over the last three to five years has been incredible and incredibly difficult, as we're obviously going to talk about, for these promoted teams to get a foothold in the division.

21:53God, there are so many different avenues that we could go down with the promoter size. Let's do that one. The difference in three or five years. When you came up with Sheffield United first time round, when you came on, what did you go into that season thinking because your side was deemed to be very innovative then and played really good attacking football the 57 year old yeah yeah yeah exactly no but that's but you you took the game to some of the opposition it felt like in that in that season now the the sort of we get told don't try and go toe-to-toe with established premier league teams Be pragmatic, accept where your level is and maybe try and nick something here or there.

22:37So do you think in that three to five years, the philosophy has changed for a promoted team? Maybe a touch, but we had a settled side. We had an incredibly talented group of players that were so hungry to do well. Then that's another decision. Do you give the boys that have got you out of League One into the Championship and then gone again? Do you give them an opportunity? because there's certain players that have flourished and can handle stepping up and you never know. So you have to give them an opportunity. Or do you go and make 20 changes like Forest did and just completely change the side around?

23:12You can't out-Premier lead the Premier League. Even though I appreciate the praise that you stuck on us, there was games that, yeah, we could go for and identify. And there's certain other games that, you know, you had to make sure that you were pragmatic with your approach. I think all managers would like to be given an opportunity and then they need to find a way and I do think maybe this year there will be a little bit of an opportunity and I think because of maybe the approach of the three teams Sunderland have obviously gone for it I think they've done outstandingly well in terms of the business that they've done in the summer Grant Jacker and the players that they've brought in they've gone for a big change and spent and really been ambitious in terms of the owners.

23:59I think Burnley's defensive record, even though they've lost Trafford, will give them an opportunity and I think leads a little bit in between. I think from an attacking point of view, they were outstanding last year. They should have gone up at Christmas, in my opinion, if they'd have maybe sorted out, Gabby, you'll know a little bit more about this, that maybe they'd sorted out a couple of positions a little bit earlier. And I think the talk from Daniel now is, defensively we've got to tighten up and physically. For you as a manager, when you take on a player who, you know, you decide to bolster your squad, you're playing more than you've ever paid before to a player.

24:35What are you expecting? What has that player got to give you to make him worth that money? Well, yeah, they've got to give you that certain quality in terms of what position that they play in the big moments that decide Premier League games as well. And have you seen that with the players at the university? These games that are, you know, tactically I would say as well, I think everybody has to go through the process of B licence, A licence, Pro licence. Everybody knows how to play 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1. We all know, you know, the start of the Premier League when we were first in, we thought that we would get smashed all over the place technically and we'd have to go to a different level.

25:10Tactically, sorry, Gabby. I'm not so sure that it was a massive, massive difference. The difference was the players. The difference now is the physicality because you can't bully Premier League players as championship players. 2019-20 when we were in the Premier League, especially at Brammer Lane, we ran over the top of Arsenal and got a result. And then when I went back last year, one of the first games was Arsenal at home. And we said, we have to set a tone. Brammer Lane on a, I think it was a Monday night, it was a cold, cold night on whatever. So you want to use all the advantages that you've got and you have to try to be physical because you can't outplay this team.