The ex-Man City and Everton defender gives his thoughts on the Club World Cup, City's recent signings and what's next for Jack Grealish.
Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott believes Rayan Cherki will be given an opportunity to fill Kevin De Bruyne’s role for the club this season.
City have signed the 21-year-old Cherki for £30m from Lyon this summer, along with Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan and Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolves. Lescott believes the young attacking midfielder will have an immediate chance to make an impact after club legend De Bruyne departed the club on a free transfer.
In our exclusive interview, Lescott also discusses the summer ahead for City – who are among the favourites in the FIFA Club World Cup betting – along with his former club Everton’s expectations under David Moyes for the upcoming season and which No. 9 the Toffees could target if Dominic Calvert-Lewin departs the club.
What are your thoughts on the new FIFA Club World Cup format?
From a non-playing perspective, I’m looking forward to it. I want to watch games over the summer. If not, you get bored. You might think it’s okay for a couple weeks, then all of a sudden you’re like, “I need some football!”
It’s a different format and I think it’s interesting to see competitive games when teams are at different stages, mentally and physically. You often come to America for pre-season, but it’s not as competitive. Now there’s something on the line, so it’ll be interesting to see what level they really are at, in terms of the MLS teams and how close it is to European football.
Do you think players will go all out to win the tournament or will they try to manage their fitness?
I think they will want to manage themselves, but you can’t manage it. You think you can, but as soon as you go out there, you’re competitive and these are the best players.
I think it’s key that they have opened the transfer window before the tournament because the new players will definitely want to shine. The stats will go down on your career record if you’re scoring goals in this tournament for Man City or whoever you’ve signed for, so there’s an opportunity to really make an impact.
How do you think a manager like Pep Guardiola will juggle trying to win the tournament with keeping players fit, giving young players a chance and dealing with players who might leave the club?
They’ll use their experience from pre-seasons, having done all those things in a less competitive period of time. Yes, there’s more on the line because you want to win the competition, and I’m sure Pep wants to win it and be the first to win it. All the teams will want to win. You can downplay it, say there’s too many games, but once it starts, all that quietens down and then the football takes care of itself.
Is there an extra incentive for City to do well after a disappointing campaign and build momentum going into next season?
For City, maybe, but it’s not a bad thing if there is an extra incentive because it’s based on the standard they’ve set and no-one’s matched in the history of English football. We can critique them and say it wasn’t up to their level, but we haven’t seen their level before, so that has to be recognised. To be successful you have to be challenging consistently and hopefully they do that next season. I think with the players rumoured to come in, it looks that way. It looks like it is an exciting time again.
Do you think City’s squad needs a rebuild or just a tweak and refresh?
I’ve seen positions that probably need rebuilding and refreshing. It’s probably the first time they’ve transitioned the squad when they don’t have players in their prime. If you think back to previous years, they signed centre-halves when Vinny [Kompany] was still there, they signed Kevin De Bruyne when Yaya [Toure]’s still there, Fernandinho was still there when they were signing Rodri. So it was kind of a seamless transition.
Now, it’s probably not as seamless but you’ve still got some exciting talent and I think Pep’s definitely the man to transition this squad, or any squad. But he’s going to adapt a different style because you’re not signing a version of Kevin De Bruyne. You have players in the squad who can create an impact like Kevin, but it’s going to be in a totally different way. So it’s going to be exciting to see how Pep develops the style to have the impact he wants.
Pep Guardiola’s contract runs until 2027 and he has made some comments about taking a break at some point. Do you expect him to stay at City beyond his current deal?
I don’t know. You don’t know how much of a toll it takes on you, when you’re winning and losing. I can’t imagine it being easy for him. Even if it’s enjoyable when you’re winning, it still takes a real toll on your life, never mind your physical and mental health.
I think Pep will know by the end of this contract. I don’t think he’ll be in a rush to renew it before it’s in its final stages. Regardless of rebuilding [the squad] or not, I think he’ll definitely take as long as he can to make the right decision for himself and his family.
City have signed Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki so far this summer – what do you make of those players?
I think they’re all in a position to make an impact because they we know they can all play. Cherki is gonna have an opportunity to fill in for Kevin De Bruyne in that role, and potentially in wider areas. The club have not had a recognised left back for a period of time. Josko Gvardiol, for me, was probably player of the year last year but I look forward to him playing at centre-half, and I think we’ll see the best of him.
I haven’t seen that much of Reijnders, but he’s no average player is he? You’re not playing for AC Milan every week and for Holland if you’re not good and don’t have the quality. Dutch guys tend to have a high technical ability and a high IQ as well, and I think that goes underrated. I’m excited to see them all.
What other positions do you expect City to look to strengthen?
I would still say striker, just because, again, if you miss Erling [Haaland] at any given time, there’s not a recognised striker. I know Marmoush played there and did exceptionally well, but I tend to see him more operating wide this season.
I also believe there’s a mentality that a striker has that allows them to score goals only strikers score. People can play up front and be forwards and score a high number of goals, but when the games are tight, and there’s a chance…
Nobody’s matching the volume that Erling [scores], but there’s also a type of goal in the six-yard box that you only see strikers score. Forwards playing up front and wide men playing centrally – they never seem to get tap-ins consistently, because the mentality of, “this is a chance, this is going to come in here and I’m going to be in the right area” – they just have a different mindset to that.
So it would be nice to see someone but, again, that someone’s got to come in there and recognise that you might only play when Erling’s not right, and that doesn’t tend to be that often, does it?
Pep Guardiola has expressed his desire for a smaller squad. Which City players to do you expect to leave the club this summer?
You’d probably say Jack [Grealish]. I think Jack’s an obvious one. I don’t think I’m revealing any secrets by saying Jack’s potentially going to leave Man City.
Any surprising ones? I don’t know yet. He probably wants a smaller squad because there are less decisions to be made, and that’s probably a massive factor of the whole management process, deciding on players and managing expectations. Players have been there long enough now to know that when you don’t play and you’re not in the squad, it can have a mental impact and an emotional impact on the squad.
I’ve been one of them players where you’re not featuring as often as you’d like and it’s hard to motivate yourself. You tend to isolate yourself at times and then players around you want to build you up. It’s difficult because that takes the focus away from the goal of the squad, which is to achieve things. Going back to my time at Everton, we had a smaller squad, probably about 18, but we knew there was a core group of 14-15 players who would fill the void. So if someone was to get injured, you know what the process was going to be and everyone played their part.
Where has it gone wrong for Jack Grealish and what is the next step for him?
I think it’s harsh to say it’s gone wrong – it’s just not as well as it was. He was a star performer in a treble-winning season. If any player wants to have their best season, it’s when you’re winning the treble.
It probably hasn’t gone as well as he would have hoped after that. There’s never one reason for success, and there’s never one reason for it not to be successful. I wouldn’t know. I speak to Jack, I’m a friend of Jack’s and if I could help him in any way, I would, but Jack’s done things I’ve never done, and can do things I couldn’t do, so who am I to critique his game?
He’s been linked with Aston Villa and Everton, would either of those moves make sense for him?
I’m gonna upset one fanbase there! I’m definitely aware he has ambitions to go to the World Cup. So, the team that gives him the best opportunity of that. I’m sure he’s speaking to Thomas Tuchel about what that looks like – “where do you see me fitting into your squad? Does that impact where I go? Does it have to be a team playing in the Champions League or Europa League?”
There are factors that Jack will have asked in order to get the outcome that he wants.
Everton are being linked with some high-profile players this summer – is that a good sign for them ahead of the new season?
I think it’s a good sign because of the manager they’ve got. I think if it was linked with previous managers – and not to take anything away from them – I don’t think it was as stable and the fans wouldn’t have viewed it as positive. I think, before, Everton have recruited glamorous names and talent without having the right system in place.
The calm that David Moyes has brought back to the club allows the fans to be calm and settled. Going into a new stadium, that is a massive thing. I definitely see it as a plus that he’s the man who’s potentially attracting the names and targeting these players, because having known him and worked with David Moyes, these won’t be solely club targets. He would have been aware and they would have had to run it by him. In other clubs and even at Everton under other managers, you can recruit players and then say to the manager, “this is what squad’s gonna look like.”
Do you think David Moyes has changed since you worked with him, and what are your expectations for his first full season in charge?
He’s definitely changed. I think we all do as we get older and more experienced. Having spoken to players and people still at the club, he’s definitely changed and I think is more assured and has more belief in what he can achieve as a manager. He knows exactly what his strengths are.
When I worked with him, he tended to do everything, every facet, and that can take its toll as a manager and as a human, doing multiple jobs and doing them thoroughly. The year before I joined Everton, he was still taking the warm-ups before the games, which was crazy to me. But that’s who he is, and that’s what’s got him to the success he’s had.
He’s more aware now of the different cultures and temperaments of players. I think he’s probably the one manager that’s transitioned from a previous generation very well. There’s an old-school mentality that came prior to me playing that you could rule with an iron fist and get the outcome you wanted. As time goes on, I think he’s realised that doesn’t work nowadays as much, so maybe recruit and delegate to staff members that have a better connection. It takes a confident man and manager to know to do that, and be willing to do that.
Can Everton surprise people this season in the way that teams like Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth have?
Definitely. I hope they’re competitive. I’m sure they believe they will be, and the reason I think they could be is because of Moyes’ style. He accommodates the players he’s got and considers the team he’s playing against, rather than a lot of coaches that just want to play a certain way and don’t consider their own players.
As a fellow left-sided centre-back, what do you think of Jarrad Branthwaite and how important is it that Everton keep him this summer?
I know Jarrad, I’ve worked with him and I admire him. A great kid, great man, enormously talented, rapid – way faster than what he gets recognised for. He can defend, and wants to defend, which is key.
In terms of them keeping him, I think it’s probably key the closer they get to the season. Being in that unique position, left-sided centre-half, he’s going to bring a balance that you don’t just go and get. You have to do your due diligence, and the timing has to be right in order to get left-sided players.
They’ll want to keep him, I think there will be teams who want to acquire him and rightly so, because he’s played exceptionally well. I think the closer it gets [to the season], the less likely he leaves just because I think the club and David Moyes will recognise “we can’t replace him now, and we’ll be left empty-handed.”
Again, financially, I don’t think the club need to sell as much as they have done in the past. I might be wrong with that, but it doesn’t feel that way.
Which areas would you like to see Everton strengthen the squad?
I think they’re losing Dominic Calvert-Lewin, so they probably need a striker. Beto has had an impact on the team but you need more than pone, regardless of how good they are. Games change in moments and you need different styles. They’ve lost a few midfielders as well. I think, with the internationals, at the start of preseason, there’s only like six to seven players that are due back in.
David Moyes has a great knowledge of the way to recruit young players, but also balance it out with some good experience. I don’t think they’ll all be surprise names, in terms of glamour. I think you’ll look and say, “why have they signed him?” and then three or four months down the line you’ll say “ah, right. That’s why they joined.”
Is there a No. 9 you think Everton should sign?
I’ll tell you who wouldn’t be a bad one – Callum Wilson. He wouldn’t be a bad signing because he focuses on goals, has a high work rate and that is what Everton fans love. As much as you’re scoring goals, what are you giving?
He plays with his heart on his sleeve. Knowing him as a person, the temperament of the club and the expectation – he’s coming from Newcastle where the expectation is very high, so he wouldn’t be fazed by the expectation of Everton either.
On Dominic Calvert-Lewin, is he a loss for Everton and how will you look back on his time at the club?
I don’t think it’s a loss, I think it’s just unfortunate circumstances that it’s a free, but if he was fit he wouldn’t be leaving. If it does go that way, it would be right for both parties to happen.
Reflecting on his time there, I think he performed as well as he could under the circumstances. Knowing him and knowing how players think, no one wants to be injured. He hasn’t purposely tried to be injured and miss games. It’s just been unfortunate that he has missed as many as he has.
They’ll look back and respect that when he did play, he gave maximum effort. I go back to a few years ago when Wayne Rooney first started there and [Calvert-Lewin] played at the Etihad up front on his own, and it was like, “oh my God, it’s crazy.” If anyone’s getting that version of Dom, then great, but it’s just unfortunate that he’s missed so many games.
Emi Martinez reportedly could be leaving Aston Villa. Can they replace him?
I don’t want to sound disrespectful, but I think they can replace him. I think they have a strong enough team and style, and I think Unai Emery’s proven that. They haven’t missed any player, really. They’ve been able to rotate, add, take away, suffer injuries.
Martinez is top, very, very good, but I think if they acquire someone with experience, I think that’s key – the experience of who comes in to play that position, because they’re still relatively young at the back. That experience can add an amount of calm.
I think it’s a loss, 100 per cent, but I don’t think it derails them where there’s question marks asked about whether they can achieve similar things to this season.
