All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Journalist George Caulkin has dropped a major update, regarding Newcastle’s pursuit of a new manager.

What’s the talk?

The Athletic reporter has claimed that PIF will not be appointing Portuguese head coach Paulo Fonseca to replace Steve Bruce at St. James’ Park.

A recent report stated that Newcastle were set to offer him a contract after he impressed in an interview with the club, but Caulkin has made it clear that he will not be in the dugout on Tyneside anytime soon.

He told the Pod on the Tyne podcast for The Athletic:

“I have been told that it won’t be Fonseca; I’ve been told that now, a couple of times, but I’m not saying that as a definitive thing.”

Buzzing

Newcastle fans could leave fans buzzing as it appears to increase the chances of the club sealing a deal for Ajax manager Erik ten Hag. The previous report made it seem as though Fonseca was the favourite for the role, with the club willing to offer him a deal.

However, Caulkin’s claim leaves the rumour pretty much dead in the water.

It does not get much clearer than ‘it won’t be Fonseca’ and this leaves Newcastle fans to get excited about who it could be instead.

The Portuguese head coach has an impressive C.V and PIF ultimately opting against a swoop for his services could hint at the standard of manager they believe they can attract.

Fonseca won 1.77 points per game with Roma in the Serie A during a two-year spell with the Italian giants and won three league titles in three years at Shakhtar Donetsk prior to his spell in Italy.

This suggests that he can handle the pressure of expectation at tops clubs, with impressive results on the whole for Shakhtar and Roma.

The club have been linked with a move for Ajax manager ten Hag and this update on Fonseca could play into the reports that the Magpies are keen on the Dutchman, which fans will be delighted with.

He has won two Eredivisie titles with Ajax and reached the Champions League quarter-final and semi-final, despite selling the likes of Frenkie de Jong, Hakim Ziyech and Donny van de Beek along the way.

Ten Hag has won 2.15 points per game across 204 Eredivisie matches in charge of Utrecht and Ajax and his proven track record of success under difficult circumstances shows that he could be a great appointment. This is why Newcastle fans could be buzzing with this update from Caulkin, as it leaves the door ajar for the Dutchman to walk through.

AND in other news, Bruce’s legacy: “Immense” NUFC dynamo has seen his value plummet £9.9m in two years…

Everton and their supporters have not had much to shout about this season having spent a lot of their Premier League campaign in the bottom half of the table and even towards the relegation zone.

In addition to winning just seven league games out of a possible 27, the Merseyside club were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup back in September after losing to QPR on penalties as well as more recently getting kicked out of the FA Cup earlier this month thanks to a 4-0 battering against Crystal Palace.

However, it seems as though the Toffees fans can breathe a sigh of relief over the immediate future of one of their star figures.

What’s the news?

A recent Twitter post from journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano relayed comments originally shared by the agent of Dominic Calvert-Lewin to an Everton insider saying that the striker “has not agreed any deal, with any club,” despite being recently linked with a move away from the club in the summer.

They also added that the England international “is currently working very hard in training and is fully focused on finishing the season strong with Everton.”

Big boost for Everton

Since joining the Merseyside club back in the 2016 summer transfer window from Sheffield United, the 25-year-old has racked up 56 goals in 184 appearances across all competitions.

Having scored 16 league goals in 33 appearances last season, it’s safe to say that having missed a large chunk of this campaign through injury, Everton have badly missed his presence and goalscoring abilities.

As well as his goals, only Harry Kane (47) had more shots on target than the Everton star in the league in the previous campaign, showing how deadly he can be in front of goal among some of England’s top attacking talents.

Looking ahead, if the centre-forward can get some regular minutes under his belt from now until the end of the campaign and score enough goals to help his side avoid the drop, this will only further enhance the club’s need to keep hold of him for as long as they can.

Taking into account what his agent has come out and said, this will be a massive weight off the shoulders of Toffees boss Frank Lampard who may be worried about the striker’s future at Finch Farm.

If Everton are then able to stay in the top flight and keep hold of Calvert-Lewin over the summer, this would surely be a massive positive for Lampard as well as the supporters, providing them with a lot of confidence that they can go on to have a solid 2022/23.

In other news: Lampard may have found Everton’s new Rooney in “top quality” £7.2m-rated “boy wonder”

Ian Doyle of The Liverpool Echo has claimed that Andy Robertson could be left out of Jurgen Klopp’s side against Leeds on Sunday.

The Lowdown: Brazil stars to be missing

Both clubs look set to be impacted by Brazil’s decision to ask FIFA to invoke a five-day ban on players who were not released for World Cup qualifiers by Premier League clubs.

Leeds may well be without Raphinha, whereas Liverpool could be missing Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino.

All three have been regulars under Klopp in recent years, and another key member of the Reds’ squad may also miss out against Marcelo Bielsa’s side this weekend.

The Latest: Doyle’s claim

Reliable reporter Doyle shared a story on Wednesday looking at how Liverpool could line up without their Brazilian trio on Sunday.

Within his report, he admitted that Kostas Tsimikas could come in for Robertson at left-back, with the Scot featuring four times in 11 days since being ruled out with a minor ankle ligament issue in August.

The Verdict: Another boost for Bielsa?

Robertson missed just two top-flight games in the 2019/20 campaign and started every league fixture last season, becoming one of the most influential full-backs in the top flight in that time, so Klopp leaving him out for Tsimikas could work in the Whites’ favour.

The Greece left-back has just five Premier League games under his belt, so Leeds could look to exploit that side of the pitch in preference to targeting Reds right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Raphinha would’ve operated from the right, so perhaps Bielsa will hand Dan James a Leeds debut looking to exploit Tsimikas with his sheer pace.

In other news: Leeds source now reveals nine-figure issue facing Radrizzani after ‘big money’ news. 

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has dropped an Aston Villa claim on deadline day as Frederic Guilbert closes in on a loan move away from the club.

What’s the story?

Journalist Pete O’Rourke revealed on Tuesday lunchtime that the Frenchman has agreed a deal to join Ligue 1 side Strasbourg on loan for the season.

Writing on Twitter, Preece said: “Guilbert’s Villa deal runs until 2023 so it’ll be interesting to see if there’s an option to buy involved. Dean Smith happy to use Young, Tuanzebe and, if needed, Konsa as options at right-back. Guilbert clearly not fancied at #avfc. A good guy who did well season before last.”

Fans will be worried

The 26-year-old was also on loan at Strasbourg last term before returning to pre-season at Villa Park and working his way back into Dean Smith’s squad, even starting in the Carabao Cup second round clash against Barrow earlier this month.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for The Birmingham Mail that night, Preece gave him an eight, saying: “Always keen to provide an outlet down the right, Guilbert didn’t always get it right – but when he did, the goods followed. One low cross in the first half was too close to the keeper, but his stood up ball for El Ghazi’s second goal was on the money. Took his goal superbly.”

Guilbert showed the kind of attacking instincts and energy which arguably makes him an ideal right-back cover for first-choice Matty Cash, with Ashley Young now in the twilight years of his career and Axel Tuanzebe more of a central defender.

Guilbert enjoyed a fine time at Strasbourg as well, scoring once and providing another four assists in just 13 games for the club, averaging a whopping 2.8 tackles and 2.5 interceptions per game in Ligue 1 – to put that into context, no Villa player could match either of those numbers in the Premier League last term.

While Preece says that Smith is happy to use the likes of Young, Tuanzebe and even Ezri Konsa in the role, an injury to Cash would leave Villa desperately short of natural cover for that right-back slot.

It’s exactly why Villa fans will likely be very worried with this latest update on Guilbert, who it seems is heading back to Strasbourg on loan.

Meanwhile, a Sky Sports journalist has dropped this Aston Villa transfer update…

A number of Aston Villa supporters have criticised Ollie Watkins’ ineffective performance against Arsenal in his side’s 3-1 defeat on Friday night.

Dean Smith’s side produced a lifeless showing at the Emirates, as they were deservedly beaten by the Gunners.

Thomas Partey gave Mikel Arteta’s men the lead and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s penalty on the stroke of half-time doubled the hosts’ advantage.

The game was effectively ended as a contest when Emile Smith Rowe added a third in the second half, and while Jacob Ramsey scored a wonderful consolation, there was very little to celebrate from a Villa perspective.

One player who really struggled all evening was Watkins, with the striker failing to complete a dribble or play a single key pass during the game, making 14 fewer successful passes than his own goalkeeper, Emi Martinez.

Villa fans lambast Watkins display

The 25-year-old’s performance didn’t go unnoticed by these Villa fans on Twitter, who took to the social media platform to lay into him.

“Watkins is doing nothing. AGAIN!”

Credit: @razorrudd

“Tyrone is slow, sloppy and arrogant. The same system doesn’t work against every opponent. Our midfield looks tired and out of ideas. Watkins is bang out of form. We have a very good squad but absolutely no identity”

Credit: @JosephBrimson

“Wouldn’t mind seeing the back of Watkins for the right price tbh”

Credit: @avfcdvd

“Watkins’ work rate has dropped off massively and you take that from his game you are left with a distinctly average player”

Credit: @dicktonksy

“Watkins looks defeated this season. Buendia must be better than what we’ve seen, right? With the personnel in the squad it’s blindingly obvious that there is only space for 1 striker in Villa’s best team. Worrying how Villa now ship goals like 19/20 when 20/21 they were “

Credit: @BannisterMonty

“Watkins. Where is our Ollie? Totally lost this season. Bailey. Changes the game for us. Ramsey. Energy. Buendia. Struggled this evening. Axel. Doesn’t work in a back 3. Targett. Poor & left flanks empty. Smith. Caught out and stubborn. Needs to improve. Quick.”

Credit: @amc89avfc

In other news, another Villa player’s performance against Arsenal was also criticised. Find out who it is here.

David Norris has advised Leeds United to sign teenage sensation Noni Madueke before the transfer window slams shut.

Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa has already bolstered his squad with the arrivals of £13million Barcelona left-back Junior Firpo, Valerenga goalkeeper Kristoffer Klaesson and Jack Harrison on a permanent deal from Manchester City.

But Bielsa could welcome more fresh faces to Elland Road and the Whites have been heavily linked with PSV Eindhoven ace Madueke.

The 19-year-old, who came through the ranks at Tottenham Hotspur before linking up with Dutch giants PSV, has made a sensational start to the new season. The highly-rated winger has scored five times and registered an assist in seven outings.

However, Leeds do face competition for Madueke’s signature as Premier League rivals Leicester City and Crystal Palace are keeping tabs on the England under-21 international, who has been valued at £20million by his current employers.

Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Juventus and Bayern Munich are also understood to be monitoring his situation after an impressive run of form.

But former Leeds midfielder Norris has urged Leeds to win the race for the hot prospect.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “I think he would be a good signing, absolutely.

“When you see who he is being linked with, he has obviously got pedigree, his reputation is getting bigger and he is doing a job on the pitch.

“His potential is exciting as well. I’d like him to join Leeds.”

A Newcastle United transfer claim has been made regarding their business in the window in the coming days…

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports reporter Pete Graves has dropped an exciting update which promises a huge week for those associated with the Magpies.

He tweeted: “Expecting transfer breakthroughs at #nufc this week. Been fairly amused by some of the names mentioned in certain places recently, however there are players under serious discussion that haven’t been mentioned anywhere yet.”

Fans will be delighted

Newcastle fans will be delighted with this update as it suggests that they are in for an exciting week of action in the transfer market.

The Magpies are in a desperate situation in the Premier League and new additions could be vital to their efforts to remain in the top flight. They are 19 games into the season and have mustered a measly 11 points, just one more than bottom-placed Norwich, with a mere one win to their name so far.

Dean Smith’s Canaries are also the only team who have conceded as many goals as the Toon (42) in the league, highlighting their fragility at the back. Eddie Howe’s side have conceded far too many goals, during his tenure as well as under Steve Bruce and Graeme Jones, and that could need to be addressed this month.

Their struggles on the pitch over the course of the first 19 games suggest that the current playing squad is not good enough to save their top-flight status. The lowest points tally to secure Premier League survival in the competition’s history has been 33 and the Magpies are currently on course to end with 22, falling well short of what is required to remain in the division.

This is why strengthening the squad with new signings this month could be crucial to Howe’s chances of avoiding the drop. Therefore, fans will be delighted that the club are expecting ‘breakthroughs’ in negotiations in the coming days, for it suggests that players will be coming in to bolster the squad as soon as possible.

Supporters will surely not want any deals dragging out until late in the month, particularly near deadline day, and they will be buzzing to see some business being done early. It means that they may be able to relax during the latter stages of the month instead of watching the club rush around and potentially make panic buys which do not make sense from a footballing or financial point of view.

AND in other news, “I am told…” – Journalist drops big Newcastle transfer claim which will deflate Toon fans…

Rangers boss Gio van Bronckhorst could be on his way to having a very busy summer at Ibrox if he fails to win the title.

Failure to secure the league title would suggest that the squad is not in the right place to dominate Scottish football, and this could lead to off-season surgery being performed by the Dutch head coach and Ross Wilson.

We published an article explaining why Borna Barisic is one player who should be sold in the summer. The Croatia international has attracted interest from the Premier League and is said to be worth £5m, which suggests that Wilson may be able to rake in a respectable amount of money for him at the end of the season.

This would add £5m to the club coffers and save £18k-per-week in wages, but it would leave Van Bronckhorst without any left-back competition for Calvin Bassey.

However, instead of forcing Wilson to enter the transfer market to sign a defender to bolster the squad, the Dutchman can save millions by unleashing one of the players in the academy – Kevin Ciubotaru.

The 18-year-old Romanian joined the club earlier this year and has already played for his country at multiple youth levels.

Speaking about himself, Ciubotaru said: “I think my qualities are speed, dribbling and stamina. I style myself like Theo Hernandez from Milan, although I have a lot of work to do with my right foot. I still have a lot to learn of course.”

This is some comparison from the youngster, as Hernandez has been in phenomenal form in Serie A this season for the Rossoneri. He has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.22 and produced 10 goal contributions in 25 appearances, which shows that he has been consistently delivering top-class performances.

If Ciubotaru can get even close to that level, he will be a fantastic player for Rangers in the future, whilst he will also be exciting to watch for the supporters as he attempts to burst forward in attack to create goals.

The full-back previously described himself as a “robot” in the way he focuses solely on football to improve himself as a player. This suggests that he has the mentality required to make it at the top level, as he is not allowing himself to be distracted by anything else and is driven to achieve his goals.

Therefore, Van Bronckhorst must offer him a chance to show that he can make the step up to the senior team. If the 18-year-old can make that leap, he will save Wilson millions in the transfer market with any money they can make from the sale of Barisic.

AND in other news, Was £2.7m, went to £162m: Rangers fumbled deal for “alien” who’s the “god of football”…

According to a report in the print edition of the Sunday Mirror, a shock West Ham transfer update has emerged involving Real Madrid forward Eden Hazard.

The Lowdown: Moyes in forward hunt…

Irons boss David Moyes has set his sights on improving West Ham in January as they become linked to many new attacking additions.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-developments-2/” title=”West Ham developments” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Antonin Barak, Jesse Lingard and Adam Hlozek have been mentioned most recently with West Ham now having to compete in Europe as well as on the domestic front.

The Evening Standard claim West Ham will be backed to bring in a new striker, top centre-half and potentially Lingard but it’s the Mirror who have now come out with, what perhaps is, the news of the day.

The Latest: West Ham ‘leading chase’ for Hazard…

As per their information, West Ham and Everton are ‘leading the chase’ for Hazard as he gets told to pack his bags and leave in January.

Real are desperate to get his £416,000-per-week wages off the books, so much so they are willing to accept half of their original £43 million asking price for the player.

Indeed, if any club can convince him to join on loan in January with an obligation to buy later, they will accept a final fee of £21m.

The Verdict: Get it done?

Signing Hazard for just £21m would have been unthinkable a few seasons ago, with West Ham legend Tony Cottee dubbing him ‘unplayable’ back in 2018 (Sky Sports).

However, after a spell of injury woes and failing to rekindle his previous Premier League form (The Mirror), the Belgium international is now in a totally different spot.

So much so, we believe West Ham are actually better placed looking elsewhere, especially considering the 30-year-old winger has been accused of laziness and a bad attitude in training by former teammates (John Obi Mikel to beIN Sports via Sky).

The last thing Moyes needs is a player of this nature disrupting the harmony of his squad, no matter his obvious quality in past seasons.

In other news: Journalist hints West Ham now in pole position to sign ‘world class’ striker, find out more here.

Leeds United are nine points clear of the bottom three and can now start to plan for life in the top-flight for another season, barring a late collapse.

Jesse Marsch will be making key decisions over what he wants to do in the transfer market and will surely be looking at the current weak points in his side.

One player who may find himself on his way out of the team is central midfielder Mateusz Klich as he has struggled in the middle of the park.

The Poland international has averaged an underwhelming SofaScore rating of 6.69 across 22 starts, losing 59% of his duels and making 1.9 tackles and interceptions per game. These statistics show that he has been below par this term as he has been unable to perform to a high level on a consistent basis.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-marsch-raphinha-dest-philhay” title=”Read the latest Leeds news!”]

Marsch will have the opportunity to finally replace him in the summer and he can do just that by securing a deal to sign Josh Cullen.

Leeds are reportedly interested in a swoop for the ex-West Ham battler and he has the potential to be an excellent replacement for Klich.

His former manager Lee Bowyer previously lauded his performances, saying: “Every single game he’s outstanding, very rarely does he do anything wrong.

“Again he protected the back four so well in the middle of the park. Josh doesn’t really give the ball away. He tidies things up, he breaks things up well. He was outstanding.”

Although he was speaking about his displays for Charlton, these comments are also an apt way to describe his form for Anderlecht. In the Belgian Pro League, he has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.22 as he has won 60% of his duels and made 3.5 tackles and interceptions per game.

This shows that he can be an improvement on Klich in the midfield as he is stronger in his individual battles and has been able to perform to a higher level on a consistent basis.

Although, it is impossible to say whether or not he will be able to adapt to playing in the Premier League, which is one question mark that can be put on the move.

Cullen has, however, shown that he can perform at an international level, with his former Ireland boss Mick McCarthy commenting: 

“He’s technically very good and a tough little sod. He puts his foot in and stands his ground. You wouldn’t think he’s a little fella that gets knocked around. He handles the ball particularly well. He’s got good legs and gets around the pitch.”

It is now down to Victor Orta and Marsch to work together to bring Cullen to Elland Road in the summer to see if he can replicate his dominant midfield displays for Anderlecht in the English top-flight next term.

AND in other news, “Really significant”: Insider drops huge Leeds claim that’ll get supporters bouncing…