Former England, Bolton, West Ham and Everton manager Sam Allardyce has told William Hill’s new podcast, No Tippy Tappy Football, that the Premier League’s biggest sides missed a trick by not signing Jude Bellingham this summer.
Speaking to William Hill’s No Tippy Tappy Football, a new series in which Allardyce and host Natalie Pike are joined by a special guest each week to discuss the big stories surrounding the 2022 World Cup, the 68-year-old said Borussia Dortmund’s midfielder would have been a real coup for any side in the English top-flight.
He said: “I think Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool missed a massive opportunity in snapping him [Bellingham] up. Birmingham, at this stage, are always going to be struggling for money and looking to capitalise on such a great player that they had. For him to have ended up in Germany I think is a shame.”
Allardyce’s former assistant Sammy Lee was the first guest on the new podcast and the Liverpudlian questioned why Jurgen Klopp’s side didn’t try to sign the talented teenager during the summer.
Lee said: “He’s high on Liverpool’s list for next season. They identified him as being the one, and they should have got him. I don’t understand why people wait a year – a lot can happen in a year.”
Bellingham looks certain to be on the plane to Qatar and one player Allardyce would like to join him is Everton’s Anthony Gordon, who has impressed the former Toffees boss.
He said: “I’ve been watching his [Gordon’s] progress. He seems to be such a big player for Everton at the minute.
“And even last season, when they were struggling really, really badly, he was the one player that stood out a bit. He seemed to accept the ball and run at the defenders and open the defenders up and create. I’ve seen him perform in a struggling team. It’s not easy to perform well in a struggling side as a youngster.”
With Harry Kane an automatic pick up front, much has been spoken about who will be the back-up striker for England and Allardyce thinks Brentford’s Ivan Toney is the perfect understudy.
He said: “If you need to change something and go with a Plan B, then this needs to be talked about among the teams. Not being brainwashed into tippy-tappy football. There’s a time and place where you change the whole focus of what you’re doing.
“I saw Andy Carroll come in on a cup final for Liverpool. Liverpool played off him and he changed the direction of the game. I don’t think they quite won, but he came on and caused absolute mayhem against the opposition. I think this lad [Toney] could do that, but Gareth’s [Southgate} got to be brave enough and the players have got to be brave enough to play off him. No player in the World Cup will be used to playing off someone like him. That could be the turning point if need be.”
