All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

The Birmingham Mail’s Patrick Rowe has suggested that Aston Villa star Anwar El Ghazi could leave the club amid the competition for places at Villa Park.

What’s the story?

During a discussion for The Birmingham Mail about the winger’s future, Rowe said: “If he wanted regular football each week I can see him moving on as I’m not even sure we can offer that to the wingers ahead of him currently given the system we are playing.”

Time’s up for El Ghazi

Amid all the marquee signings Villa made during the summer, not cashing in on El Ghazi may be one of the only blotches in their copy-book from their transfer window work.

Reports had actually indicated that the Midlands club were hoping to receive around £17m for him, with Serie A side AS Roma very interested in taking him to Italy.

In the end, Villa chose not to let El Ghazi go, and having also signed the likes of Leon Bailey and Emi Buendia who predominantly play out wide, the Dutchman now faces far more competition for places at Villa Park.

If they had recouped some of that outlay from selling El Ghazi, Villa could potentially have reinvested the money into a more pressing need, like central midfield.

The fact he’s played just the three times in the Premier League this season, and all three of those appearances being at the start of the campaign, has been an indication of how far he’s fallen down the pecking order at Villa Park.

He’s remained an unused substitute for the last five top-flight games, even with the injuries to both Bailey and Bertrand Traore, and it appears Smith has made his mind up on him.

While he may be seen as a “cracking servant” by Ashley Preece, the Dutchman’s time just looks to be up at Villa Park, with the club moving on to bigger and better things with the likes of Bailey.

It’s exactly why moving him on might just please the Villa fans.

Meanwhile, Villa are interested in signing this Scottish ace…

Newcastle United have reportedly looked at Benfica striker Darwin Nunez ahead of the summer transfer window, according to Sky Sports’ Keith Downie.

What’s the story?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the Sky Sports reporter said: “Nunez is someone they’ve looked at, they’ve watched. I think a proven goalscorer on the European stage will be one of the main priorities, if not the priority in the summer.”

It was recently reported by The Athletic that Manchester United, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain were the current frontrunners for Nunez’s signature. However, Newcastle could find themselves in the mix.

The Magpies will certainly seek to add at least one new striker to their ranks this summer with £25m January signing Chris Wood finding the back of the net just twice thus far whilst Callum Wilson is still sidelined but could return before the end of the season.

Moreover, with the upcoming transfer window being PIF’s first at the helm of Newcastle United, big names are expected to be linked with the Toon Army seemingly having bottomless pockets at their disposal.

Therefore, there’s little surprise that a forward of the Uruguayan’s calibre has been linked.

Supporters will be excited

With the summer window the first of the PIF dynasty, Newcastle supporters will be beside themselves regarding potential transfers with the possibilities seemingly endless, at least in the media.

Adding Nunez to his ranks would single-handedly revolutionise Howe’s side with the forward one of Europe’s current hottest properties and is valued at around £60m.

The Benfica hotshot has scored 31 goals in 37 matches across all competitions, including an impressive 25 strikes in 25 league games in the Portuguese top flight.

At just 22 years of age, Nunez has already scored in the Champions League against the likes of Barcelona, Ajax and Liverpool, alerting some of Europe’s juggernauts to the Uruguayan’s talent.

In fact, the striker netted twice against the Reds, in both legs of their recent quarter-final, with manager Jurgen Klopp purring over the Benfica man’s ability.

“Really good, really good. I knew before, of course, but he played pretty much in front of me with his tough battles with Ibrahima Konate,” the German said.

“He was physically strong, quick, was calm around his finish. Good, really good. I always say in these situations if he is healthy, it’s a big career ahead of him.”

With a mouth-watering transfer kitty ready to spend, Newcastle will certainly be keen to add a top-level centre-forward to their roster and Nunez certainly meets the requirements.

AND in other news: Howe and PIF are now heading for their first big NUFC error, it would be a disaster

Rangers go into their clash on Boxing Day at Ibrox seeking a ninth consecutive win in the Scottish Premiership as well as extending their lead at the top of the table.

The Gers are six points clear of their fierce rivals Celtic at the summit and Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side will be looking to further boost their title credentials vs St Mirren on Sunday afternoon.

Here is the side Football FanCast believes will start for Rangers as the Dutchman makes three changes from the 1-0 win over Dundee United.

As expected, goalkeeper Allan McGregor keeps his place in between the sticks with three of last weekend’s back-four retaining their spots. In comes Leon Balogun who could return from injury after a month out.

The £720k-rated Nigeria international, who has been labelled as “unbelievable” by Rangers legend Barry Ferguson, has returned to training and could make his first appearance under van Bronckhorst at Ibrox.

The further two changes come in the midfield as Scott Wright and Joe Aribo come in for John Lundstram and Scott Arfield.

Lundstram was replaced by Wright at halftime of the Dundee United victory, with the score being level, and the latter was awarded man of the match after making a crucial impact, something that should be on van Bronckhorst’s mind.

Aribo was also introduced before the Gers found their equaliser and is the club’s third-top-scorer so far this season with six goals making him a key player.

On the left of the midfield three is Glen Kamara, who has been a regular all season making 26 appearances in all competitions.

As for the front three, it is the usual combination of Ianis Hagi, Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent.

AND in other news, GVB receives huge Christmas injury boost at Ibrox that will leave Rangers fans buzzing…

Tanguy Ndombele could still remain a Tottenham Hotspur player past January 31st despite reports suggesting otherwise…

What’s the word?

The Frenchman, who cost a club-record £55m in the summer of 2020, was booed by supporters in last weekend’s FA Cup third-round triumph over Morecambe.

As the jeers got louder, Ndombele got slower as he was substituted in the 69th minute, all whilst the side were still 1-0 down to the League One minnows.

After the match, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano delivered an update on his future, claiming that “Tottenham are looking for a solution to sell or loan out Tanguy Ndombele in January,” whilst The Athletic believe the 25-year-old is hopeful for a move away.

However, according to Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas, Ndombele isn’t unhappy at the club and he could yet stay despite the controversy.

“I’ve done plenty of probing around on this – to see if there’ll be any potential suitors out there for him. The kind of level of club that could potentially pay that money, certainly – let’s obviously talk hypothetically first about any permanent options for him – they’re not desperate for that position,” he revealed to the ‘Last Word on Spurs’ podcast this week.

“I just don’t think there’s the options out there for him this month, Ndombele. And I’ve been told by sources close to the player as well that he’s not unhappy at Spurs, despite his body language the other day.”

Likely to stay?

It would seem that Ndombele is more likely to stay than go right now and that’s hardly a surprise given his reported £200k-per-week wages – who on earth is going to pay that, along with a transfer fee, for a player that has failed to cut it in the Premier League for quite some time?

He missed the midweek defeat to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup but weirdly, manager Antonio Conte hinted at the decision being from above his head. “It was a technical decision, but before to take the decision, I don’t take the decision if I don’t consult the club, there is the club line and I have to follow the club line,” he claimed after the game.

If Conte is still keen to use him and the player isn’t actually unhappy behind the scenes at Hotspur Way, as Thomas suggests, then you’d imagine there are going to be several sections of the Lilywhites’ faithful absolutely fuming.

Once the crowd turns against you in that manner, there is surely no way back but we’ve been here before with Ndombele. He reportedly wanted out under Jose Mourinho. He reportedly wanted out under Nuno Santo. And now here we are with a third successive manager.

It’s no wonder the fans have given up with their club-record signing. He arrived with so much promise from Lyon, only to deliver ten goals and nine assists in 91 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

That means he has a direct contribution once every 4.7 matches, which isn’t good enough for an attacking playmaker.

All in all, there won’t be many pleased with this behind the scenes bombshell from the Sky Sports journalist. With a little over two weeks to go, only time will tell if Ndombele will remain a Spurs player for the foreseeable future.

AND in other news, Spurs eye 1st Jan signing in “crazy” £7.2m-rated beast, he could be Conte’s next Pirlo…

Everton will be heading to St James’ Park as Frank Lampard’s team returns to action in the Premier League, with the new manager leading his side out in his first league fixture in charge at the club.

The Toffees are just four points off the relegation zone, meaning a positive outcome in tonight’s game is crucial for the side who have only won five of their 20 Premier League games so far.

Lampard will now be hoping to continue his excellent first impressions following the 4-1 win over Brentford last weekend.

With that being said, here is how Football FanCast expects the new manager to set up for his first league clash…

We expect to see just two changes made from the starting line up we saw against the Bees on Saturday afternoon in a ‘don’t fix what isn’t broken’ approach by the new manager, although both of Lampard’s new signings, Donny Van de Beek and Dele Alli are now available to start.

Yerry Mina was by far the best player on the pitch at the weekend, despite not being picked in the starting XI by Lampard, the £120k-per-week defender, who was hailed a “monster” by Rafa Benitez, came on to replace injured Ben Godfrey in the 12th minute and went on to score the opening goal whilst putting on a phenomenal defensive display, that earned him the highest rating of the game according to SofaScore.

The other change would see 20-year-old, Anthony Gordon, who was dubbed “explosive” by Everton U23’s head coach David Unsworth, axed from the side in the must-win game, to make way for Andros Townsend who can just add a bit more experience in the right wing position of the forward line against Newcastle United.

Dominic Calvert Lewin has only just returned from a knock so we expect he will be under no pressure to appear in the starting line up, but could come on if the Toffees find themselves in a sticky situation at St James’ Park.

He’s also joined on the bench by Alli and Van de Beek after Lampard said he was “not here to lean on those two” when asked about the pair in his pre-match press conference, which suggests that the manager may try to stick to his winning side.

A victory away from home for Everton this evening would be their first win since the beginning of December, their first in five and only their second win away from home this season, as well as three points giving them the opportunity to pull further away from a potential relegation battle at the bottom of the table.

In other news: Lampard must unleash Andros Townsend against Newcastle

[ad_pod ]

West Ham United spent heavily in the last summer transfer window, following the appointment of Manuel Pellegrini. The likes of Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko, Lukasz Fabianski and Issa Diop have added genuine quality to the squad at the London Stadium.

However, the Hammers still have plenty of deadwood to shift out. For various reasons, the futures of Winston Reid, Arthur Masuaku and Andy Carroll should all be under consideration. Carroll’s current contract with the Irons is actually due to expire at the end of this season, which offers the east London club a golden opportunity to get the injury-prone 30-year-old forward off their books in a hassle-free manner.

However, in December, Pellegrini offered Carroll a lifeline, saying “when you need to renew your contract, of course you must demonstrate why you need to renew…We know what Andy can give to our team, now he must demonstrate he is able to do it week by week…I hope that he will be able to do it”, as quoted by Sky Sports.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

In the same month, Carroll reiterated to talkSPORT his desire to stay in Stratford, “I am focused on staying here and that’s where my head is at.” He has subsequently featured regularly for the first team in the early months of 2019.

To even seriously entertain the notion of offering the 9-cap England international new terms would be a mistake on West Ham’s part. Instead, they must already be seeking an upgrade on the 6’4” striker to bring in this summer.

Why he has to go

Injuries have ravaged Carroll’s career. Since joining West Ham from Liverpool in 2012, the attacker has managed just 141 appearances for the club in all competitions in the subsequent six-and-a-half seasons.

According to Spotrac, Carroll is currently being paid £90,000-a-week. That is a huge amount to be paying a player who is so infrequently available. At this stage in his career, his fitness concerns are not going to lessen either. 

When he has got on the pitch this season, Carroll has looked a shadow of his former self. What pace he had has gone, and he has been left so fragile and bereft of confidence that he has been unable to compete physically with the effectiveness his stature suggests he should have.

Time is up for Carroll at West Ham, and the club must recognise that now.

Speaking in a football.london Q&A, reliable reporter Alasdair Gold has shared the one thing Tottenham chiefs behind-the-scenes expect Antonio Conte to do ‘over the coming weeks’.

The Lowdown: Conte shake up?

The four-time Serie A title-winning manager arrives at Tottenham with a glittering CV and the promise of bringing some entertaining football back to north London.

Indeed, as per Italian top-flight experts, Conte is tipped to instil a winning mentality as well as put extra emphasis on quality and hard work in training.

He also comes with the promise of transforming Tottenham into a high-intensity pressing side who will suffocate their opponents and give Lilywhites supporters something to applaud (football.london).

Conte’s links to Serie A’s biggest stars have shown no sign of slowing down but the 52-year-old will have to cope with his current squad until he can look for reinforcements in January.

As such, Gold has now shared what Spurs chiefs are expecting behind-the-scenes as they believe Conte will make one ‘change’.

The Latest: Gold shares behind-the-scenes Conte belief…

Speaking in a football.london Q&A, the reliable journalist explains that there is indeed an ‘expectation within the club’ that Conte will ‘change’ the starting XI and formation ‘over the coming weeks’.

“There’s an expectation within the club that the starting XI and formation will change over the coming weeks,” he explained.

“I think the width from the wing-backs negates the need for wingers up front as well so I think we’ll see a shift to a 3-4-1-2 and yes I reckon two or three faces in the team will be different within a month’s time.

“As for converted wing-backs, Reguilon and Emerson (as well as Sessegnon and Doherty) have the ability to carry out the role so I’m not sure he needs to convert anyone particularly but who knows what the future holds for Lucas/Bergwijn if he did go down that route.”

The Verdict: Conte set to stamp his mark…

If Spurs are correct in their assumption, these next few weeks are set to be an intriguing time as the former Inter Milan manager discovers what is truly his best Lilywhites team.

Largely tipped to play a three-at-the-back formation, promising youngsters like Joe Rodon and Japhet Tanganga could even be called upon more often as centre-back options depending on the form of both Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier.

Working out the kinks to this Tottenham side, Conte’s brilliant average of 2.01 points per match across his managerial career indicates that he is the best man to bring this team back to it’s full potential.

His predecessor Nuno had no luck in this regard, attracting criticism for his boring brand of football and failing to inspire senior Spurs players with any confidence (Football Insider).

Fast forward to now and these same squad members are excited about Conte’s arrival with there being a real buzz at Hotspur Way.

Indeed, as we brace to find out how the Italian will shape this Spurs side, the post-international break will be a crucial period of 2021/2022.

In other news: Spurs hold meeting with club chiefs in London as they enter pole position to sign ‘crazy’ star, find out more here.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed that Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers is attracting interest from both Leicester and Wolves.

The Lowdown: Impressive loan spell

Carter-Vickers arrived in Glasgow back in the summer on a season-long from Tottenham. Celtic have the option to make a move permanent at the end of the season for an initial £6m fee, with the 24-year-old establishing himself as a regular under Ange Postecoglou.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-23/” title=”Celtic updates!!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The USA international has made 37 appearances in green and white, missing just one Premiership game since making the move to Scotland.

He leads the way at Celtic when it comes to clearances made per 90 minutes and is also dribbled past the least in what has been an excellent 2021/22 campaign for the defender. [WhoScored]

The Latest: O’Rourke’s comments

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern, O’Rourke had this to say on Carter-Vickers, citing two Premier League clubs in the process.

“I know Leicester and Wolves have been mentioned with Carter-Vickers.”

The Verdict: A worry

You’d expect that Celtic would be open to keeping hold of the centre-back on a permanent basis, but knowing that two Premier League clubs are also tracking him is a worry.

Leicester are currently in the latter stages of the Europa Conference League and Wolves are also flirting with the European spots, possibly making a move back to England tempting for Carter-Vickers.

The Hoops have an option in place, but ultimately, the player himself will have a major say on his next move, so a Premiership triumph and Champions League qualification could go a long way in regards to Celtic fending off Premier League interest.

In other news: ‘Worrying…’ – Sky Sports man claims ‘brilliant’ Celtic ace may now have suffered ‘bone damage’. 

Some Glasgow Rangers fans were left slamming the display of Brandon Barker despite their 4-0 win at home to Stirling Albion on Friday night.

It was a comfortable win in the end for the hosts, as young Alex Lowry opened the scoring, before James Tavernier, Cedric Itten and Fashion Sakala finished the job off as they progressed into the next round of the Scottish Cup.

Barker was given a rare start by Giovanni van Bronckhorst, in what was his first appearance of the season, but some members of the Ibrox faithful were not impressed with his performance.

The attacking midfield player failed to grab any goals or assists on the night, before being dragged off for Kemar Roofe in the 67th minute (SofaScore).

Nonetheless, being 25 years of age and only playing £8,500-per-week man on.

Rangers fans slam Barker

These Light Blues supporters slammed his performance on Twitter after he was taken off:

“Hopefully the last time we see him, Bacuna and Simpson in Rangers kits. Nowhere near Rangers quality. Don’t know how Barker has managed to stay a Rangers player this long tbh”

Credit: @BrodieM1992

“If Barker can’t put in a half-decent performance versus a part-time team, no team will be looking to acquire his services. He will be getting paid up when the transfer window closes.”

Credit: @tedteddybears11

“Hopefully never to be seen again”

Credit: @Dazzaragi123

“Send him OFF to another club”

Credit: @iAMdeanboyd

“Mind-blowing how he’s still playing at Rangers”

Credit: @harty9

“Hope the next time I see his name is when he’s leaving”

Credit: @EG_72_

In other news, find out what team news had Gers fuming here!

Despite managing to secure a 2-1 away win against Cambridge United in their latest League One match at the weekend, Sunderland have been dealt a potentially massive injury blow which will surely leave a lot of Black Cats fans gutted.

What’s the news?

Speaking after the game at Cambridge, Sunderland manager Lee Johnson revealed that Luke O’Nien will have to have an operation to fix a shoulder injury that he has apparently been struggling with for most of the campaign, and has suffered repeated dislocations.

Johnson then revealed that this will keep the midfielder, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £5k-per-week according to Spotrac, out for a minimum of three months but potentially up to nine months depending on how much work it needs to fix his shoulder.

This will not only be a big setback for O’Nien and the team in the long-term if he has to spend a significant number of months on the sidelines, but it’s also a massive blow to the team right now considering how O’Nien has had to fill in at left-back in recent weeks due to the other current injury issues Sunderland have.

With 21 appearances under his belt for Sunderland across all competitions so far this season with an overall performance rating of 7.16/10 in the league, making him Sunderland’s second-highest rated player according to WhoScored, this highlights just how valuable and important O’Nien has been for Johnson.

Also, with O’Nien racking up an average of three clearances per game, 1.9 tackles per game and 1.4 interceptions per game in League One so far this season, this shows just how important he has been for Sunderland and why his absence is a crushing piece of news for supporters.

The manager will not only have to hope that O’Nien will not be out for longer than the estimated minimum of three months, but he will also be hoping that the other injured players, particularly full-backs in Dennis Cirkin, Niall Huggins and Denver Hume will be able to get back to action as soon as possible to keep the side in the race for promotion.

In other news: Johnson must ruthlessly axe “difficult” £6.5k-p/w SAFC dud, he’s holding the team back – opinion