Collymore’s column: Liverpool and Arsenal should avoid Mbappe, Man United must get Ashworth, and why Alexander-Arnold’s injury is a blow to his EURO 2024 hopes
In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Aston Villa and Liverpool attacker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, including Kylian Mbappe’s future, Dan Ashworth’s potential switch to Man United, how Trent Alexander-Arnold’s injury could affect his England career and much more.
Liverpool and Arsenal must avoid bringing Kylian Mbappe to England
Kylian Mbappe will leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season and it looks like Real Madrid will be the superstar’s next destination. The reason the La Liga giants will very likely be his next club is the same as when I moved from Nottingham Forest to Liverpool. It’s fact that you are following in the footsteps of some of the greatest players to have played the game. You are testing your abilities by trying to match the achievements and numbers of that historic club’s legends.
Players don’t think with the mindset of going somewhere and building from scratch and hoping other players follow their path in the future. From my point of view, most players will think ‘I’m wearing Daglish’s number or I could score more goals than Kevin Keegan’ when joining a huge club with a glorious history. That is why Real Madrid are such a draw for so many players across several generations.
I can see Liverpool or Arsenal trying to get involved in the race but my advice to them would be to stay away from Mbappe. The French star is a great player but he will demolish their wage structure and not only that, the temptation to push the boat out for him will always be there, which could have a ripple effect across the whole dressing room.
Arsenal have a fragile ecosystem built around young players who are all on this journey of getting the Gunners back to the top
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