Simon Jordan DUMBFOUNDED by Ruben Amorim's AC Milan Appointment & Troy Deeney SLAMS Marc Cucurella!

Real Madrid, we are told, have completed the signing of Marc Cucaracha in a deal worth $52 million.Cucaracha was one of the first signings of the Todd Bowley Clearlake era, when he joined from Brighton in a deal worth up to $62 million, including add -ons.Let's get more on this.And we're going to head to Texas, where we find TalkSport's chief football correspondent, Alex Crook.Alex, how are you settling into life in the US?

Good morning guys, settling in very nicely down in Houston at the moment.You can see the stadium behind me where Germany hammered Curacao yesterday.I know you guys have been debating whether results like that.making mockery of the fact there are so many teams at the World Cup.I can see that argument, but I've got to say, being inside the stadium, seeing that blue wave of Curaçao fans, when the smallest nation ever to qualify for a World Cup scored against the mighty Germany, I think maybe there's an argument to say, do you know what?Everybody is welcome.

But yeah, settling in really nicely.

You know the two gentlemen I'm with back here in New York.They both say a very good morning to you.One Simon Jordan and one Troy Dini.Mr Crook is looking well, is he not, Troy?Sure.How you doing, mate?

Nice to see you.

I'm good.I'm good.Good to have you back on air.Yeah, it's nice to see you actually do some work for once.Normally, you're hungover at this point, so it's good to see.Unbelievable.

Don't listen to that.Alex, let's get into it.Real Madrid, 52 million quid.Well do we remember after Chelsea were humbled by Paris Saint -Germain, the same Marc Cucarella came away with, I understand this is part of the club's policy and that they want to take this direction.Young players, in other words.And he says, signing young players and looking to the future.

But for all of us who are still here and want to win big things, moments like this make you feel discouraged.Now, one wonders, those comments, they landed him in a bit of trouble and we spoke to him.at the time Alex, have Chelsea lost a disruptive influence or one of their best talents?

I would say the latter and I think if I was a Chelsea fan I'd be a bit concerned by this transfer because you look at the numerous players that have been signed since Blueco came in I think there have been many more misses than hits.I don't think that's unfair to say.Mark Kukerea has certainly been one of the hits.It doesn't feel like a lot of money for one of the best left -backs in the Premier League, one of the best left -backs in Europe.And you wonder now what knock -on effect it will have with Enzo Fernandes in particular because, of course, around about the same time that Kukerea started making noises about wanting to leave, he made it public, Fernandes, that he wanted to lead the club as well.So, yeah, the start of what I think could be a really interesting summer.

And a penny for the thoughts of Xabi Alonso, the man tasked with restoring Chelsea to their former glories, getting them back into at least some form of European competition next season, if not the Champions League, which I think would be the aim.And he's lost one of his key men before his feet are already under the manager's desk.

Yeah, I mean Troy, clearly Kukerea was saying at the time that he questioned the direction that Chelsea were going in.Was he right to do that?Would you have done it?Would you take on the owners behind the scenes?Behind the scenes, yeah.

I think you can have conversations, you know, behind the scenes.I think when you make it public.I also think as well as an element with Kukerea and with Enzo Fernandes, I've said this for a little while now, you weren't playing good enough to talk, so shut up.I hate when players, this new generation of players is, when things are going well, tell me how great I am, pat me on the back, go on social media, tell you how great they are, the fans are wonderful.When they lose, it's, oh not me, it's the manager, it's the owner, it's the board, it's all of these different things.I was here a year ago, Club World Cup, they were absolutely loving it.

I actually was invited to the after party when they won, saw all the guys, having a great time, it was wonderful.Fast forward eight months later,oh I should have got rid of that manager.It's like, come on, you were part of that problem, you were part of the issue.For me I think it's twofold, if you're Real Madrid, I don't like that back line that they could potentially have now, with Dumfries from Inter, Milan, he's obviously been injured a lot, good player, injured a lot, Kanate, sent it back from Chelsea, Rudiger sorry, and now him, that doesn't give me a back four line that says right we're ready to compete on the biggest of stages, and then the other side took it for Chelsea, they've got Hatto who's a young kid who looks mustard, but that's a leader that you've lost and we've said for a long time now they don't really have real leaders.On Kukerea you would have pulled him at the time Simon wouldn't you if you were one of them, if you were baller around Bally.

I think you've got to look at the entire mix of things.I would suggest that the perception inside Chelsea was that the existing manager was potentially getting players to say certain things because of his own dissatisfaction and agitating where he was likely to have gone.I am in no way concerned about how long Real Madrid continue to flounder.The longer they continue to flounder the happier I am because I think they're an arrogant club that needs to be brought down a peg or two and by their lack of achievement over the last couple of years it does do that so who cares whether they've got a good back line or not.I mean look, it's an interesting one because he had renewed his contracts so this wasn't a contract that was running down any time soon.He had two or three years left on his contract.

So to go for the kind of dough he's got, yes, there is a contribution to profit.So if you look at where he is now, if he's gone for 52 million quid, they've probably banked 30 million quid for profit because of the nature of what they bought him for and how that's depreciating what they're selling him for.I would suggest we can't have it always, right?It wasn't so long ago that everyone was dancing around in the media suggesting that no one wanted to work for Blue Co.They've gone and got one of the best managers now around that people didn't see happening.They've got him.

I would suspect that Alonso has been consulted about this sort of decision, has been involved in the process.So I would suggest that he was moderately comfortable with it, and we'll see where he goes.Because I don't think, despite the fact the owners will be strong about what they want,don't go and get someone like Alonso yeah and expect him he's not a championship manager that's been given opportunity to land in the Premier League and get some hubris after winning the World Club Championship he's a guy with big currency big reputation despite the failings at Real Madrid and that's probably to do the dressing room is inexperienced yeah And so I would suggest, don't worry about Kukwela, he's a loss because he's become, when he started there, he was bloody awful.But he's become a fan's favourite because of his performance.

Let's head back to Houston, Texas and Alex Kruk.Alex, Ruben Amirim, we remember him, back in the game, but at AC Milan, is that right?

Yes, looks like that deal is going to happen.He's been linked with various jobs, Ruben Amorim, in the last few weeks, including a return to Portugal with Benfica, including Fulham, actually, who we might come on to.My understanding is they did sound out Amorim about a return to the Premier League, but he quickly distanced himself from that.So AC Milan looks like his next destination.That's good news.for Manchester United because of course the latest set of accounts coming out of Old Trafford revealed that they were paying Amorimli's coaching staff somewhere in the region of 16 million pounds compensation as a result of sacking him as soon as he gets another job that reduces considerably so it's it's it's a saving for Manchester United And a return to the dugout for Ruben Amorino.

Fascinated to see how he does over in Italy.

features there I mean I think as well two points that what the first point is I don't know how you could give Alonso that grace when we saw what he did at Real Madrid or didn't do at Real Madrid because it'sa coach there but you look a year removed and say okay he's that.I think the similar can be said with Albarin because I think Man Utd is a mess but we'll get onto that a little bit later.But then you talk to, we cover, we cover Celia a lot.Remember with seven games to go, eight games to go, AC Milan were four points behind Inter.They dropped from second to sixth.

Do you think the Bundesliga is a better league than the Portuguese League?Yes.Right, so then you look at the performance of Alonso in that environment, which was absolutely unique.to go an invincible team that he produced and the manner in which he produced it and then you take him into Madrid, a club in chaos, a club that's got presidential issues, you've got a dressing room that's been rumoured to be all over the place with Mbappé and Bellingham and he couldn't cope with that dressing room.In the same way that Unai Emery couldn't turn around Arsenal, in the same way that AVB couldn't break up the dressing room with Chelsea, with John Terry and Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole getting a bet with him, all that sort of stuff, I think you give Alonso a pass on that Madrid squad.

But would you not say normally that it's on a manager to go in, either stab his authority or realise what he's got to work with and figure it out.

I agree, but I think there's one space in the world that you can find yourself in a difficult place, and that's without Druid.Yeah, that's fair.

One line from you, Alex, and we'll finish at this stage.Alvaro Arbeloa to Fulham.Is this happening?

I think so, Jim.Certainly heading into the weekend, I was told that talks had really... ramped up and were positive.Again, this feels like a bit of a gamble from Fulham when you look at what happened to Alba Loa when he replaced Alonso at the Bernabeu, but I guess you could make the same sort of excuses for him that Simon has been making for Xabi Alonso.They've spoken to a lot of different options have Fulham since Marco Silva decided to leave and go to Benfica.Ange Postecoglou, Thomas Frank, even Frank Lampard, that would've been a controversial move from Coventry for the former Chelsea man, but looks like ultimately they've come down on Alba Loa.And again, this is

a tough gig.Marco Silva, five years at Fulham, has stabilised them now in the Premier League.And you just wonder what sort of coach Fulham are getting.We don't really know enough about Alba Loa from that short spell at Real Madrid to predict if this is going to be a triumph or disaster for Fulham.

Alex, good to see you and to hear you.Thank you so much.Alex Crook with us live from Houston, Texas.It is 1 .30pm back home.in the UK.We'll take a short break.

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