Okay, so previously we released part one of our two part series where we take a look at every Premier League club and pick a legend we’d bring back in their prime if we had the free reign to do so.
Yesterday took us from AFC Bournemouth to Huddersfield Town, meaning today we will go from Leicester City to Wolverhampton Wanderers, the clubs being in alphabetic order of course.
Here are our views on which club legend each of the 20 Premier League teams should bring back if they could (PART TWO):
Leicester City – Gary Lineker
From stars of yester-year like Peter Shilton and Arthur Rowley to recently-departed Premier League winners like Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante, there are a whole heap of former Foxes that Claude Puel would love to have at his disposal right now.
The two leading candidates in the end for us though were Gordon Banks and Gary Lineker, and since we think the Foxes are stronger between the sticks than they are in attack, it’s the crisp salesman who gets the nod from us.
Lineker was not a ferociously talented footballer, but he was an exceptional goal scorer. Quick, smart and clinical, he started his career with his boyhood club, before going to star for the likes of Tottenham and Barcelona, as well as winning a World Cup Golden Boot.
Liverpool – Alan Hansen
Football pundit Alan Hansen hits a driver off the second tee during the first round of the 2015 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at The Old Course on October 1, 2015 in St Andrews,…
Liverpool are the second most successful club in England and the country’s most successful on the European stage, so it’s little surprise that they have a raft of legends longer than my arm. What’s more, Jurgen Klopp’s current Reds team are a joy to watch, and we suspect any former player would love to step into this vibrant and attacking side.
We steered clear of attacking players given the brilliance of Liverpool’s front three, but strongly considered Steven Gerrard for the dynamism and quality he’d bring to the team’s midfield. In the end, though, Liverpool still have one obvious weakness in our eyes, and that is alongside Virgil Van Dijk at centre-half. Alan Hansen is one of the most gifted and gracious central defenders in the history of the British game, and if he were to return to Anfield in his pomp, they’d be a frightening proposition for any team in England and beyond.
Manchester City – Yaya Toure
Okay, I can see this being a touch controversial so I’d best justify my position. Firstly, there’ll be some who suggest that Toure’s selection indicates Manchester City have no history, which obviously isn’t true and I apologise to City fans for that. The truth is, we weren’t short on legends from the blue side of Manchester.
Bert Trautmann, Peter Doherty, Billy Meredith, we could go on… However, Manchester City are absolutely drowning in quality on the flanks and in attacking midfield, and with Ederson between the sticks, they’re hardly in dire need of a top class goalkeeper.
The only weakness we see in Pep Guardiola’s team is the lack of replacement for Fernandinho, who is 33 now, so that’s why we’ve opted for Yaya Toure, who could play anywhere in the middle of the park from a holding to offensive role absolutely brilliantly at his best. Colin Bell obviously needs a mention, but we think Yaya would be better suited to just sitting in there when called upon.
Manchester United – Paul Scholes
Former Manchester United and England footballer Paul Scholes attends 433 Token promotional event on August 8, 2018 in Hong Kong, China.
Okay, where to start with Manchester United. No club in England can touch them in terms of the sheer weight of world class former players. Given Jose Mourinho’s desperate scramble for a centre-back, the likes of Ferdinand, Vidic and Stam maybe ought to have been in contention. The trio of Best, Charlton and Law are difficult to overlook, whilst Cristiano Ronaldo’s raw match winning ability drove our eventual pick the closest.
With much doubt, and I still wouldn’t argue with anyone who would pick any of the above or Roy Keane or Bryan Robson instead, we’ve gone for Paul Scholes. This Manchester United team lacks identity under Jose Mourinho, and Scholes was a master when it came to controlling the tempo of a game. He’d be a tremendous influence on this current side, although so too would be all the others mentioned.
Newcastle United – Alan Shearer
Alright, so younger viewers may have been thinking this one was a foregone conclusion, but it really wasn’t. Newcastle United have had some truly unbelievable players over the years, particularly in attacking areas. Jackie Milburn, Hughie Gallacher, and even Andy Cole have to be considered, and Gallacher in particular we would be happy to give the nod to over Shearer, but in the end we went for the Magpies all time leading scorer.
Shearer, who scored 206 goals in 405 games, was powerful, smart and rather nasty. Shearer scored every type of goal. No offence to new recruit Salomon Rondon, but Shearer would be a pretty hefty upgrade at centre-forward for Rafa Benitez.
Southampton – Mick Channon
Trainer Mick Channon at Newbury Racecourse on May 19, 2018 in Newbury, England.
Now, Southampton fans and the rest of the footballing world will no doubt have been expecting Matthew Le Tissier to be a shoe-in here, so I’d best explain why he isn’t. Mark Hughes is currently playing a sort of 3-4-2-1 at St Mary’s, with the pacy Nathan Redmond and Stuart Armstrong as his two in behind a centre-forward. Le Tissier was a marvellous technician, but he was neither the quickest nor the fittest, and Southampton would basically have to build their team around him if we were to bring him back.
In the centre-forward position, the Saints have had some great players, from Alan Shearer to Peter Osgood. Neither of those two played their best football on the south coast, though, so our pick is the only former Saint with more goals for the club than Le Tiss – Mick Channon. The scorer of 228 goals in 607 games for Southampton, Channon was a complete centre-forward who could do it all, and he’d be a brilliant candidate to lead Mark Hughes’ line today.
Tottenham – Luka Modric
Tottenham was a really tough one. It is a mark of how strong Spurs are in certain areas that the likes of Jimmy Greaves, Gary Lineker, Paul Gascoigne, Glenn Hoddle and Gareth Bale didn’t even get much of a look-in for us. We think the place to strengthen for Tottenham is central or defensive midfield, and that meant a toss-up between Danny Blanchflower, Luka Modric and Dave Mackay.
Modric tended to play in more of an advanced role at White Hart Lane, but he has proved himself as probably the finest central midfielder in world football at Real Madrid. For that reason, it’s Modric who gets the nod for us, coming in for one of Spurs’ central or holding options whether that be Dier, Sissoko, Wanyama, Winks or Dembele.
Watford – Luther Blissett
The two obvious candidates for Watford are John Barnes and Luther Blissett. Barnes is probably considered the better of the two players in wider circles, but Watford boss Javi Garcia is currently playing a narrow 4-2-2-2, with no obvious way in which to accommodate an out-and-out wide man like Barnes.
Up front, however, Watford leave a little more to be desired. Troy Deeney and Andre Gray currently occupy the centre-forward positions, but Luther Blissett would be an obvious upgrade on either. The Hornets all time leading goal scorer and appearance holder, Blissett had three stints at Vicarage Road, along with a brief spell in Italy with AC Milan. A quick, strong and industrious front man, Blissett edges out Barnes as our choice for Watford.
Ex Watford player Luther Blissett during half time at the Barclays Premier League match between Watford and A.F.C. Bournemouth at Vicarage Road on February 27, 2016 in Watford, England.
West Ham – Bobby Moore
Okay, so this is a case of just weighing up where the team lacks quality against just how good the player was, and in Bobby Moore’s case, he was just too good. West Ham made a lot of signings over the summer, and it remains to be seen who will impress and who could flop.
On the face of it, the Hammers don’t really need reinforcements at centre-back, although their 4-0 defeat to Liverpool may have suggested otherwise. Di Canio, Brooking, Hurst and Tevez may all warrant mentions, but ultimately it was the great Martin Peters who ran Moore closest for us. In the end, though, Moore’s combination of silk and steel, his towering presence as both a footballer and as a man, and his exceptional leadership credentials mean we have to go with the Hammer’s greatest ever player.
Wolves – Stan Cullis
a statue of former Wolves manager Stan Cullis outside the stadium before the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton FC at Molineux on August 11, 2018 in…
Talking of great English centre-halves, another man who would make our all time top 5 in that category would be Stan Cullis. Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo has a fantastic squad at his disposal by promoted club standards, and he seems pretty set on playing a 3-4-3. With that being the case, an upgrade on Ryan Bennett at centre-back or Raul Jimenez at centre-forward was our main focus.
Billy Wright is an obvious candidate as England’s first player to reach a century of caps and someone who could step into that back three, meanwhile Steve Bull and Roy Swinbourne caused a few headaches up top. In the end though, we’ve gone for Stan Cullis, a world class, cultured centre-half and leader who would make this Wolves side so tough to beat.
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