It's the final day of the January transfer window, with clubs frantically working to secure any last minute deals before the deadline.
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00:35 - Hello and welcome to our coverage
00:38 of the January transfer deadline day.
00:41 We'll be hosting two shows,
00:42 myself, Charles A. Jones on this morning edition
00:45 and Daniel Wales on the evening show,
00:47 closer to the deadline as we hope for,
00:49 so maybe some late deals.
00:52 I'll be joined later on in the show
00:53 by Michael Plant of Manchester World.
00:56 But first I welcome Will Rooney of Liverpool.
01:00 Will, you all right, mate?
01:02 - Yeah, I'm good, thanks Charles, you?
01:04 - Yeah, mate, not too bad.
01:06 I mean, obviously you were kept busy a few days ago
01:09 by Jurgen Klopp's news,
01:11 but not really much on the transfer front.
01:14 But just tell us about how surprised you were
01:17 when that news broke and if you maybe expected it
01:19 or what the feeling was around Liverpool's camp
01:22 when that came up.
01:23 - I don't think anyone expected it, to be honest with you.
01:25 I mean, nothing come out in the media before it did it.
01:29 Apologies to St. Bannon, by the way,
01:31 I've got a Rufus in the back,
01:33 against the backstop of the recent storm,
01:35 so apologies about that one.
01:37 But no, going back to it, no one expected it.
01:39 I mean, it was just a bombshell, wasn't it?
01:41 Not just for Liverpool and Mesa,
01:43 for the whole football world.
01:45 Just because of what we've done at Liverpool,
01:47 it just seemed like it was the perfect fit.
01:49 And you said in the summer he was re-energised,
01:53 and it looked that way with the squad that had come in,
01:56 and with Poole obviously flying in the league,
01:58 competing in all four competitions.
02:00 And if anything, I think if you were gonna nail your calls
02:04 to the mast and you say, "Is Klopp gonna stay,
02:06 or gonna sign a contract with Stendune,
02:08 or is he gonna leave at the end of the season?"
02:09 People are probably thinking, "Well, he's gonna stay
02:11 because he's got a young squad."
02:12 And he could potentially build,
02:15 he's building the 2.0,
02:18 and they could compete with Manchester City once again,
02:22 maybe even UCA, but we don't know.
02:25 But no, as it came about, he's decided
02:28 that because he's lacking the energy,
02:30 he thinks that he needs to be at his absolute peak
02:34 to do the job.
02:36 And almost like a boxer, when you start losing your chin,
02:41 you can't keep going anymore,
02:42 and maybe that's what he feels like.
02:43 But yeah, massive day, as you say,
02:46 and transfer window-wise,
02:48 it hasn't affected things too much.
02:50 Don't think anyone expects that busy January for Liverpool.
02:53 I'm sure we'll come on to that.
02:56 Yeah, of course, and obviously,
02:57 it's not the background noise.
02:59 It's all part of the live show.
03:01 But just why do you think it's been
03:03 such a slow January window?
03:05 I mean, compared to last, I've read up,
03:07 £780 million was spent last January by Premier League clubs,
03:12 just around £45 million this January.
03:15 That's an incredible difference.
03:18 Why do you think that's changed?
03:20 And maybe one of your clubs, Everton,
03:22 that you obviously cover,
03:23 could that points deduction have maybe had an impact
03:26 on future windows for other Premier League teams?
03:29 Well, funnily enough, Sean Dyche,
03:33 I asked him after the Luton game last Saturday.
03:36 He held his pre-match press conference
03:38 before the following game after,
03:39 and I just said, "Transfer window,
03:42 do you think anything will happen?"
03:43 He said, "It's been a quiet window," as you said,
03:46 and you look at the money spent,
03:48 and he said, "Maybe teams look on with the 10 points
03:51 and maybe rein in the business in,
03:55 because if the Premier League are starting
03:58 to come down harder on teams,
04:00 punish teams a bit more,
04:02 with this independent regulator that might be coming in,
04:05 they want to show that they can govern themselves."
04:07 And you look at that, I'm thinking,
04:10 we need to be on the ball here.
04:13 We need to show that, no, we can do this ourselves.
04:16 Obviously, Forrest Gump getting hit,
04:19 City getting charged with 115 breaches,
04:24 and Chelsea being investigated,
04:26 that surprised me a bit more,
04:29 though maybe he did expect clubs to rein in a little bit,
04:32 but when you see teams like Aston Villa coming out
04:35 and saying, "We can't spend,"
04:37 they sold Jack Grealish how long ago for 100 million,
04:40 and Jack Grealish was pure profit,
04:43 because he was in a cash-in process,
04:44 so that was every single penny went onto their books.
04:49 Okay, Villa spent money, but I know Nia Henry's
04:52 coming out and saying this,
04:52 and obviously Newcastle have had trouble spending
04:56 because of their previous revenues that they brought in,
05:01 and I think Fulham have said the same,
05:04 that they're struggling.
05:06 Maybe teams are starting to look and thinking,
05:09 we need to be a bit more cautious here,
05:10 and maybe for Liverpool, say, Fenway Sports Group,
05:14 they have been prudent since they arrived at Anfield,
05:20 maybe that might help them in future wins,
05:23 or potentially maybe also, I don't think,
05:25 the playing field might be left in a little bit here.
05:27 - Let's start just looking at Liverpool.
05:31 Obviously, last January, they did quite a lot,
05:34 and obviously, when we spoke,
05:37 and they did start showing their cards on the table,
05:40 didn't they, with the Caicedo bid, for example.
05:42 I mean, that was completely out of the blue, as you said.
05:45 Fenway Sports Group have really focused on getting good,
05:48 you know, shrewd deals,
05:49 that they're just gonna improve the team.
05:52 What do you think has been the difference
05:54 from just a year on?
05:56 Obviously, it was quite an incredible window last year.
05:59 - Yeah, the summer was, I mean,
06:00 that was just an anomaly as well,
06:03 for the Caicedo to bid 111 million.
06:05 It's just so out of the blue.
06:08 You know, when the PIL paid 75 million for Dejan Van Dijk,
06:12 he genuinely thought they were getting, you know,
06:15 a defender that was elite,
06:18 and he transformed Liverpool, you know.
06:20 He's been the absolute bedrock of the team.
06:22 When they paid that,
06:23 he thought it was a real statement.
06:25 Caicedo, yeah, he has a couple of seasons at Brighton,
06:28 but you look at him, thinking,
06:30 does he make an immediate impact?
06:32 And the way he's been at Chelsea this season,
06:34 he hasn't, has he?
06:35 I mean, you only have to look at the game last night.
06:37 He was poor, taken off after 66 minutes,
06:40 booked fairly early on.
06:42 You know, he was very, very disappointing.
06:44 Liverpool went about the business
06:48 as you would expect them for the rest of the window,
06:50 went and got, with Taro Endo,
06:52 maybe not Endo you expect, 'cause he was 30,
06:54 but it was more of a left field signing
06:56 that not too many people have heard of.
06:58 You know, you think the likes of,
07:00 who've come in in the past, like Roberto Firmino,
07:02 for example, who, you know,
07:03 not a lot of people,
07:04 it would have been on a lot of people's radar
07:06 when he was signed.
07:07 You know, it was absolutely magnificent.
07:10 And then they went and got Ryan Granberg,
07:14 who, looking at his profile, 21,
07:17 good few years at Ajax,
07:18 maybe he has a little bit of a dip at Bayern Munich,
07:20 but, you know, he's at one of the top clubs in Europe,
07:22 and that can happen,
07:23 especially if he doesn't fit into a manager's system.
07:25 But yeah, this January, you're looking at it,
07:27 thinking, where are the gaps in Liverpool's squad,
07:30 if they were going to get anyone?
07:31 Maybe a centre-back, but Joel Matt have injured,
07:33 and then obviously Robertson and Simmercast
07:36 were out simultaneously at left-back.
07:38 But Liverpool got through it.
07:39 They used the squad well,
07:41 and Trent Alexander-Arnold had an injury,
07:43 and they've used players coming through the academy
07:46 rather than going out and spending money,
07:48 and it just shows you what good infrastructure in a club
07:51 and what good coaching can do for clubs,
07:55 rather than, say, a Chelsea, you know,
07:57 say you have the money that they've spent,
08:00 and where they are now,
08:01 they've got absolutely nowhere,
08:02 but they've spent more than a billion pounds
08:04 since Todd Bowley bought the club
08:06 just under two years ago.
08:07 So, it just shows, doesn't it,
08:09 that you don't owe it.
08:10 The solutions aren't always in the transfer market.
08:13 They can be close to home.
08:14 Yeah, obviously, Liverpool have had to sort of adjust
08:18 with some injuries and stuff like you mentioned.
08:22 Let's just talk about Conor Bradley
08:23 off the back of that Chelsea game.
08:25 He was absolutely fantastic.
08:26 What have you seen from him?
08:27 And, you know, I mean, Trent Alexander-Arnold
08:30 almost made that right-back position
08:31 a position that you'd think would never be replaced,
08:34 but it's certainly paving the way
08:36 for a bit of competition, maybe,
08:38 and he's been fantastic.
08:40 Yeah, he has.
08:42 I mean, you know, looking at the game last night,
08:47 you're thinking, just Trent come back into the team.
08:49 You know, Bradley did really well against Norwich
08:52 in the FA Cup, but with respect to Norwich,
08:55 they're ninth in the Championship.
08:56 Chelsea are, you know,
08:57 they are last lost in the Premier League,
09:00 but they've still got a lot of talent.
09:02 But he came to the fore magnificently,
09:04 took a scope brilliantly from that angle,
09:06 and the pace he was running at as well,
09:09 and then got himself two assists.
09:11 It was a superb performance.
09:16 And you look at him against Arsenal now,
09:20 and suddenly you think,
09:22 people saying, "Oh, you can't drop him."
09:23 But A, he's played five games on the bench,
09:26 now he's the youngest lad.
09:28 Probably not used to the intensity of the games
09:30 he's been playing in,
09:31 so he might come up there.
09:32 But as you say, it gives Liverpool the scope
09:34 to maybe breast Alexander-Arnold
09:36 a little bit more than they have been able to do.
09:39 And it also gives them the option,
09:41 like they have with Joe Bowman
09:42 in the first half of the season,
09:43 to, if things aren't coming quite their way,
09:46 they can move Alexander-Arnold into midfield
09:49 and then play him more.
09:51 You know, a right-back who likes to stick to the flank
09:54 and get to the byline and put crosses in.
09:57 So Klopp's got those options now,
09:59 and that's another string to the bow that he can have.
10:03 He can only bowl as well.
10:04 I mean, you know, he's been...
10:07 The biggest compliment you can have,
10:08 Connor Bradley, is he's looked like a Premier League player.
10:11 If you had never watched a game of football before
10:15 and you said, "How many games do you think he's played
10:17 in the Premier League?"
10:18 You wouldn't think that, you know,
10:19 it means, what, it's probably his third game in the league,
10:22 something like that.
10:23 So, yeah, that's the biggest compliment you can give him.
10:27 And just to summarise on Liverpool,
10:29 if the season was to end soon,
10:31 I mean, we are halfway through,
10:33 but what would realistic goal...
10:35 What would Liverpool fans take in terms of each competition
10:39 now that they're still in?
10:41 It's changing now.
10:42 I mean, you know, we've spoken all season now,
10:44 and we've said top four is still the aim,
10:46 top four is still the aim.
10:47 But it was a statement of victory against Chelsea.
10:51 They were immense.
10:54 Maybe it would be better to ask me after the Arsenal game on Sunday,
10:57 because if you go away and they win,
10:59 then they've beaten a title rival on their own grounds.
11:03 They're eight points ahead of one of them.
11:05 It's firmly in their own hands.
11:07 And if Arsenal fall eight points behind,
11:10 I know they'd still be, what, 15 games left.
11:12 But that's a tough, tough bridge to gap.
11:17 So, yeah, I think top four is looking fairly comfortable now.
11:23 So maybe you have got to change your expectations.
11:27 A couple of trophies, I'd say minimum.
11:29 Liverpool, obviously, into the Carnaval Cup final,
11:31 against Chelsea, into the fifth round of the FA Cup.
11:34 We've got a favourable enough draw against Waffers or Southampton.
11:39 And they're in the last 16 in the Europa League,
11:41 where you're looking at the teams in it,
11:44 probably Liverpool or Bayer Leverkusen,
11:47 obviously managed by Xabi Alonso,
11:48 who looks like he's the front-runner at the minute
11:51 for the Liverpool job in the summer there,
11:52 the two standout teams.
11:55 So it'll be interesting.
11:56 And, yeah, I don't think Liverpool fans are quite expecting
11:59 the bank balances to be hit as much as they probably will be
12:03 from now until May.
12:06 And let's just quickly, you know,
12:08 chat about Everton as well.
12:10 Do you think they needed more from this transfer window?
12:13 Obviously, no incomings,
12:15 but, you know, it's been a bit of a tough situation there for them.
12:18 What's Sean Dyche's opinion?
12:19 Obviously, you've spoken to him.
12:21 And, you know, how does he sort of view transfer windows
12:24 after getting punished so heavily by the Premier League?
12:28 He's just looked at it pragmatically.
12:30 The director of football, Kevin Feltwell,
12:32 came out at the end of December or the start of January
12:36 and said, we expect the month to be quiet.
12:38 Sean Dyche has expected that as well,
12:40 and that's proven the case.
12:42 I mean, I'm sure they would like a couple of additions in,
12:45 maybe, you know, a wide player coming in,
12:49 another centre midfielder perhaps,
12:51 but they just haven't had the scope to do it,
12:54 to be honest with you, Evan, just because of the financial reasons.
12:56 But they haven't lost any players, which is good.
12:58 So, obviously, in the summer, they sold Alex Iwobi,
13:01 Damari Gray before that in January.
13:03 Last January, they sold Anthony Gordon,
13:06 the summer before Richard.
13:07 And so, Everton lost a couple of big assets in the past few windows.
13:12 So, they've managed to keep the likes of Anthony Ronana,
13:14 who's been leaned away, and Jared Bramfoet as well,
13:17 who's having a magnificent season.
13:19 And if Everton hadn't had that punch deduction,
13:22 if they were 12th rather than 18th,
13:26 would there be such a clamour to get new players in?
13:30 I don't know. I'm not too sure if there would be.
13:32 I think maybe, if you look at the injuries,
13:34 people would be panicking a little bit,
13:36 and, you know, people are starting to look at Dominic Carver-Lewin
13:39 as a scorer for 16, 17 games now.
13:43 But if Everton were 12th comfortably away from relegation zone,
13:47 there probably wouldn't be as much of a panic.
13:48 But, again, I expect a fairly quiet day on Everton's front.
13:55 But maybe they are looking at the loan market,
13:59 and if they can get another forward in,
14:01 I think Sean Dyche would be a lot more comfortable with his squad.
14:05 Yeah, do you think maybe it's just the case of, you know,
14:08 Dyche has sort of implemented it at Everton since he came in?
14:11 It's just building that togetherness and that, you know,
14:14 a side 11 players that are going to fight for you every week.
14:17 And that's what the Goodison Park crowd want to see.
14:21 So, is that more of the sort of importance to just ensure that
14:26 there's those players in there that are going to fight and,
14:29 you know, keep Everton in the Premier League?
14:31 Yeah, I think it is.
14:34 I think he said the mentality shifted in the year that he's been at the club,
14:38 which at Everton don't look as brittle as they have in games previously.
14:45 They haven't really been cut apart in matches this season.
14:50 And even in games they've got be twisted at the start of the season,
14:53 they've created chances.
14:55 They're missing Abdullahi Dekore, you can't deny that.
15:00 The way he plays, his style, it just shoots Sean Dyche's team.
15:06 But Everton have got to get through that.
15:08 They'll get him back sooner rather than later.
15:11 So, they've got to find the solutions now,
15:13 really, without some of these players.
15:16 That'll be key as well, keeping the squad fixed,
15:18 because it is a small squad.
15:19 That's what Everton decided to do in the summer to help the finances.
15:24 Decided to go a little bit smaller,
15:27 maybe with a little bit more quality,
15:29 could stretch the budget a bit more.
15:31 And Sean Dyche probably knew at some point that we were going to be injuries,
15:36 maybe a bit of an injury crisis,
15:37 because Everton have only got five players out at the minute.
15:42 But that's a lot for Everton,
15:44 just because of the size of the squad.
15:47 So, I think, as you say, having that siege mentality,
15:49 especially with the points deduction,
15:51 is going to be absolutely imperative.
15:54 Well, I think that'll wrap up our Merseyside section of this morning's show.
15:58 Thanks very much for your input, Will.
16:01 And hopefully it's not much of an ending to deadline day for you.
16:05 No problems. Thanks very much.
16:06 Pleasure, Charles.
16:11 So, our next guest is Michael Plant of Manchester World.
16:14 Michael, welcome to our morning show.
16:16 You've done quite a few of these and it's safe to say it's been quite a quiet one
16:20 in terms of this window, incomings especially.
16:24 Yeah, in terms of incomings, very, very quiet on Manchester.
16:29 You know, nothing really as such to talk about in terms of other than Claudio Echeveria
16:34 coming in at Manchester City.
16:35 Even that deal is a player who's been loaned back to River Plate for the next 12 months.
16:40 So, yeah, nothing in terms of incomings.
16:42 Plenty of outgoings.
16:43 Manchester United have seen 10 players leave on loan this month,
16:47 mainly youth players, but we've also got the likes of Danny Van Vliet,
16:50 Gian Sancho, Hannibal, so players who are pushing in around the senior set-up.
16:56 And then we've also had one player leave permanently, Matteo Mejia,
17:00 and then we've had Sergio Reggiano going back to Tottenham.
17:04 That's kind of been the roundup of things so far in terms of what's been a relatively
17:09 quiet window, as I say, and then for City, I mentioned Echeveria,
17:11 but Calvin Phillips obviously leaving City to join West Ham has been the major news.
17:16 So, what I suppose in general has been a relatively quiet window so far?
17:21 Yeah, and obviously we've spoken a lot that Manchester United,
17:24 that's just on that point there, that they have so many players that you don't know
17:29 whether they're going to get a game or, you know, the likes of Van de Beek, Sancho, of course.
17:33 Is it maybe a case of that they're starting to just clear out these players now
17:37 and come the summer they can maybe look at the squad list and then, you know,
17:42 half of them have sort of gone out of that.
17:44 Is that sort of getting it done early, starting now and using this January window more
17:48 to just get rid of those players rather than bring more in?
17:53 I think that's a factor, yeah.
17:55 I think the likes of Van de Beek doesn't as such have a future at the club.
17:58 I don't think Hannibal was particularly highly rated, well,
18:01 was particularly rated in terms of at first team level.
18:03 I'd say that likes the same for Palistri, who's gone out and loaned yesterday.
18:08 That's a factor.
18:09 I mean, look, the big kind of shadow hanging over United at the moment is, of course,
18:13 Jim Radcliffe.
18:14 And I think that's a factor as well, that, you know, everyone,
18:17 you've got someone who's about to come in and take over the ownership of the club
18:20 in terms of the management of the football operation.
18:22 So it's very difficult to make decisions now when someone about to come in.
18:27 He is having an input in decisions and his opinions are certainly being taken on board
18:31 and actually any major decisions such as selling a major asset
18:35 would actually have to be run past Radcliffe before they can be confirmed.
18:38 So that's a big factor as well.
18:41 And I think as well from a United perspective, the fact,
18:44 part of it is that, you know, they have built this squad to play in.
18:48 United went deep in four competitions last season.
18:51 Well, they went out of the Carabao Cup pretty quickly.
18:53 They're out of Europe already.
18:55 So you're looking at a much quieter second half of the season.
18:58 They don't need this huge depth of squad.
19:00 So they've allowed certain players to leave as a part of that.
19:03 I think if they were still in Europe, still in the Carabao Cup, for instance,
19:06 we probably would be missing quite as many players to go this window.
19:10 They've got a lot of players back from injury, which I think is a factor as well.
19:12 That suddenly, you know, I think that's why Reggie Owen Prince has gone back to Spurs,
19:16 that Luke Shaw is back, Tyrell Molassi is back.
19:18 And the final part of that, and I think probably the biggest factor in all of this,
19:22 is that, you know, financially, United are very, very worried about PSR
19:26 and about that pulling file of those rules.
19:30 As Everton have found out, as potentially Everton find out again, plus Nottingham Forest.
19:34 And I think sides are very worried about it.
19:36 And, you know, United aren't alone in that.
19:38 Newcastle, Aston Villa has been a lot of talk about the fact
19:41 they can't spend a huge amount of money.
19:42 Even Chelsea have stopped spending money, which is maybe the story of the window.
19:46 But yeah, so there's a lot of factors in why United have allowed a lot of players to move on.
19:52 Yeah, of course. I mean, I mentioned it to Will early in the show.
19:55 There was £780 million spent last year in January just by the Premier League clubs.
20:01 And this year, around £45 million. I mean, that difference is monumental.
20:05 It's almost as if some rules have changed or something.
20:08 Why do you feel that the Premier League clubs are now, you know,
20:13 it's almost as if they are sort of treading lightly?
20:15 Is it these new rules, rule changes?
20:17 Why do you think it's been such a slow window overall?
20:21 It's a good point because the rules haven't changed from last year, for instance.
20:24 But suddenly sides are absolutely kind of terrified of breaking these laws.
20:27 And I mean, we knew last year that if you broke the rules, you were going to be punished.
20:30 So I do know what you mean.
20:31 It's difficult to actually put your finger on why there has been such a huge change.
20:34 I think the simplistic way to look at it is Everton.
20:37 And they know the severity of, you know, it's not a little slap in the wrist.
20:41 It is a huge whopping punishment if you are found to have broken those laws.
20:46 I was speaking to someone recently who was explaining that, you know, this, I think is it £110 million
20:52 you can lose over a three year period that actually that figure now,
20:56 that was made kind of 10, 15 years ago, and that figure maybe needs to be inflated a little bit more.
21:01 But look, I think it's a bigger conversation, a bigger question, because, you know,
21:04 football clubs and in general businesses shouldn't be losing money like that, should they?
21:08 We shouldn't want, we shouldn't say, oh, yeah, they've lost £100 million.
21:11 God, we've got to find a way to let them lose more.
21:14 And at the same time, it does seem a bit strange where you've got all these hugely mega rich football clubs.
21:19 You can't spend money in January.
21:21 And I think one issue we've definitely got to resolve with PSR is this thought that you're incentivised
21:27 and almost rewarded to sell your youth team graduates.
21:29 I think that's wrong.
21:31 That shouldn't be the way it is.
21:32 It should be the exact opposite, that you're rewarded for bringing players through,
21:35 keeping them in the set up rather than being encouraged to be sold.
21:39 But yeah, it's an interesting one.
21:40 I think the rules are going to change, aren't they, at the end of the season.
21:43 So, yeah, of course.
21:45 And, you know, we spoke about Manchester United and maybe their want for a strike.
21:50 And when Hoyland came in, we sort of said that maybe they were moving past signing these older players,
21:56 these strikers who can come in for a number of months and just, you know, sort of score goals and then move on.
22:02 You know, look at it can go back as far as maybe Zlatan Ibrahimović, really, if you think back.
22:08 But they've had a number of them since.
22:10 I mean, we thought we were moving past this.
22:13 And, you know, you're sort of saying that it's possible they could be after a striker again.
22:19 I think if they do anything today, United, it will be bringing in a centre forward, a kind of a stopgap centre forward.
22:27 I don't think that's going to happen.
22:30 United have, from probably about the start of December, been very consistent in their messaging that incomings were unlikely,
22:38 never impossible, but very unlikely.
22:40 I don't think we thought the start of December that, you know,
22:43 bringing in an Eric Maxim Choup and Moatim Princes was going to be so financially difficult for the club.
22:48 But perhaps it looks like, yeah, it's almost impossible for them to even bring in a player on loan.
22:54 I think that's what they need. I mean, obviously, Hoyland is the only real centre forward at the moment.
22:59 They have Andy Martial. He's out until March.
23:02 I think Hoyland, while he's definitely improving and developing and getting better,
23:06 he could do with that experience, I think, of having another centre forward and even having some of the pressure taken off of him
23:11 to know that if he's not scoring goals, there is another option.
23:14 The only other player that you can play centrally up top is Marcus Rashford.
23:18 I mean, he doesn't, that's not where he's best.
23:20 I mean, he's best footballer comes when he's playing from the left.
23:23 So yeah, that is the issue.
23:25 I think they'd like to bring in a centre forward.
23:28 And while I think it's unlikely, if we'd have been chatting at 11 o'clock last winter deadline
23:34 and you'd have said Marcel Sabitzer, I'd have said, "No, no, no one's talking about that.
23:38 There's nothing in that."
23:39 And suddenly the way the day unfolded and unraveled, Marcel Sabitzer was done by the end of the day.
23:44 Now, listen, 12 months on, it is a different financial picture, as I mentioned.
23:48 But I would say never say never, but it looks unlikely.
23:53 Yeah, just quickly on Rasmus Hoyland, what have you seen from him?
23:58 You know, you obviously cover most of the games.
24:01 You see what goes on behind the scenes.
24:02 You maybe see how Ten Hag feels about him.
24:05 What's the feeling around him in the camp?
24:08 Has he settled in well?
24:09 And, you know, is there definitely a top player in there?
24:12 Because he has shown moments that there is.
24:16 It's a good question.
24:17 Definitely, I'm not sure.
24:19 I think so.
24:20 I think probably.
24:21 He has scored a lot of goals at a young age.
24:27 I think he's impressive in the international scene.
24:28 He impressed in the second half of last season with Atalanta.
24:32 He is very young.
24:33 I think it's probably unfair on him that he has been kind of thrust into this position
24:37 where he has got to suddenly be the main centre forward.
24:39 When United signed him, that wasn't the plan.
24:41 The plan was that he would be, potentially even play in the wide areas.
24:47 Potentially he would be rested and rotated.
24:49 Anthony Martial would get his opportunities.
24:52 But I mean, Anthony Martial, he's just been such an unreliable player for a number of
24:56 years for Manchester United now.
24:58 So listen, I think there's a lot of encouraging signs.
25:00 I think that he has got the instincts of a centre forward and of a goal scorer is what
25:03 I would say.
25:04 I think he's got a great finish on him, a powerful shot.
25:08 I think he makes good movements off the ball.
25:10 I think he needs, but I don't think he is totally fitting into this Manchester United
25:14 side at the moment.
25:15 And that's not necessarily his fault.
25:16 I think that's potentially the way it's been set up under Eric Ten Hag.
25:20 And I think potentially the players that he's got in, the only player who ever really looks
25:23 consistently through balls is Bruno Fernandes.
25:27 So I think that's an area that has to be addressed.
25:29 But that's a longer term concern.
25:30 Manchester United have been left ball striker for the next 10 years.
25:34 They did say that about Anthony Martial.
25:35 But I suppose he has been a striker for almost 10 years, hasn't he?
25:38 But they, yeah, so they feel that this is a long term investment.
25:43 So I don't think there's a huge amount of concern about the here and the now, even though
25:46 he is starting to score more goals domestically.
25:49 Yeah.
25:50 And let's just move on quickly to Manchester City to finish us off.
25:54 I mean, obviously Pep Guardiola loves tight-knit squads.
25:58 He's always sort of worked with small amounts of players.
26:02 Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland will sort of feel like new signs, this window, when
26:06 they're sort of returning back to full fitness.
26:09 How much of a difference do you think they can make?
26:11 Oh, immense.
26:12 I mean, you're talking about the best midfielder in the world and the best centre-forward in
26:16 the world.
26:17 So it's just, their return is going to be huge.
26:19 I mean, Guardiola said something last night about, you know, along the lines of, 'well,
26:24 we've been good so far, but we're going to be better now that we've got Haaland back'.
26:27 And he obviously would say the same about De Bruyne.
26:30 De Bruyne has been great since he's come back.
26:31 It's almost like, it's a little refresher and a reminder of just how good Kevin De Bruyne
26:35 is.
26:36 I mean, I think a player who potentially, we're up there talking about one of the greatest
26:40 Premier League players ever, in my eyes, I just think he's such a fantastic player.
26:44 Yeah, they are going to really try to push on now in the second half of the season with
26:49 those two back.
26:50 And look, I think he'd be a brave man to bet against them winning the title, to be honest.
26:55 And they've won eight in a row in all competitions.
26:56 They've got a lovely run of games upcoming.
26:59 They've played Brentford twice, they've got Everton, I think they've got Chelsea in that
27:03 too, obviously very hit and miss as well.
27:05 So I think they're in the bottom half of the table now anyway.
27:07 So yeah, nice little run and they played well last night without getting out of second gear,
27:11 which I think is always an encouraging sign for City.
27:12 So yeah, plenty of encouraging signs.
27:15 And you mentioned just one last thing about the tight-knit squad.
27:17 The incredible thing about City is they get so few injuries.
27:20 Right now, Manmohan Akandji is the only player who's out and I suspect he'll be back at the
27:23 weekend.
27:24 So we could go into the weekend without a single injury.
27:26 I mean, it doesn't give me a huge amount to write about, but it's pretty incredible from
27:31 their perspective.
27:32 Yeah, of course.
27:33 And do you think that the PEP standards and why do you think they have such little injuries?
27:39 Because we obviously saw them hit with a few in the early part of the season and it wasn't
27:45 a very different thing to see.
27:46 We haven't really seen that before from PEP City.
27:49 So why do you think they avoid them so well?
27:51 Is it just the standards of fitness in the camp or is there any factors you think stand
27:56 out there?
27:57 Well, listen, City are best in class at everything.
28:02 That means the medical department, that means periodisation and monitoring their players.
28:07 I know that Guardiola have spoken in the past about how they actually don't train all that
28:10 much and how that's partly because of the matches they have.
28:14 And we've spoken about in the past how I'm not a coach.
28:17 All I've got to do is kind of, they come in, they do a little warm-up, they kick some balls
28:21 about, right, that's us done.
28:22 Just kind of keep it fresh.
28:23 Then we do a couple of practical stuff.
28:25 So yeah, I think that's a factor that they are just so conscious of burning their players
28:31 out.
28:33 But it's commendable because they have had little periods and spails where they've had
28:37 a lot of injuries.
28:38 There was a, was it going into one of the games earlier this season, there was almost
28:42 like, I think it was able to field 11 players.
28:45 And that is the issue with a small squad, that when they do get a spate of injuries,
28:49 it does impact them.
28:50 But they weathered it, they were fine.
28:52 Quite a few players came back anyway.
28:53 They had far more than 11 in the end.
28:56 And listen, they are just best in class at everything, as I say.
29:00 And finally, to finish up, we are obviously halfway through the season.
29:03 It was very different this time last year, just coming off the back of the World Cup.
29:08 But what are the realistic aims now for City?
29:11 We saw them push on at a monumental pace this time last year.
29:15 Are they likely to do the same again?
29:18 And what can you see City fans being happy with?
29:21 You know, they've probably got to settle for something else if they're going to go and
29:25 win the treble last season.
29:27 So what can you see this season from them?
29:31 I don't think it's beyond the realms possible that they win the treble again.
29:34 I really do mean that.
29:36 They're just, you know, in my eyes, they are by far and away the best side in Europe.
29:42 But being that doesn't necessarily mean that you go and win all these trophies, obviously.
29:47 Champions League has proved such a difficult one for them.
29:49 I know they won it last season, but for years they had these issues with the Champions League.
29:54 I think if they could win a second one, City fans would be delighted.
29:56 I think there is a lot of...
29:58 I mean, Guardiola was talking last night about how Arsenal and Liverpool aren't going to
30:01 drop many points.
30:02 We have to be perfect.
30:03 We have to be...
30:04 We can't allow many slip-ups.
30:05 And we're talking about nearly half a season still left.
30:11 But yeah, I think they'll push on.
30:15 I think they're conscious of Liverpool and Klopp and the fact that they're going to be
30:19 so good in the second half of the season, potentially, with obviously Klopp leaving.
30:22 But I feel at the moment like it's like a set of dominoes set up.
30:26 You can just see the first few fall.
30:29 And they've got this lovely run of games.
30:30 They've got the players coming back.
30:32 They've got all the ingredients needed to go and push on.
30:35 And as they've done for the last three years, finish the season really strong, kind of late
30:40 winter, early spring period.
30:43 I think, yes, I think we could be set for that to happen again.
30:48 Thanks very much, Michael, for joining me.
30:50 Hopefully your deadline day is a bit quieter this year as well.
30:54 I was just checking.
30:55 I got distracted there with my phone going.
30:57 I was just checking to make sure it was nothing.
30:58 But no, nothing.
30:59 All right, mate.
31:00 Thanks very much.
31:01 See you later.
31:02 See you, Charles.
31:03 Bye.
31:04 So, yeah, that concludes our first morning show.
31:05 Our morning show, the deadline day.
31:06 Daniel Wales will be joined here again later this evening towards the deadline to see if
31:18 any more business is arising or is going to end just before that deadline.
31:23 So thanks very much for joining us and keep an eye out for our videos posted later on
31:28 in the week.