The ex-Chelsea and Leeds striker shares his thoughts on his former clubs, who's in line for the England World Cup squad and his newest Strictly Come Dancing adventure.
Former Chelsea and Leeds striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink believes Chelsea’s newest signings need to find consistency but insists the newest frontman Joao Pedro is not fazed by the pressure of the Blues shirt.
Chelsea signed Pedro from Brighton this summer, along with several other highly-rated young players. Hasselbaink has been impressed with the immediate impact Pedro has made and believes the future is bright for the Brazilian if he keeps up this form.
In our exclusive interview, Hasselbaink also discusses Leeds’ chance of survival despite their status as one of the favourites to be relegated in Premier League betting, as well as who could be included in England’s World Cup squad and his most recent adventure on Strictly Come Dancing.
How do you see Chelsea’s current squad performing in the Premier League? Will their investments pay off with more success?
I think they have brought in bright young players. That means you have to give them time. They’re in the Champions League now so the squad had to be bigger than last year. Even though they previously spent a lot of money, I think they have got lots of options now on the bench and going forward they look spectacular.
They are stronger than last year. So the players that have been brought in have improved the squad and they’re now competing on all fronts in the Champions League and Premier League, and in the FA Cup. In all those competitions you need to compete, and a successful season would be if they get closer to Liverpool and Man City. If they make that gap smaller and they’re in the Champions League again, they can keep on improving.
Do you think the next goal is regularly contending in the Premier League?
That’s your bread and butter, isn’t it? That’s the most important thing. I think you need to get it right in the Premier League. If you don’t get it right in the Premier League, you can’t play in the Champions League, and they need to play Champions League football. So, you need to get it right in the league.
They’ve had an OK start. They’ve won two, they’ve drawn two. I think they will be disappointed after Brentford, winning 2-1 and almost getting it over the line. If they would have done that, then it would have been a really good start. But now the start is OK, but they’re still in good shape.
It’s about getting a lot more points than last year and getting closer to the champions. If you can get some momentum, who knows what could happen?
Chelsea’s squad is packed full of young talent from recent investment – what is the most important thing when integrating young players into a top-level side?
When you play for a club like Chelsea, you’re always going to have pressure. The shirt is always very heavy, and the club is used to winning things. They have come in, been slotted in straight away in the Club World Cup.
Estevao was not because he was at another club, but Liam Delap played and did really well. He’s injured now, but he needs to come back as quickly as possible, get fit and play as many matches as possible to help get his football going and get some momentum back. I’ve got no concern whatsoever that he is not a good player. He’s a very good player that that makes Chelsea better. So I think that they have exciting players. With Joao Pedro, if you look at what he has done, it is already very good. His goal return has been very good.
It’s looking bright. They need consistency, they need to have consistency week in, week out. So when you go, with all due respect, to Brentford, you need to go and win. I’m not saying that is easy, but you need to go and win there.
When you look at what Liverpool paid for Isak, do you think Chelsea got a good deal for Joao Pedro?
I think so, yeah, but they are totally different players. Joao Pedro is more like a 10. He can play as a 9, but he’s more like a 10. So, he can do a job as No. 9 and we have seen that, but Isak is a totally different player.
Pedro has come in and it’s not fazed him. He settled in really quickly. He’s scored really important goals. When strikers score in those 1-0 or 2-1 games, those kinds of goals are big moments for strikers. If he keeps on doing that then his future is going to be really bright.
What is your opinion on the Nicolas Jackson situation and how it unfolded?
I’ve always liked Nicolas Jackson. I think he could bring something to the team, but obviously two strikers have come in and he felt that he was not going to play as much as he was.
He wanted to leave and you can understand that. I think Chelsea were happy to sell him. I was just surprised that that Newcastle or Man Utd didn’t try to get him.
But he asked to leave, and I don’t know what I can say about that really. He’s at another club outside of England and I think Chelsea wish him well.
What do you think Alejandro Garnacho will bring to the side? And what do you think of the signing?
They wanted four wingers and he is the fourth one coming in. He’s exciting, and has got lots of Premier League experience. He’s direct and quick, he scores goals and also provides assists.
He’s got lots of games in the Premier League, and they only paid £40million for him. If you look at Elanga or Isak and a lot of other players, the big money that they have gone for, Chelsea have done some really great business for Garnacho.
I like him and he is somebody that really doesn’t have to settle in the Premier League. He already knows the league, he just has to settle in London. He’s got the attitude and self-belief to go and be a success at Chelsea.
Who in the current Chelsea squad would you have liked to play alongside in your prime?
I like Caicedo. I think he’s magnificent. They’re all magnificent, but Caicedo is special. The amount of tackles he wins and the simplicity of his game is very important. I love it.
I think he’s the engine of the team. He drives them and I think the energy that he gives to his teammates makes him a very, very important player.
Do you think Leeds have what it takes to break the survival curse of recently promoted teams?
They have four points from four games. They were unfortunate against Fulham with the own goal in the last minute. They need to stop feeling sorry for themselves and kick on, but you can’t change it.
They need to make Elland Road a fortress. It needs to be a difficult, hostile place where nobody wants to go and where they can pick up lots and lots of points. They need to keep it tight and find a way of not conceding as many goals. But I’ve got all the confidence that they will stay in the league. I think that there will be at least three worse teams.
How important will the Elland Road atmosphere be in their quest to remain in the Premier League?
It’s going to be vital, and they need to play to it. They need to keep that energy really high at the stadium. They really need to make teams feel like they don’t want to go there, and make it really uncomfortable for them. If you do that then you will get the supporters behind you.
Leeds now have Calvert-Lewin as a striker – how do you think his Premier League experience will help their move from the Championship to Premier League?
The most important thing is to keep him fit and make sure that he plays games. It’s very important that you then get crosses into the box for him. But the most important thing for Calvert-Lewin is that he stays fit. He needs to work harder on his fitness and on his strength because he needs to play week in, week out. He’s too important for Leeds to not be available.
They have got other strikers as backup, but obviously Calvert-Lewin is the main man. So, if you’re the main man, you need to be available for 90 per cent of the games. You might not have to play all 90 minutes, but you need to be available. So hopefully he can make himself available more often.
Leeds have spent over £100m in the summer, which signing do you think will make the biggest impact?
I like the midfielder, Anton Stach, who came from Germany, but Calvin-Lewin is going to be vital. As I said, they need to keep him fit and get him on the pitch. If they get him on the pitch and provide him properly with crosses, I think he will score goals.
Were Leeds right to stick with Daniel Farke?
He got them promoted. He deserves to manage them in the Premier League. Obviously, he knows the team very well. He did a good job last year, so hopefully he can get them going in the Premier League.
What were your thoughts on Middlesbrough parting ways with Michael Carrick?
It’s a difficult question. I never like to see managers losing their job, but obviously the expectation was for a lot more. I don’t know what the expectation was. I don’t know how much money had been spent.
Michael initially did very well. Obviously, it was a big disappointment that they didn’t get into the playoffs. I think maybe that’s why he lost his job, but that’s football for you.
Middlesbrough have been out of the Premier League for a long time but it’s a club that really should be in the Premier League. It’s a brilliant club. I think football is football and I’m not going to be surprised on these kinds of things anymore.
They have made a good start under Rob Edwards, could they get promoted?
If he can keep this kind of consistency then yes, I hope so. He had a difficult match against Preston. They were losing 1-0 and then they came back. That tells me that there’s resilience in the team, which is good.
One point away at Preston is a very good point. Now the next game they play at home, they need to get three points. If you keep on doing that, getting a draw away and winning at home, you’re going to get promoted.
Do you think Conor Gallagher needs to come back to the Premier League to make it into the England squad?
I know Conor really well. I like Conor as a person and as a player. I don’t know particularly how much he has played at Atletico Madrid. If he’s been playing a lot at Madrid, then it’s a pity that he’s not in the squad with England.
If he doesn’t play that much, then I can understand why he’s not being picked. Certain managers think they need players who are playing, but he’s different than everybody else.
You can always use a player like Conor, as he always gives 100 per cent. He always trains 100 per cent. You know that he will always do the job you ask him to do so I’m a big fan of his.
You worked with Jack Grealish when you were a coach with England. Do you think he has got his joy for football back, and if he continues this form does he have to go to the World Cup?
I don’t think Jack is far away. I think the start that he’s made at Everton has made people realise that he still has a lot of hunger, and he wants to prove people wrong. I think if he has a similar spell from now up until the next time England come together, then they will call him up because he’s an exceptional player when he’s in form.
He’s very good at what he does. He understands the game, he can hold the ball, he can get you up the pitch and open situations up.
It’s all about Jack. If he keeps on performing like he is now there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s going to be picked for the England squad.
Phil Foden had been struggling for form before a strong game against Manchester United in the derby. What sort of advice would you give to Phil Foden to help keep his form consistent?
Phil doesn’t need my advice. Phil is a brilliant player, a special player. Phil is someone that needs to be fed the ball. You need to give him the ball, even in tight areas or in in difficult moments as he can handle it. You need to trust him, and you need to let him play. He needs players around him that can complement him.
But Phil needs to keep on playing like he did against Man Utd. And again, if he does that then he will be back in the English squad, no doubt about it. He’s too good to be left out.
Thomas Tuchel has openly criticised Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defending, and picked Djed Spence ahead of him. At this point is he unlikely to go to the World Cup?
I honestly don’t know. That is Tuchel’s style, he likes to be up-front. That’s how the Dutch and the Germans do things. I would think that he wants a reaction from Trent – the right reaction.
I think everybody knows that Trent is an exceptional player and Tuchel is going to want his best players available. But doing the right things, not doing half a job. So, I would think that he’s trying to get him fired up and doing the right stuff in the future.
Which Premier league striker excites you most right now?
I would say Alexander Isak. I think he’s complete. He scores different kind of goals. He scores headers, he can move, he finishes really calmly. I like Haaland as well, but I think Isak is just different so that’s my preference.
Some big-name Dutch players moved to the Premier League this summer. Who will make the biggest impact?
Well, they’re all very good. Reijnders has started really well. Frimpong got injured but that’s England. It’s physical. Simons has only just started, but I like Simons. I really like him. I think he’s going to be a big, big, big success at Spurs. He can play on the left or as a No. 10, but he’s also not scared, and that’s whyI like him.
It looked like Simons could have been going to Chelsea but ended up going to Spurs. What do you make of that sort of scenario?
It’s one of those things. It took a long time, and then you start to think ‘is it going to happen?’. But then Spurs came in and then he had to make a decision, as he wanted to be in the Premier League and not at Leipzig anymore, so he had a choice to make.
I think he spoke to Thomas Frank, and he really liked what Frank was about, how he was going to play and what his role was going to be. That was the biggest factor. I think that he had that chat with Frank and he showed that he really, really wanted him. So, you can understand it.
Moving away from football onto your newest adventure with Strictly Come Dancing, how have rehearsals been so far?
I’ve really enjoyed it. I can’t tell you yet who my partner is, but she’s been magnificent with me. But it’s really, really hard. It’s tough, really tough. I’m in the unknown so I’m very nervous, but on the other side it’s very exciting as well.
Has it been as tough as you imagined it would be?
Tougher. It’s been much tougher than I thought but there haven’t been any injuries yet.
Who do you think your biggest competition is and how far do think you’ll go in the competition?
I don’t know who my biggest competition is, but I want to take every day as it comes. I’m competitive. I want to be the best version that I can be and I want to learn. I don’t want to become a dancer, but I want to learn how to dance and I want to do it properly. I want to make people proud.
I’m looking to improve week by week and show that I can grasp it. But then we will see if I can get as far as possible.
Which Premier League player would be the best dancer on Strictly?
I think Virgil Van Dijk. He has the posture for it.
