All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Recent comments by Everton winger Bernard shows just why manager Marco Silva is the right man to steer the club to better results and ultimate success.

The Brazilian revealed to Portuguese outlet Record (via the Liverpool Echo) the squad is still fully dedicated to Silva’s structures at the club and have complete confidence in his style of coaching and managing.

The former Watford manager has been under a huge amount of scrutiny since the start of the New Year, following a bad string of results.

One win in their last six matches in all competitions has seen the manager change his team in almost every encounter and their FA Cup defeat at Millwall certainly raised question marks over Silva’s capabilities as the man in charge.

But, Bernard’s comments on how Silva prepares for every match and the detail he focuses on proves why he needs a little bit more time to get the best out of the Everton players.

According to the 26-year-old, Silva is excellent in his preparation before matches and provides a lot of insight into set-pieces, an aspect of the game where the Toffees have been really poor at this season.

Patience and maybe one or two more transfer windows could finally lead to Everton achieving new heights under the Portuguese manager.

The comments by Bernard should also be encouraging to Evertonians, who might have feared that Silva had lost the dressing but that clearly isn’t the case.

The off-weekend might also have been just what the club needed to regroup and get their campaign back on track with a Premier League clash against Cardiff City at Goodison Park coming up next week.

The encounter with Neil Warnock’s men could be the ideal opportunity for Everton to hit their stride again and get an all-important win under their belt.

Newcastle United have emerged as contenders to sign Nantes midfielder Moses Simon this summer, joining Leeds United in the race to acquire his signature.

The Lowdown: Simon impressing in France

The 26-year-old is enjoying an impressive spell in France after moving from Levante in 2020, registering six assists in 18 Ligue 1 starts this season, mostly from the left flank.

Simon was described as a ‘very important’ player for Nigeria by manager Gernot Rohr last month, having made four appearances at the Africa Cup on Nations, scoring and assisting once apiece.

Leeds made a ‘strong approach’ for the attacking midfielder in January but they now reportedly face stiff competition ahead of the summer transfer window.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Newcastle join Leeds in race

According to OwnGoalNigeria [via Sport Witness], Newcastle are now also expressing an interest in signing Simon, with the report even claiming that he is their ‘prime target’ this summer.

The report name checks Leeds as being ‘still keen’ on his signature, but claims the Tyneside outfit are now ahead in the race.

They are apparently happy to pay his £20m valuation, even holding ‘talks’ with Nantes already and plotting a £100k-per-week wage packet for the player.

The winger’s current Nantes deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2024.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-33/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Blow for Leeds?

Last season, interest from Newcastle may not have been a concern for Leeds, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side looking like one on the up. However, the Magpies’ newfound wealth means they have the potential to blow other teams out of the water with regards to transfers.

They could likely offer higher wages than the Whites – no Leeds player tops £100k-per-week – immediately making them favourites to sign him, and the lure of possible future successes could also give them the edge.

Perhaps Simon will see the appeal of working under Bielsa, however, assuming he stays, and his aforementioned creativity could help add an extra dimension to Leeds’ attack on the left-hand side if Victor Orta can win the race.

In other news, one Leeds hero is reportedly poised to sign a new deal. Find out who it is here.

Despite having a rather rocky start to their season with just three wins from their 15 Premier League games so far in this campaign, drawing seven and losing five in the process, one player who has been a regular figure for them is midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

With the England international having been linked with a move away from the Yorkshire club during the previous summer transfer window, it seems as though there has still been some talk of whether Phillips’ long-term future could be at Elland Road or elsewhere.

In a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT, journalist Paul Brown had this to say about fellow Premier League clubs Manchester United and Liverpool being interested in signing Phillips.

He said: “There may even be others who come in, but for the moment those two are the prime candidates.”

As a product of Leeds’ youth system, Phillips has gone on to make a total of 226 appearances for the Whites across all competitions, scoring 14 goals and providing 13 assists in the process.

Taking into account how Leeds lost seven out of the nine league Premier League games in which Phillips was not involved last season, this highlights just how important he is to the team and why Orta could be condemning the Whites to a potential future relegation if they lose the midfielder next summer.

In the league games that he did play in last season, Phillips proved himself as a crucial figure for Bielsa’s side, particularly from a defensive point of view by racking up an average of 2.6 tackles, 1.7 clearances and 1.6 interceptions per game.

Labelled as a “powerful” player by former Whites boss Neil Redfearn, Phillips, who is currently valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, has made 131 appearances under Bielsa for Leeds, leaving just Mateusz Klich (145) and Jack Harrison (142) with more under the Argentine.

Even though the player’s current contract isn’t set to expire until the summer of 2024, Orta should be working his socks off to get Phillips to sign an extension to his current deal and pledge his future to the Yorkshire club, which would surely be a massive weight off the shoulders of lots of Leeds fans who may be concerned about Phillips potentially moving away from the club.

In other news: Leeds can start January with a bang if Orta signs “outstanding” £9m-rated “technician”

Many Wolves fans have been left fuming over some transfer news that has been shared by Scott Sellars.

Speaking about the January transfer window, the technical director at Molineux has now claimed that there will not be a large number of new signings at the Midlands club this month, and will focus on giving Bruno Lage immediate back-up in case of injuries or positive COVID-19 cases.

They will also give opportunities to those who have come back from being on loan, like Dion Sanderson.

However, the squad is not the biggest as it is, and currently riddled with injuries (Transfermarkt), meaning that the Wanderers should really be bringing in a few players in order to fill the squad and help Lage build momentum for the second part of the season.

Wolves fans on transfer news

These WWFC supporters fumed as the transfer news was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it was ‘shocking’:

“I’m sick of hearing this every transfer window!”

Credit: @peggyja95517835

“Terrible”

Credit: @jackhurdley_

“Shocking”

Credit: @WWFCFrevans

“Fosun out”

Credit: @Avukat__Mustafa

“Joke of a club”

Credit: @jackuwwfc

“Pathetic Jeff Shi getting his yes man to speak, we will never progress with you lot in charge!”

Credit: @WolvesBlogger1

In other news, find out what club update has Wanderers buzzing here!

Rangers will look to continue their unbeaten start to life under Gio van Bronckhorst as they prepare for Premiership action on Saturday.

The Gers face off against Ross County away from home in a lunchtime kick-off this weekend as they look to maintain or extend their lead at the top of the table, depending on how their Glasgow rivals get on in their match at 3pm.

Scott Arfield scored the only goal of the game as Rangers beat Livingston 1-0 in their last outing on Wednesday night, leaving them on 55 points after 22 games and four points clear of their nearest rivals.

Unleash him

One player who must be unleashed from the start on Saturday is new signing Amad Diallo. The youngster joined on loan from Manchester United this week and Van Bronckhorst has already confirmed that he is available for selection.

He said in Friday morning’s press conference: “Diallo will also be in the squad for tomorrow.

“Diallo is a young player who wants to play games, we are bringing him to our club to add value to our team. Like any other player in the squad, he has to perform to play but I am full of confidence that he will deliver.”

Instead of using him off the bench, the Dutchman must throw him in from the start in order to axe Scott Wright from the starting XI. The ex-Aberdeen man was poor against Livingston as he regularly wasted the ball in the final third, completing 0% of his dribbles and 25% of his attempted crosses.

Diallo coming in could allow Van Bronckhorst to drop Wright for this match against Ross County, with the Ivorian having the potential to be a game-changer for the Gers – that is why he must start.

Former Manchester United winger Dan James previously lauded his then-teammate as “unbelievable”, while Papu Gomez, another who played alongside the 19-year-old, once compared him to a current PSG forward, saying: “There are defenders in the first team that sometimes cannot stop him. To stop him in training, we have to kick him! He plays like Messi.”

This highlights the technical quality of the £28k-per-week Ibrox gem, which is backed up by his exceptional record at youth level. He scored six goals and provided four assists in just five games for United’s under-23s, having managed 37 goals and 24 assists in 96 appearances for Atalanta’s youth teams.

Diallo also scored once and produced one assist in nine first-team matches for the Red Devils, showing promise at the top level. This suggests that he has the potential to come in at Rangers and be a big player for Van Bronckhorst, and that could start with him being named in the starting XI against Ross County on Saturday…

AND in other news, Rangers could find Kent 2.0 with “intelligent” maestro who has a G/A every 0.95 games…

David Moyes’ West Ham United side went into Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Southampton in something of a dip of form, with the Hammers having won just one of their last six league fixtures.

And, despite twice drawing level through Michail Antonio and Said Benrahma, after Mohamed Elyounoussi and then James Ward-Prowse had given Saints the lead in the fixture, Jan Bednarek’s 70th-minute header was enough for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side to seal all three points at the London Stadium, with the visitors running out 3-2 victors.

As is to be expected after such a result, a number of West Ham’s players did not enjoy their finest of displays on Sunday afternoon, with centre-back duo Issa Diop and Craig Dawson, as well as Nikola Vlasic and Vladimir Coufal, all enduring something of a fixture to forget.

However, it was undoubtedly 25-year-old Pablo Fornals who let his manager down the most against Southampton, as the Spain international turned in a particularly anonymous display from attacking midfield.

Lost the ball every 2.1 touches

Despite having been in decent form over his 17 Premier League appearances so far this season, scoring four goals, registering two assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, the £18m-rated Fornals was far from at his best on Sunday afternoon.

Indeed, over his 45 minutes on the pitch, the £79k-per-week midfielder managed a mere 26 touches of the ball, completed just 14 of his 24 attempted passes – a completion rate of 58% – failed with both his one attempted cross and one attempted long ball and won just one of his three duels.

The Spaniard also lost the ball on 12 separate occasions, meaning he ceded possession with every 2.1 touches, and was dribbled past by an opponent twice, before being hooked by Moyes at halftime.

These returns saw the 25-year-old earn a SofaScore match rating of just 6.3, with only Lukasz Fabianski between the West Ham sticks receiving a lower score than the midfielder on the day.

Furthermore, the Evening Standard journalist Jack Rosser awarded Fornals a five in his own player ratings, writing of his display: “Not his usual energetic self. Couldn’t get anything going on the break against a Southampton side leaving big gaps.”

As such, it is clear for all to see that the forward badly let his manager down against Saints on Sunday, with it looking extremely unlikely that Fornals will retain his starting spot in the side when the Hammers visit Watford on Tuesday evening.

In other news: Moyes can finally axe “special” £115k-p/w West Ham flop by signing 21 y/o “phenomenon”

As per Daily Mirror reporter Darren Lewis, eight Tottenham players are now safe from Antonio Conte’s axe after ‘impressing’ him behind the scenes.

The Lowdown: Conte sends stern message…

After Tottenham’s humiliating 2-1 defeat to Slovenian minnows NS Mura in the Europa Conference League on Thursday, adding to their European woes in recent years, Conte sent a stern message.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-developments-2/” title=”Spurs developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Italian, seeking to guide Spurs back to the summit of European football over two years after Mauricio Pochettino’s Champions League final run, explained that he is assessing his squad ahead of the January transfer window.

Speaking to the press, Conte lifted the lid on how he is currently making ‘evaluations’ over how deserves to be at Tottenham.

“We need players with the right mentality and with the quality, players that deserve to play for Tottenham and aspire to be competitive, to fight for this shirt, to win something,” said the former Inter boss.

“I’m making my evaluations and then I’ll speak with the club.”

The Latest: Eight players safe…

Writing for The Mirror, reporter Lewis has revealed that eight more players are safe from his looming axe, but most ‘if not all’ of the others squad members are fighting for their futures at the club.

He explains that Sergio Reguilon, Eric Dier, Ben Davies, Lucas Moura, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Japhet Tanganga and Oliver Skipp have all ‘impressed’ Conte behind the scenes – with Ryan Sessegnon also expected to be given more chances despite his red card in midweek.

The Verdict: Interesting claim…

Most of these names, like Reguilon, Dier, Lucas, Hojbjerg, Tanganga and Skipp have all arguably impressed at some point this season, leaving little surprise Conte favours them.

However, one surprise names in this list is arguably Davies, mainly because he has attracted real criticism for some of his displays this season.

Perhaps the Wales international’s experience, plus versatility as both a left-back and left-sided centre-back, has landed him in good stead with Conte.

As this interesting claim emerges, Spurs fans will be watching on eagerly to see if this crop of players become mainstays under their new manager.

In other news: ‘Coming from Tottenham’…Journalist drops exciting transfer claim with ‘biggest offer’ on the table, find out more here.

A big Newcastle United transfer update has emerged, regarding their efforts to sign Jesse Lingard in the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards, the Magpies are set to ‘throw everything’ at Manchester United to land the midfielder this month.

The reporter claims that sources have told him that the confidence over a deal being done has been growing over the weekend, with the window slamming shut in less than ten days.

Elation

This will surely leave Newcastle fans elated for several reasons. Firstly, they will be delighted to read that PIF are willing to make a huge effort to sign Lingard and that they will do whatever it takes to bring him to St. James’ Park.

It shows that they are willing to go the extra mile to land a key target and supporters will be happy with the club’s attempts to strengthen the attacking midfield position, albeit there may be frustration at the lack of progress in the centre-back department.

The fans will also be buzzing with this news simply because of the prospect of Lingard playing in black and white in the second half of the campaign.

He is a proven top-flight player and he could add some much-needed goals and assists to the side.

No Newcastle central midfielder has managed more than two combined goals and assists, after all, with Jonjo Shelvey, Sean Longstaff and Joelinton all on two.

Meanwhile, Lingard has two goals in 89 minutes of football in the Premier League this season and produced nine goals and four assists in the division on loan to West Ham last term.

Former Manchester United coach Michael Carrick once lauded the midfielder, saying: “I think his movement is excellent. It’s something that sounds quite simple, but it’s difficult to defend against.

“He senses where the space is and how to use it. I wouldn’t necessarily say he’s a dribbler with skills and tricks but he’s dynamic. How he plays, he is unique in some ways. You don’t see so much of that now as everyone wants to get on the ball. Off the ball, he’s very effective.”

This suggests that the England international could come in and score the goals that Howe has been lacking in the midfield areas.

Therefore, he could be a fantastic addition to the side and one that will leave fans feeling elated, due to his proven quality at this level.

AND in other news, Player keen: NUFC can find their new Demba Ba in £34m powerhouse who’s “like a train”…

Liverpool have a multitude of attacking players in their squad who have contributed to keeping the Reds in the race to win the Premier League title, along with securing the Carabao Cup earlier in the season.

One figure who hasn’t been as active in the Premier League as some of his attacking team-mates this season is Roberto Firmino.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-liverpool-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-salah-gnabry-isak-romano” title= “Read the latest Liverpool news!”]

With 17 league appearances under his belt, the Brazilian has only started nine times, which shows that he hasn’t always been a first-choice pick for Jurgen Klopp at times this season, in addition to having some injury issues.

Despite scoring five goals and providing three assists in the league, the 30-year-old’s overall performances have earned him a disappointing season rating of 6.84/10 from WhoScored, making him one of the lowest-rated Liverpool players to start more than three league games.

With this in mind and the £180k-per-week attacker’s contract at Anfield set to expire in the summer of 2023, it seems as though the Merseyside club could have identified a potential future long-term replacement for the Brazil striker.

According to a recent report from Record (via Sport Witness), the performance from Benfica striker Darwin Nunez against the Reds in their recent Champions League meeting impressed the hierarchy at Liverpool and a number of their players.

In 79 appearances for the Portuguese club, the 22-year-old has racked up 42 goals and provided 15 assists across all competitions.

Labelled a “tenacious” player and a “monster” on the pitch by journalist James Dodd, the £36m-rated attacker not only scored against Jurgen Klopp’s squad in midweek, he also made two key passes and completed all four of his dribbles, highlighting what a tricky player he is for opponents to handle.

Also, the Uruguayan has twice as many shots per game on average (2.8) in the Portuguese league this season compared to Firmino in the Premier League (1.4).

Taking all of this into account, if the 30-year-old ends up leaving Merseyside in the near future, signing Nunez as his replacement could be just what the Reds need to keep their lethal attack ticking over nicely.

In other news: FSG could replicate Elliott masterclass as LFC plot bid for “special” teenage sensation

Aston Villa want to sign Joe Gomez in January, and that could spark the end of Tyrone Mings’ time in the starting lineup under Steven Gerrard.

The new manager has started his tenure in a great way, winning three of his four fixtures with the only defeat coming to league leaders Manchester City at Villa Park. After a clean sheet in his first game though, Villa have conceded four goals in the following three games to add to their woeful defensive record this season.

So far in the current campaign the Midlands side have conceded 24 goals in 15 games, with only five teams conceding more than they have. Of those five teams, Norwich and Newcastle are both in the relegation zone – which shows the size of the problem that Gerrard has in front of him.

Reports suggest he is keen to bring the £27m-rated England international Gomez into the fold on a temporary basis to help bolster the defence, with the 24-year-old currently fourth choice centre-back at Anfield behind Virgil Van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate.

He has made just three starts this season in all competitions, with only two appearances off the substitutes bench to his name in the Premier League. His total of 13 minutes of action in the league means his chances of getting back into the England squad are very slim and with a World Cup coming up next year, he will be keen to get more regular game time.

But should he arrive then Gerrard will have a decision to make over whose place in the team he will take between captain Mings and Ezri Konsa. But after his brace in the win over Leicester at the weekend, Konsa has made his claim to keep his place.

This season Konsa has averaged 0.7 tackles per game, 0.7 interceptions per game and 0.4 fouls per game in comparison to Mings’ 0.4 tackles per game, 0.9 interceptions per game and 0.9 fouls per game per WhoScored.

There is next to nothing between them, but it should be remembered that Mings was dropped by Dean Smith before he was sacked due to his poor form. With that in mind, there is strong evidence to suggest that an additional defender arriving would be the end of his days as a regular in the starting XI.

During Gomez’s last full campaign, where he was labelled “exceptional” by Jurgen Klopp, he averaged 0.8 tackles per game, 1.4 interceptions per game and 0.8 fouls per game, demonstrating that his reading of the game is considerably better than what the Villans already have at their disposal.

Mings isn’t the quickest and with Gerrard preferring to play a possession-based game with a higher defensive line, Gomez could slot in alongside Konsa for a better partnership to help the system. The 28-year-old captain will be competing with Gomez for an England and Villa place should the move happen, so expect the former Charlton man to be gunning for his place.

AND in other news, Joe Gomez could move to Aston Villa in January for sake of England place.