🎤 Chris Waddle

Chris Waddle Interview June 2025

• Jack Grealish will be swapping one bench for another if he joins Newcastle
• Heung-min Son has been great for Spurs but all players have a sell-by date
• Christian Eriksen would be a revelation for Rangers
• The quiet around Alexander Isak makes you doubt his Newcastle future
• Dan Burn should grow a mullet 

Speaking exclusively with OLBG, England icon Chris Waddle has given his thoughts on Jack Grealish – and backed him to have a better chance of success at Spurs than Newcastle. 

The former attacking midfielder has also warned Spurs that all players have a sell-by date after Heung-min Son’s recent struggles and tipped Christian Eriksen for a Rangers move. 

Waddle has also explained why he has doubts around the future of Alexander Isak and urged Dan Burn to grow out a mullet to match his own iconic look. 

Speaking exclusively with OLBG, England icon Chris Waddle has given his thoughts on Jack Grealish – and backed him to have a better chance of success at Spurs than Newcastle. The former attacking midfielder has also warned Spurs that all players have a sell-by date after Heung-min Son’s recent struggles and tipped Christian Eriksen for a Rangers move. Waddle has also explained why he has doubts around the future of Alexander Isak and urged Dan Burn to grow out a mullet to match his own iconic look.

Q: What are your thoughts on Spurs sacking Ange Postecoglou for Thomas Frank?

Ange Postecoglou won the fans over a little bit by winning the Europa League. But overall, you've got to be saying you've got to be judged on your weekly performances and it wasn't good enough.

It was always going to be a close call whether the Europa League was going to save him for another three or four months.

Now they've brought in Thomas Frank who, let's be honest, has done a very good job at Brentford but under no pressure. Maybe just some pressure to stay in the Premier League, but I think the difference you'll find with Tottenham is that Tottenham want to win trophies. They want to be in the top four, they want to be in the Champions League.

They've got the stadium and they've got the training ground, but even going back to when I was at Spurs in the 80s, they always sell players and that’s going to be a problem for Frank if he wants to build a side that can compete for the Champions League.

He's going to find it very difficult because of what he's allowed to bring in, not being allowed to sign a 29, 30 or 31-year old. They want to get players young and then accept bids to sell them on.

Hopefully one day Spurs will go out and buy players for £100million and also not sell players when they get to their peak.

Q: Are Spurs trying something new with Thomas Frank?

When you bring in managers like Jose Mourinho or Antonio Conte, they already know what they want. They are very good managers and have proved it, they also want to go and buy the best players like Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal do. They also buy a lot of players, Spurs are not in the same bracket as those clubs.

Spurs are looking for potential, they don’t go and buy proven 30-year-old players who are internationals and scoring goals every week, they don’t want a lad for three years and go on a free.

It's all about profit and I think Thomas Frank will find that difficult when he’s trying to build his side with the expectations upon him.

Brentford are a very good club, well organised, well run, but their expectations were to stay up. That is very different at Spurs.

Q: Do you agree with how Spurs do their business?

Spurs have the training ground which cost a lot and the stadium which cost a fortune, Covid set them back a couple of years which I think has meant they have had to be careful for a few years.

But I think in the next two years the debts will be paid and then it’ll be whether they choose to go out and spend like the big clubs, or stick with their philosophy of the last 40 or 50 years.

Q: Could you see Jack Grealish thriving at Spurs from Manchester City?

I don't think Tottenham need Jack Grealish, I'll be perfectly honest. I think Jack's a good player, I'm not saying he's not, but he’s not a left winger, I think he's a number 10.

Tottenham have got a lot of numerous players who they've been linked with or looking at. Now, if you're going to bring Jack Grealish in you need to play him as an attacking midfield player, a number 10.

I've watched him for years. I think that's where he's at his best, where he can float around. I don't think he's a winger. He's not tricky. He's not pacey. He can't really beat men.

He's an intelligent footballer and he's got a good range of passing so I'd like to see him play as a number 10. If Tottenham were looking to bring him in as a number 10, then you could see him thriving.

But if they're looking to bring him in to replace Heung-Min Son on the left wing, not for me, no.

Q: Could you see Jack Grealish thriving at Newcastle?

Newcastle have got Anthony Gordon who's been linked to Liverpool and although he has signed a long-term contract, everyone has a price on their head and if it’s right I’m sure Newcastle will consider it.

Newcastle have Ashley Barnes who had such a great run at the end of last season, so Jack Grealish would be third as things stand.

I can’t see him in midfield three, so it would be very difficult for Grealish to get into Newcastle’s team. He’d be leaving one bench for another.

Q: Where would you like to see Jadon Sancho next?

I think the best option for Jadon Sancho would be going back to Germany, or looking for a club in Italy or Spain.

He went to Borussia Dortmund at a young age and the Bundesliga suits him, I think the pace of the Premier League doesn’t suit him, it’s too physical.

I think he'd find it hard to find a club in the Premier League where he gets success and even gets a regular shirt, I'll be perfectly honest.

If I was Jadon Sancho, I'd be looking to get back into the Bundesliga or even Ligue 1, La Liga or Serie A. He’s got talent, we have seen that, but in the Premier League he has really struggled.

Whether it was the price tag or the expectation we don’t know, I just think the game for certain players is too fast and too physical. It’s the same for Sancho and Antony, I don’t think they can cut it in the Premier League.

Q: Is it time for Spurs to cash in on Heung-min Son this summer?

Heung-min Son has been a great servant for Spurs and he looks like a great guy. He is one of the most respected footballers in the game.

But, all players have a sell-by date. If he was playing in a different league in Europe, you'd probably say he has another couple of years, but the Premier League is fast, physical and demanding. You need legs.

Let's be honest, last year he found the pace of the Premier League quite hard, even though he was in a bad time, but I think it would suit him to go abroad.

He's had a great run at Tottenham. He deserves all the applause he gets and I think everybody would wish him all the very best. But as I say, when you get into your 30s sometimes you have to accept it and you have to move on.

I think Spurs have had great service from him and I think it would realistically they might want him to go to Saudi so they can get a good fee, but on a free transfer to France, Italy, Germany or Spain would be good for him and I don’t think Spurs can stand in his way.

Q: Would £40million be a good fee to get for Heung-min Son?

Heung-min Son has got a massive connection with South Korea, he’s grown the fanbase at Spurs and has been a huge attraction for the club. I would be very disappointed and very surprised if Tottenham don’t do the right thing by him in whatever he wants to do.

Q: Could Darwin Nunez thrive for another Premier League team?

There is a big question mark around Darwin Nunez because it just hasn’t happened for him at Liverpool. He could go to a new club and start scoring, we’ve seen strikers do that over the years, so don’t rule him out of thriving in the Premier League.

However, for the price he will cost, there would be pressure on him to hit the ground running and that will depend on the system he is playing in.

He always gets chances, whether he plays for club or country, he always gets chances. His problem has been about converting them.

It could happen for him in another team in England, if he could score then he wouldn’t be leaving Liverpool that’s for sure. He’s a big gamble, that’s for sure.

Q: Would Darwin Nunez be another Timo Werner at Spurs?

Would Darwin Nunez be another Timo Werner? Timo Werner didn’t have the drive or desire to succeed at Spurs, he looked a little in awe at being at the club, maybe questioning his own place in the team at times, he really lacked confidence.

I’m not sure what his future will be, I think with Darwin Nunez 95% of fans would be asking why, it would be a big gamble but it could come off.

I think a loan deal would suit, for him to prove himself and Liverpool to have him off the wages, only time will tell. Maybe it’s worth the risk.

Q: Is Christian Eriksen done in the Premier League?

I watched Christian Eriksen in against Ireland recently and he was running the show, he was pulling strings and he scored, he's still a very fit lad.

However, it's different playing international football and playing in the Premier League. It's fast, it's physical, it's demanding.

I think there's a room for Christian Eriksen to play in Europe without a shadow of a doubt. He's a class act, he's great on the ball, has great vision, but the Premier League is very demanding and that's probably why he didn't get the game time he wanted at Man Utd.

Tottenham, not for me.

Q: Can Christian Eriksen thrive at Rangers?

Christian Eriksen would be a great acquisition for Rangers. I think he would be a revelation. He would be brilliant in Scotland. I think he'd be able handle that league with ease.

Whether his wage demands would be too high, we don’t know, but a lot of teams in Spain and Italy, Germany would like to take Eriksen on.

Not on long-term deals, but I think he’ll have a lot of options around Europe and I'm sure there will be Premier League teams looking at him, but if someone like Rangers got him, he would be a massive coup.

He's still got a lot to offer, but I do think that if he goes to one of the top Premier League teams, I think he'll be sat on the bench more than on the pitch.

Q: Is Wrexham’s transfer business looking smart this summer?

What Wrexham seem to be looking at this summer is proven players, it looks like they can afford a few short term deals and they are being linked to players who have played at a high level consistently over their career, not just one year or a few good performances.

These players have played at the top level over the years and they've been good players at the top level. So you can see what Wrexham are thinking, good players are easier to coach.

They might still think these players have the brain and can still get around the park, they have the technique even though the legs might have dropped off a bit. But the Championship, no problem.

These players may cost a few bob in wages, but Wrexham are chasing down good names and are a good bet to get into the playoffs.

Q: Do Wrexham have what it takes to win the Championship?

If Wrexham get some experience in, they have the pull with the Hollywood connection and seem to be able to pay good wages, they will have a good chance.

Wrexham have been buying players from the league above for a few years now, players used to playing at a higher level.

If they do that again this summer, it will give them a great chance.

Q: Is Wrexham’s cutthroat style helping their progress?

Coming up the leagues, Wrexham have had a good turnaround of players, look at Paul Mullin joining the club and doing so well, but getting new players in when they reached League One, now he has gone to Wigan.

He’s had a great journey and will be well looked after, but like many of their players once they reach a higher level it’s time for them to move on. That is one reason they have been so successful.

Q: Will Harry Kane come back and become the all-time top goalscorer in the Premier League?

Harry Kane has never relied on pace, he has relied on his brain, his technique and his movement. He is very good at what he does and his goal record is phenomenal.

If he wants to come back and be the all-time top Premier League top scorer then you can’t rule it out, but I still think he will be getting chances and scoring at Bayern when he is 37 or 38.

I don't think we will see Harry Kane getting sold by Bayern next season. I think they'll be happy to keep Harry Kane for the next three or four seasons.

Lewandowski was there till he was 33 scoring goals, now looking at him at Barcelona they probably think he left too early.

I think it'll be down to Harry Kane if he wants to go back to Spurs or back to England or does he want to finish his time abroad?

Even if Bayern Munich don't want him, Lewandowski has shown that big clubs still want you at any age if you have the fitness and the know how, you can get tasty offers.

It would be great for Harry Kane and Spurs if he came back and got the record, but he won’t have that in his mind at the moment. He will be thinking about starting the season strong and extending his contract. Whether he has in the back of his mind about playing in another league like Lewandowski or not, he won’t be short of options.

Q: Should Newcastle go after Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze this summer?

Eberechi Eze is a top player. I remember watching him at QPR. He had a lot of talent then, but didn't seem to be able to put the consistency with it. I think with Crystal Palace, he's found his place.

In his number 10 role. He's got the position he wants. He's got the freedom to express himself. He's got the responsibility, which he's taken on board.

You've got to say he's one of the best footballers in the Premier League at the minute. Technically in the top three and he’s playing the top of his game.

I could see him playing at Spurs. I think Spurs could fit him there. I think Newcastle already have their midfield three and three good wingers, I think Newcastle's priority probably will be a number nine back up to Alexander Isak, rather than Eze.

I think Eze is a great player and I'd love to see him at Spurs under Thomas Frank. I think Spurs missed out on Matheus Cunha, who would've been a fantastic signing, but Eze can come in and take responsibility and stamp authority on the club.

He will go in with a lot of confidence and be a hit, I think he'd be a better fit at Spurs than he would at Newcastle.

Q: Should Newcastle put a price tag of £100m on Anthony Gordon?

If Jack Grealish was £100million four years ago, Newcastle would want the same fee for Anthony Gordon now.

He's still young, we know he's a handful to play against, he scores, the only disappointing part of his game is that he dives a lot, but you have to say he’s getting better year by year.

He’s yet to reach his peak and is improving so you can see why Liverpool and other clubs will be looking at him. I think this summer is a good test for Newcastle.

It’s a chance for Newcastle to say to the players, we’re in the Champions League so why would you want to go anywhere?

Liverpool won the league last season, but next season Newcastle might well win it next season. They will bring in three or four players, I think they have the money available, qualify for the Champions League again and bring more players in.

Why would you want to leave? Maybe if you’re not getting a game, but it’s a good test for Newcastle to keep their players and to see how they stand.

If you’re contracted to the club they can tell you that you are not leaving unless we get £150million, then it’s up to the buying club. If Gordon decides he wants to leave, there's not a lot you can do apart from ask for a big fee.

He's still learning. Still not England’s number 11 yet and at the end of last season Ashley Barnes played really well and Gordon had some time on the bench.

My advice to him would be to knuckle down. The Champions League is a shop window to not just English clubs but beyond, there will be clubs chasing him but Newcastle hold the cards.

Unless it’s silly money and you ask to leave, you’re not going anywhere.

Q: Could Anthony Gordon be a future target for Real Madrid?

Could Anthony Gordon be a future target for Real Madrid? Time will tell. He's very quick, he's very direct. I think in Europe you've got to have a little bit more.

I played in France for three years. It's completely different to football in England. I think if I was him, I'd just knuckle down. The more good seasons, the more good work you do the better.

He needs to have a good season, get an England shirt at the World Cup and if he does well a lot of things will happen for him and hopefully it’s Newcastle that benefit.

Q: Would Alexander Isak reject a transfer to Arsenal this summer?

I’d like to see Alexander Isak reject Arsenal this summer, but it’s all quiet at the moment. When it’s quiet you always have that doubt in the back of your head.

He hasn’t come out and said that he is staying in Newcastle whatever happens, so I can see why Newcastle fans might be thinking, what’s going to happen?

If he does go you don’t want to leave it too late to get a replacement. The way it looks to me is that he will be staying or he’d be closer to the exit door.

Newcastle are a huge club and are getting ready for the Champions League, if he was going to go I think it would’ve been done early.

I think he has one more year before looking at his expectations and the expectations of the club, if things aren't going well he might ask to get out, but definitely one more season.

Q: Do Newcastle have a real chance of winning the title next season?

I think to win the title, Newcastle would need to sign a couple of central defenders. Dan Burn and Fabian Schar have done so well but they are getting on.

They have been linked to Marc Guehi and I think they do need a couple of defenders. You have Sean Longstaff backing up the midfield three and are okay with wingers in Ashley Barnes, Anthony Gordon and Jacob Murphy.

I think they will be looking for a back-up to Alexander Isak, but I think Newcastle are four to five players away from potentially winning the title.

They're a good enough side. They've proved that last year. They've beaten a lot of the top teams, but the Champions League does take its toll and you need at least a good 20-25 man squad if you want to compete for the lot.

If Newcastle are in the top four after 15 games or so and they get knocked out of the Champions League early, there's no reason they can't go on and challenge for the title.

Looking at the teams who are up there, there's not a lot between them. There's not a clear favourite for me. Liverpool, yes, they've bought well but they are not guaranteed to be hitting the ground running, not guaranteed to be Premier League superstars in the first six months.

It's always hard to defend your title.

Man City we know have bought players in, so will be up there, Chelsea are a real dark horse, we don't know what's going to happen there. They're still developing but they've got the ability to be there.

Newcastle for me, there's not a reason why they shouldn't be challenging. I look at the league this year again and they have a good squad, if they add four players, they can challenge.

Q: Is Eddie Howe the right man to replace Thomas Tuchel next summer?

Eddie Howe is in the driving seat to become the next England manager, if he has another good season then there is no reason for him not to be approached.

Whether he’d want to leave Newcastle for England would be another matter, he is still a young guy and he may say that he is just enjoying club football and that he doesn’t need to take on the England job yet.

If he did say that then England would have a problem, there are not a lot of managers you’d look at and we’re not going to go and get Pep Guardiola or managers at that level.

It would be very interesting if Eddie Howe did turn England down. I think he'd definitely be the favourite and rightly so.

I think we want to see an English manager there. There's a lot of good non-English options, but Eddie is in the driving seat at the minute now.

He might have a tricky season with Newcastle and decide it’s time to move on, or have an unbelievable season and think to himself why would I ever leave?

He could also have a nightmare and England might think he isn’t the right man for the job, it’s all about the upcoming season – but right now he will be top of the list.

Q: Can Frank Lampard or Scott Parker beat Eddie Howe to the England job?

Frank Lampard played a lot of games for England at major tournaments, Scott Parker played a few times also. That’s something they both have over Eddie Howe.

Eddie is now having his second go at the Champions League which could well make up for his lack of knowledge in international football.

Steven Gerrard’s name will also come up, there will be a lot of ex players and more names might join that list in the next year. But at the minute, I can’t see anybody past Eddie Howe.

Q: Will Marseille’s Jonathan Rowe end up in the Premier League?

Marseille are a selling club, they have made stars in the last 15 and 20 years and it’s just a matter of time before they get sold. There is always a lot of transfer activity and if Jonathan Rowe does well next season, an offer will come in and he will go.

Q: What are your current thoughts on Sheffield Wednesday?

It's an absolute embarrassment at the minute, I've got to say.

Dejphon Chansiri is obviously a very stubborn guy, he just needs to sell the club and let someone else come in who can start work. All the hard work to get out of League One and to stay in the Championship without the greatest squad, what’s the point?

I’m not saying that Chansiri should give it away, he wants his money, but I’m just saying he shouldn’t be greedy. Wednesday have got terrific support and the fans deserve a lot better.

We need this consortium to come in and turn the club around and get them going back in the direction where they should be, but it's a minute and time, it looks really embarrassing.

We don't know what's happened with Danny Rohl, we don't know what's happened with his staff, we don't know what's happened with a lot of the players.

They haven't got any preseason friendlies organised. They haven't got anything organised. They will probably be fielding a lot of the under-21s and youth team players the way it's looking and it's totally, totally embarrassing.

This has been happening for a couple of years now. He should have gone a long time ago because there are people that want to buy it.

Everybody's looking for a bargain, we understand that, but I think the offers that we have heard about of around 50 to 65 million are good offers for a Championship club.

The fans deserve better and I’ve got my fingers crossed and toes crossed that something can go through in the next fortnight so they can get somebody in and start working on this football club and getting some organisation and getting some new players and looking forward to the season.

Because at this minute and time, I've got to say, they are a certainty to be relegated.

Q: Do Sunderland have what it takes to avoid relegation from the Premier League?

Can Sunderland stay in the Premier League? To be honest, unless they spend £300million in the next month, which I cannot see, then no.

It’s really a shop window for a lot of the young players they have, Jobe Bellingham and Tom Watson have gone to bring in a bit of money, they need to spend on experienced players.

They need eight or nine players to add to their squad in order to stay up and they are not going to do that to be perfectly honest. It's going to be a bit frustrating for the fans because we know the fans up there are fanatical and they want to see Sunderland do well.

The club's going to make money from the Premier League, probably go down and then think we could come straight back up because of the payments, but eventually these clubs who do this need to look at the big picture.

They need to go up and try to be like Brentford and Crystal Palace, having a real strategy on how to stay in the Premier League or you will be favourites to be relegated and go back down.

With the three clubs that are going up, I think the format is very similar to what Southampton and Leicester did and struggled badly.

Ipswich spent over £100million on Championship players and it didn't work, they got some money back for Liam Delap, but they have proven that it didn’t work.

You need to go and find proper players from Europe or Premier League who are internationals or close to that level, players who are there to keep your team up in the Premier League.

If you stay up for a year or two then you can develop, the point is it’s not just about spending £40m and getting relegated by losing games five nil, what does that do for the morale of the fans and the players?

Clubs look at the rewards of the Premier League but not investing it into the team and the playing staff, they’re going up to get hammered, take the money and go back down again.

We’ve seen that with so many teams in recent years, unless you're committed to being a Premier League football club then we’ve seen what happens, it’s the fans I feel for.

Q: Do Burnley have what it takes to stay in the Premier League?

I don't see Burnley surviving. Scott Parker has done a great job there, but they were not playing against players like Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah last season.

They will not be keeping as many clean sheets, put it that way. I think if any of the promoted teams finish fourth from bottom, it would be like winning the Champions League for them.

Q: Did you ever have the chance to play for Rangers or Celtic in Scotland?

I wanted to play for Rangers but nothing ever came about. Celtic tried to buy me from Sheffield Wednesday but I decided against it, I didn’t want to go at the time. I was 35 and I decided to stay, I didn’t want another move but they did come in for me.

I went to Falkirk because I knew a guy from Sheffield Wednesday who was on their board. I had been released after an ankle injury and a minor surgery and wanted to play some football before finding another club.

He asked if I wanted to go and play there for a month and I went to get my fitness back before signing for Bradford.

It was never in the plans to stay up in Scotland, but hopefully me and Falkirk did each other a favour. I remember the Celtic offer was when Tommy Burns was manager, making an offer to David Pleat, but I turned it down because I wanted to stay in the Sheffield area.

Q: Will we see a shock winner of the Club World Cup this summer?

The Europeans have got the quality and the squad size. You look at the Brazilian teams, they're well over 30. The Argentinians are very similar.

The cream of South America always go to Europe early so for these teams to perform at the level they're performing, the young players they do have will probably be heading to Europe when the tournament is over.

It’s a shop window for a lot of these teams, but there have been good players heading to Brazil in the last two years, the Brazilian and Argentinian leagues are powerful, they play an attacking style of football on the front foot and it is entertaining.

That's the way they've been brought up and that's the way they've always played football and that will cause other teams a lot of problems.

They've got tricky players, they've got clever players and the only thing that might let them down as the tournament progresses is legs.

Q: Are you surprised to see the return of the mullet?

Fads always come back, I’m a great believer in that. Growing up around music, it was glam rock and then Northern Soul and then punk came, every now and then they pop up again.

If you look at hairstyles, it was all brylcreem and short and shaven, now the long hair is back and in some countries like in South America it has never left.

The mullet was a trend and so were flares or tight jeans, everything comes back around and the mullet has now and will do again.

It might go but then in 10 years it comes back, but for me it wasn’t about a fashion statement, it was superstition.

I had a few little injuries and footballers are very superstitious so I decided to get it cut short, I got injured again so I grew it long, I got injured again so I mixed it up and went for a combination which is where the mullet came from.

Overall I do like walking down the street or going to the pub and you see somebody with a mullet on occasion, it does bring back memories.

Q: How much do you think you’d be worth in today’s game?

You’d have to work out what £4.5million in 1989 is worth in today’s money, someone told me it was about £130million in the equivalent fee.

With the value of the pound I think I was still one of the most expensive Englishmen. It was in the £120million or something.

The thing is, players don’t have a say on the fee. That's between the two clubs. Whether your value is five million or five hundred million, that's up to the clubs to decide.

When I went for four and a half million, which was the third highest in the world at the time, that was a shock to me, like it was to everybody else.

You'd like to think Marseille got good value out of it, which I think they were pleased with me over the three years I was there.

But at the time, I was like everybody else. I was like, wow, it's gone mad. But when you look at it today, the average price of a player is about £30million.

That's the way it's gone. So there'll be a time when we see a £300million transfer.

Q: Which current player reminds you of your own playing style?

Not many, a lot of people look at wingers who are left footed and play on the right wing, Desire Doue from PSG has been mentioned with my name a bit.

Since Luis Figo, having the right footer playing on the left and the left footed on the right has become a trend. A lot of clubs do that.

It's hard for me to sit down and watch players and think, that's like me. I don't really see it a lot. I see the odd thing where somebody has a drop of the shoulder or a certain trick, but it’s hard to compare.

Q: Who is the most underrated player you played alongside?

I started in Newcastle in the Championship when we had a lot of players who did well in the Premier League, which was Division One then, after we got promoted, who were not expected to.

When I look at my career, I played at Tottenham with great players. I think Paul Allen should have got more applause than he did.

Paul was a grafter, he played nearly every week and was an unselfish player who went and got the ball back and gave it to me and Glenn Hoddle. Very underrated I thought at the time.

Another is probably John Sheridan at Sheffield Wednesday. John had a few injuries with his knees but was a great passer of the ball with a great knowledge of the game.

He read the game well, didn't rely on pace as such, could play one touch, two touch, his range of passing was fantastic, good at set pieces and could score free kicks.

He went on to manage quite a few clubs and I could see why he did well. Sheffield Wednesday fans do, but not a lot of people would mention John Sheridan as being a top, top player, and he was.

Q: Name your all-time world XI

Banks; Cafu, Moore, Baresi, Maldini; Hoddle, Gascoigne, Cruyff; Best, Maradona, Van Basten. Manager: Terry Venables.