Louis Saha Q&A: Madrid more of a risk than Man Utd for Kane
07 Jun
Football
Betway Insider
In an exclusive interview with Betway, Louis Saha discusses a big summer ahead for his former clubs Manchester United, Tottenham, Everton and Newcastle.

Visit Betway for all the latest in sports betting.

Would you like to see Randal Kolo Muani at Manchester United? Is he the all-round striker they need?

Kolo Muani has different qualities to Harry Kane and he's still young. He has a hunger to always score goals, keeps himself busy on the pitch and can be very versatile. He’s a player who the Manchester United players will find it easy to play with because he's very smart in the way he plays.

He won't have any issues with the fitness or physicality needed in the Premier League, he can run all day and press high-up like we've seen with Wout Weghorst. He's shown it for France with Kylian Mbappe, they connected instantly.

He’s a great player, someone who can come to Manchester United and gradually improve. I'm sure Manchester United's strategy is to win or challenge for the Premier League title, and if they want to do that then they need guaranteed goals.

There are very few players who can provide those guarantees, and players like Kolo Muani, who are in the tier just below, would improve the quality of the squad but not guarantee goals.

Would you like to see Alejandro Garnacho start more games next season?

Garnacho's goal will be to start more games next season and eventually become one of the first names on the team sheet. He has all the quality to do it, but he needs to understand that he won't play every weekend, even Cristiano Ronaldo was on the bench sometimes.

He still has time to learn and work hard, especially in his position on the wing, it's not easy. I'm sure wants to double his number of starts from this season, but it's very important for Manchester United to get a solid striker up front so he can support Garnacho.

We've seen Pep Guardiola neglect having a proper striker in his team and, now he has Erling Haaland, no one asks questions about Manchester City's attack. That's the power of the No. 9 position, they can bring the other forwards to life, and sometimes I think the position is disrespected in the way it can be overlooked.

A proper striker can hold the ball up for 10 seconds, which allows players to come to support them or run in behind. These are the qualities that Harry Kane could provide. Players like Garnacho, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho would benefit greatly by playing with Kane.

Would you like Harry Kane to join Manchester United or are you hoping Real Madrid sign him?

Now Karim Benzema has left Real Madrid, there is added pressure for Manchester United to sign Kane quickly. Real Madrid can attract any player in the world, not just Kane.

Would Kane fit in easily in Spain? Yes, because he’s a world-class player. Kane also has a similar profile to Benzema in the way he can score and create goals.

But it’s a different atmosphere in Real Madrid, a pressure not all players can deal with. It’s a riskier move for Kane to join Real Madrid instead of Manchester United.

Does Phil Jones have a bigger Manchester United legacy than Harry Maguire?

Phil Jones has been very unlucky with injuries throughout his Manchester United career, but he’s always been a loyal player and never spoke out.

Harry Maguire has been similar. He’s tried his best and became the captain of the club, but the team was not ready for Maguire. The squad was going through a transition and that’s why his £80m price tag was that enormous for a defender. It put a lot of pressure on his shoulders and made it a nightmare for him.

Maguire has done what he could do with his quality, but the team was not ready for him and it’s unfair. Sometimes that’s the risk of going to a big club like Manchester United. I’m sure he’ll be very disappointed because he would have had dreams of winning trophies with the club. To see your career ending at Manchester United like this is very sad.

The last few years, Jones has not played enough. He won’t be telling anyone that he’s contributed to any success. Compare that to Maguire who was captain of the club, which comes with a lot of pressure, but he did tremendously well to deal with it.

It’s hard to compare Jones and Maguire’s Manchester United careers, but I feel sad for them both because they are very loyal and have given their all for the club. Their legacy has been tarnished because of the team's transition in recent years.

If Man City win the Champions League final, does that make their team better than your 2007/2008 Manchester United team?

The style of play in our 2007/08 Manchester United team was incredible, it was so quick. We also had a mix of young and experienced talent who were breathtaking to watch. In training, it was absolutely unbelievable to watch these guys play each other.

Manchester City's team is in a different era, the facilities they have now to build a team are hard to compete with.

With all the respect I have for Manchester City and their style of play, it's almost unmatched how they play with the ball and, since Erling Haaland joined, they have all the tools to win any game. Manchester City was always missing a destroyer up front like Haaland, and now they’re unbelievable.

But I would still argue it's a different case in different eras. There was no VAR in 1999 or 2008, it's easy to be fouled nowadays whereas defenders used to pull and rip my shirt without any consequences. Now the rules are a lot stricter, it suits Manchester City's style of football with a lot of passing.

I prefer my era, obviously because I played in it, but it's hard to compare. We might see someone pass even quicker than Manchester City in the next 10 years.

Do you think if Paul Pogba stayed one more season, he would have shown his full potential playing alongside Casemiro?

Paul Pogba would have played at his best if he played alongside Casemiro. The impact Casemiro has had on Manchester United's team is massive.

I love Pogba, but he needed a teammate to help with his devotion to the club. No player had the stature of Casemiro that could have made Pogba listen, teach him, and play alongside him in the midfield.

Players like Bruno Fernandes, Fred or Scott McTominay all know what approach to have on the pitch and know what they need to do. Even players like Marcus Rashford have improved massively, and it's because Casemiro was able to change these guys into better players.

I'm sure Pogba would have loved to play alongside him, and he must regret his decision to move back to Juventus now.

Have you seen much of Ange Postecoglou and his time at Celtic? How do you think he’ll do at Tottenham?

Whether Tottenham win any trophies soon is not a matter of who the manager is. It could be a tremendously qualified winning manager, but it still would not guarantee trophies for Tottenham.

I respect what Postecoglou has done with Celtic in Scotland, but it's not quite the Premier League. There are six or seven teams that can win the Premier League title. Chelsea will come back, Liverpool, Arsenal, both Manchester clubs and maybe Newcastle who Tottenham will have to compete with.

Postecoglou won't magically bring Tottenham any trophies, saying that is disrespecting Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, who are some of the best managers of this era. I want to be wrong, but it has nothing to do with who the manager is.

But if he can sign the right players and build a project that hasn't been done before, that could be the trophy-winning factor.

Are Tottenham fans being disrespectful about the appointment of Postecoglou?

It's a hard time for Tottenham fans to take any decision because they are frustrated and have just watched a horrible season, an almost disrespectful season for them with some of the poor results they had.

They will comment and criticise Postecoglou's appointment, that's normal, but he does deserve a chance first. Postecoglou will have to prove that he is worthy of being a Premier League manager and a Tottenham manager.

Yes, he has done well with Celtic, but I'm not familiar with him so I'm not surprised some fans are frustrated. Any manager who comes into this role at Tottenham will always be criticised because it's a hard job.

How crucial is it to keep Jordan Pickford at Everton? Could you see him leaving for a bigger club?

I can see Pickford staying at Everton but also leaving for a bigger club.

Pickford is a great goalkeeper and if he wants to leave, he deserves it and should get the respect from the club to do so. He’s done his job in the best way possible. He's saved Everton from relegation twice.

As a fan, it's a horrible position to be in because I'm sure they were thinking of trying to get European football.

I think whatever Pickford's decision is, it will be respected by the club.

Would you like to see him replace Hugo Lloris at Tottenham?

Yes, I would like to see Pickford replace Lloris at Tottenham. Pickford has the confidence to fill the massive gap that Lloris will leave. It's all down to the changes Tottenham wants and the new faces they want to bring in.

It's a shame Lloris is leaving, but if Pickford wants to reach the next level, Tottenham could be the place to do it.

Postecoglou might like this opportunity to replace a big name in the club, the same with Harry Kane, and bring in ambitious players like Pickford who have different types of qualities.

Sadio Mane has been linked to a Premier League return with Newcastle, could he be the signing that takes them to a title challenge?

Despite their amazing season, Newcastle need world-class players, players who have won titles and know how to win trophies. That's the club's next step, and players like Sadio Mane can definitely help and provide inspiration to the team to take them to the next level. It's necessary to have players like Mane's calibre to help them get through competitions.

Newcastle need to be careful, though, because clubs like Leicester City did not bring in the right characters and look where they ended up. A signing like Mane would be bringing in the right character who can help win on the biggest stages.

Messi and Neymar are both leaving PSG, should Kylian Mbappe do the same? And with Benzema leaving, does that open a door for him to be the main man at Real Madrid?

It seems like the perfect time for Mbappe to leave PSG and join Real Madrid now Karim Benzema has left.

I feel sorry for PSG, they've lost two of the biggest stars in the world, Lionel Messi and Neymar, but the way they were treated was disrespectful. That's the nature of football, sometimes you have to move.

It's very important PSG now make the right choices, and one of them is to keep Mbappe. If PSG loses Mbappe, Neymar and Messi, then they're not the same club and lose their structure completely. I'd be surprised if they attract any players with the same calibre.

Even Ligue 1 will suffer if they lose all those superstars. I'm not saying no one will watch the French league, but it's not going to be the same without them.

If Real Madrid get Mbappe, it's a brilliant signing by them and he's one of the few players who can replace Benzema.

The fans who boo Messi and Neymar don't realise that it invites Mbappe to leave the club alongside them.