Speaking to Gambling Zone, ex-Chelsea, Arsenal and France defender William Gallas lifted the lid on all the latest transfer rumours and gave his thoughts on the upcoming Premier League season.
- Chesea were 'rejected' by Olise for Bayern Munich
- Enzo Maresca must seal Champions League or he's a 'failure'
- Arsenal will definitely win the league this season
On Chelsea
Chelsea seemed to be leading the race for Michael Olise but now he’s headed to Bayern Munich, what do you make of them failing to get this deal over the line again?
I’m not sure why Chelsea failed to get it over the line, it may have been Olise rejecting them to go to Bayern Munich, that wouldn’t surprise me given Bayern will be playing in the Champions League next season.
I know Olise played 19 games last season and 37 games the season before, so he’s played a lot of football for someone so young. I do wonder if his move to Bayern will stifle his development - I don’t think it’s a good idea as he has to adapt to a new lifestyle at one of the biggest clubs in Europe and compete with another winger.
He will be a substitute at first, so he will need to work hard to be in the starting XI.
Why did Chelsa fail to sign him? I don’t know but I think he’d have been excellent for them given his Premier League experience. However, it’s still a big club and he might have struggled with the level too, there, who knows.
If he signed for Chelsea, I think it was the right move for his development before heading to another big club later on.
Chelsea have signed an Aston Villa youngster Omari Kellyman for £19m - he’s only played 148 minutes of senior football - why do you think they are signing these teenagers for such big prices?
I saw that Chelsea signed that young player from Villa, Omari Kellyman. To be honest, I believe that Chelsea now have a model to sign young players and sell them on for profit and make money.
But the question is if having this many young players is a help or hindrance to the club. The aim is to get into the Champions League, will these players help them do that? They certainly win’t win them into the Premier League.
Chelsea need experience, they have one experienced player, Raheem Sterling, who didn’t have his best season last season. With Thiago Silva gone, it’s difficult to name more than one player in their entire squad who has experience and it’s very worrying for the club.
Buying more young players might unsettle it more, so they should look to buy more experience players as soon as possible.
Conor Gallagher is one of Chelsea’s most experienced players and he might be leaving too, what do you make of this?
Conor Gallagher leaving is another big worry for Chelsea. He is their vice-captain after Reece James and of the only English players in the starting XI.
Chelsea are clearly worried about profit and sustainability rules, but they should stop buying players rather than selling the important ones! They have a big enough squad as it is and they keep making too many signings, it’s effecting the core of the team.
Nico Williams is believed to be priority number one for Chelsea this summer. He’s been solid at this Euro’s, would he be a good addition for Maresca?
Nico Williams is someone you don’t want to play against, I know that for sure. I watched him against Italy when he was Man of the Match and he was very dangerous throughout the game.
I understand why Chelsea want him as technically he’s brilliant and I think he’d flourish at that club, but the Premier League is so physical and you worry about whether he can adapt.
He’d be very difficult to mark and has some good quality, but the Premier League is so physical and you have to question whether he’d fit there, I think he would from what I saw.
What do you think the realistic target is for Maresca this season? Given Poch was sacked for coming sixth, is top four the expectation?
Enzo Maresca did brilliant at Leicester and I know he was Pep’s assistant - so Chelsea are clearly copying Arsenal’s model with Arteta
Maresca is clearly a long-term appointment, but he will not finish top of the Premier League with their current squad. Pochettino finished sixth and he was sacked so the aim for Maresca has to be the top four.
Maresca has to be given time but we know what Chelsea are like, you never know with them. It looks like they want to work with a manager long-term, so we have to see how this is going to work.
Definitely, the challenge for Maresca is to get Chelsea to qualify for the Champions League, otherwise he’s a failure.
If you were the Chelsea board and you could sign one player this summer, who would it be?
Chelsea need a center-back to replace Thiago Silva - Wesley Fofana is quality but he’s so injury prone and his big knee injury hampered his progress completely.
Right now, Chelsea’s defenders are all young and they lack a world class defender, so that would be my priority in the summer.
I haven’t really thought about it, Dayot Upamecano is good and has been very solid for France at the EUROs so maybe he could be a good option.
They need a defender who can read the game and can be a leader, because when you have experience you’ve played so many games and know how to control a match and different situations.
If they are young, they have a different profile and with the players they have, they need a leader who can drive them and who can teach them.
On Arsenal
Last time I spoke to you, you said Arsenal would win the league, do you think they will do it again or will City win five in a row?
Arsenal will win the title next season - I’m very confident this is their year. They were unbelievable last season, scored so many goals and had the best defence in the league.
It was pretty incredible that they lost the league given how good they were, but that just shows how amazing Pep Guardiola is.
Man City were good last season, but they also made many mistakes and slipped up on occasions. I believe they will do this again and Arsenal will take advantage.
Man City winning five-in-a-row would be extraordinary and I just don’t think they can do it with Arsenal in the ascendancy they are in. Guardiola is the best manager in the world but winning takes its toll and I think Man City might tire and he will be asking a lot of them to win again.
Arsenal know they have to win every game to win the Premier League and I believe they will score many goals and do something special.
It’s understood Arsenal are very keen on signing Joshua Kimmich, do you think that would be a good transfer for the Gunners?
Joshua Kimmich is the perfect replacement for Thomas Partey. He can also play in midifled and right-back and I think if he signs for Arsenal he will play in the middle.
He has the quality and experience to add a lot to Arsenal. He will need to adapt to the Premier League and I think he has the quality to do it - given what he’s done for Bayern in his career.
Kimmich is technically very good and him in a midfield with Rice could be something special for Arsenal.
It’s no surprise Arsenal are on the lookout for a striker to rival Gabriel Jesus up front, who would you target if you were their board?
I know Arsenal want a striker and they definitely need one as they need something different to Gabriel Jesus.
I like Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa. I think would be a good profile for Arsenal, he can stretch defences and offer something different to Gabriel Jesus. I liked the way he performed when he came on for England against Denmark in their last game.
He’s the kind of player you would want to play up front with someone else. He’s quick, intelligent and a player like him would be good for Arsenal, especially if he plays with someone who can link with him up front.
Gabriel Jesus was injured last season but you need a striker who can score you 20 plus goals, Watkins did and he might be the player that sees Arsenal over the line for the title next season.
I know this seems pretty far-fetched, but it’s said that Nicolas Jackson is unhappy at Chelsea after Poch’s sacking, should Arteta look to sign him given his impressive first season at Stamford Bridge?
Nicolas Jackson to Arsenal? No, I don’t think so. Nicolas Jackson is clearly upset at Chelsea for Pochettino leaving, Poch gave him the opportunity to have that confidence and he gave him a very good first season in the Premier League.
The new manager will need time to get even more out of Jackson, but he had a very solid season, scoring nearly 15 goals, so I think he can improve again.
He’s still young and the next step is to get to the 20 goal mark, which I think is possible next season for him. He’s still very raw and missed some huge chances, especially in their semi-final of the FA Cup against Man City, but I think he has all the tools to become a very good player in the future.
What do you think of Mudryk, will he ever become a good player?
Mykhailo Mudryk was never ready to come to England and that’s why he’s struggling. He doesn’t look happy and I think Ukraine’s difficult situation hasn’t helped him, but he has to try to put it out of his head when he goes to training and to games on the weekend.
One thing I’d say about him is that he is very explosive and dangerous, he just needs to be coached with his movement. His final pass needs work and his final decision in general. He can improve on this and he just needs to work hard.
Everyone was disappointed with his season last season. I thought he’d be much better but he wasn’t but I haven’t given up hope yet.
On Euro 2024
What is your prediction for France vs Poland tomorrow?
France’s defence has looked very strong and I think they have looked much better than England.
We played very well against the Netherlands and I feel like we should have won the game given the chances Griezmann and Rabiot missed.
Against Poland, I think France will win 3-1. I think they will concede as you never know what happens in football
