Dan Gosling has played with mercurial talents like Hatem Ben Arfa and Arnaut Danjuma so when the former Newcastle United midfielder speaks highly of Watford team-mate Joao Pedro, you sit up and take notice.
"I'm not going to big him up too much to the Chronicle," Gosling quipped. "He's rubbish! No, Joao is a top player. He's someone so young but with the awareness and presence he's got, he's already a real player now and he will only excel in a couple of years. I heard the gaffer [Slaven Bilic] talking about the 2026 World Cup and I can see it. He's really important for us."
You can see why Gosling does not want to big Pedro up too much given how close the Brazilian came to joining Newcastle last summer. At one point, ChronicleLive was even told that discussions were 'moving well' at the time but, crucially, the deal was 'not closed'.
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Callum Wilson's hamstring injury just a few days later duly changed the profile of attacker Newcastle targeted and the Magpies smashed their transfer record to bring in Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad. Pedro ended up staying put, signing a new contract with Watford, but you would not bet against Newcastle one day reviving their interest in the 21-year-old given the small pool of targets the club are looking at. That is what happened with Sven Botman and Hugo Ekitike, after all.
Eddie Howe has even urged those players who missed out on moves last summer to 'refocus' and 'double down' on their work and Pedro has certainly done that. So is Gosling worried?
"I knew about the speculation," he said. "I knew all about that. There was firm interest, bids going in, so I was just praying. I was glad [Alexander] Isak went. That stopped the Joao move to be honest.
"You never know in the future, but hopefully not in January. Joao wants to go to the very top and play in the Champions League. I'm sure sooner or later that club is going to be another one in the conversation."
If Pedro ever needs the inside track on life on Tyneside, the Brazilian does not have to look too far. Not only did Gosling spend four years at Newcastle; the 32-year-old also worked under Eddie Howe at Bournemouth.
It was Howe who brought Gosling to the South Coast after his contract expired at Newcastle in 2014 and the pair built up a rapport before they even met after speaking over the phone for several months in the run up to the move. However, the new arrival did not necessarily walk into Bournemouth's starting XI - even in the Championship.
In fact, Gosling spent most of that first season on the bench because it took him time to learn how to play as a midfielder under Howe after the signing felt he 'didn't really get coached' at Newcastle and 'lost out on a lot of learning' from a lack of game time. Gosling soon proved his worth, though, making 138 top-flight appearances under Howe after Bournemouth were promoted, and few are better placed to comment on how the head coach gets so much out of his players.
"Eddie sets the standard from minute one when you enter the building," he said. "He's first in before everyone else, does his routine and the pitch is set up.
"There is no waiting around in between drills. Everything is by the clock. It's a well-oiled machine and based on game day so every drill is themed to what you're going to do on a Saturday afternoon. It's just so well-organised.
"It's intense but it's a good intensity - you don't go and dread it. I've walked off the training pitches many times with senior players and said, 'That was a good session, wasn't it? I learned that today.' You don't hear that a lot."
You suspect Gosling's counterparts at Newcastle have said similar and the 32-year-old has marvelled at how Howe has improved a host of individuals he inherited, including Joelinton and Miguel Almiron. Gosling has kept a close eye on the duo and his former club's progress from afar, and the Watford utility man will always have a connection to the city after meeting his wife, Ashley, a Geordie, during his time at St James' Park.
Gosling may be a long way from Newcastle these days, but Ashley's friends' husbands are still asking him for tickets because of his connections with the coaching team and former Bournemouth team-mates Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser and Matt Ritchie. Such is the demand for seats at St James' right now, even Gosling is finding it difficult to help out with the Magpies flying in third.
Newcastle's superb start to the season has naturally brought back memories for Gosling of when the black-and-whites finished fifth in 2012 and the midfielder still has the scars from the kicks he used to get from the late Cheick Tiote in training that season. In Gosling's own words, Tiote 'took no prisoners' at Benton in contrast to Hatem Ben Arfa, who was not a good trainer yet remains the best player the 32-year-old ever played with because the 'stuff he could actually do was frightening' come game day.
However, Gosling, by his own admission, 'never felt part of it'. Having been signed by Chris Hughton, when he was recovering from a serious knee injury, Gosling struggled for games under successor Alan Pardew at a time when Tiote and Yohan Cabaye formed such a formidable partnership in the middle of the park.
"I performed well in pre-season," he said. "I remember each one. I had a chance but, for whatever reason, players came in, they played and the team got settled.
"My second year was when we finished fifth so breaking into a team that is winning in the Premier League is tough. Why would a manager change it and put a youngish fella at the time in? I would have done the same thing. It was difficult, but they were consistent performers.
"Going forward, there were chances there. Did I really get a fair chance? I'd have to say no but, listen, that's football. Sometimes, your face does not fit quite like you would want it. That's a real shame because Newcastle is a big club, but I feel I developed so much at Bournemouth. I probably was not quite ready to play central midfield there."
Gosling certainly went on to prove his worth in the middle of the park at Bournemouth and Watford, and the 32-year-old had even been enjoying a renaissance as a converted right-back with the Hornets before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury earlier this month. Gosling underwent surgery last week and, although there is a 'long road ahead', the veteran stressed he is 'not scared of it' as he enters the final months of his contract. Gosling even quipped: "Maybe Eddie will call me and get me up there!"
You can see why Gosling was so valued by Howe with that positive mindset. It is why Gosling does not look back on his time at Newcastle with any hint of bitterness.
That is not to say there was not one sliding doors moment of sorts, though: the 2011 Wear-Tyne derby. It remains the last time Newcastle won a derby and everyone rightly remembers that 1-0 win at Sunderland for Ryan Taylor's stunning free-kick - a goal that still sees the former defender's name chanted to this day - but Gosling also had the chance to follow in the footsteps of some of the club's other cult heroes by finding the back of the net at the Stadium of Light.
"I scored in the Merseyside derby and will go down in folklore there," he added. "I remember that game against Sunderland very well. Shola [Ameobi] headed it down and I just tried getting it over the 'keeper and [Simon] Mignolet saved it. It would have made it 2-0 right in front of the Geordie fans.
"That would have probably changed the whole complexion of my Newcastle career if that goal went in. I have thought about that over the years, but what can you do?"
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