All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

With just one win in their 11 previous Premier League games, Everton have not had a particularly successful season under Rafa Benitez so far this season.

Now that the January transfer window is close to opening, this could give Benitez a good opportunity to make some changes to his squad that he thinks would benefit the team as a whole, whether that be bringing new players in or getting rid of current ones.

One current Everton player that should be in consideration for a January exit is midfielder Andre Gomes.

Even though he’s only made six appearances in the Premier League for the Toffees this season, Gomes has failed to show Benitez why he should be a regular figure for Everton, particularly in a defensive regard having been described as being reckless at the back in the past by Everton journalist Dave Prentice.

In those six appearances, the 28-year-old has only managed to rack up an average of 0.2 clearances and interceptions per game, an average of getting dribbled past 2.2 times per game as well as winning just 30% of his duels, which goes to show why Everton have conceded four goals in the two league games he’s started this season.

His previous appearance for Everton in their 1-1 draw against Chelsea away at Stamford Bridge saw Gomes, who is currently valued at £18m according to Transfermarkt, deliver a poor display that ultimately earned him an overall match rating of 5.8/10 from SofaScore, making him comfortably Everton’s lowest-rated player on the day.

Gomes’ overall performances this season have earned him a disappointing overall rating of 6.2/10 from WhoScored, making him the lowest-rated Everton player to have started more than one league game so far this season.

With all of this in mind and the fact that he has a significant injury record under his belt since arriving at Goodison Park from Barcelona back in 2018 on loan before signing on a permanent basis a year later in a deal worth a reported fee of £22m, it could be time to bring his time at Everton to a close.

If Benitez does axe Gomes in January, they will have to make sure they sign a new midfielder to replace him if they can.

In other news: Moshiri could replicate Gray masterclass at Everton with Jan move for 30 G/A starlet – opinion

An exciting Newcastle United transfer claim has emerged ahead of the summer…

What’s the talk?

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the club are set to have a meeting to make big calls over what they want to do in the upcoming transfer window.

Speaking on the Que Golazo YouTube channel, he said:

“I’m told that Newcastle will make some decisions on players they already have and the players they want to sign in May. They have a meeting already scheduled in May to discuss about it. So at the moment, for Saint-Maximin, still nothing concrete, but let’s see in the coming weeks what happens.”

Exciting

This claim will surely leave fans excited for multiple reasons.

Firstly, he has gone some way to allaying fears that the club have decided to sell Allan Saint-Maximin this summer, after 90min reported that the Toon are open to cashing in on the French forward with Wolves showing an interest in him. Supporters will be pleased that they have not made any final decisions on his future as selling him would be a major disaster.

FFC recently published an article explaining why it would be a howler to let him go and that is why fans will be delighted with Romano’s claim that nothing is set in stone in regard to the attacker’s situation.

The St. James’ Park faithful will also be excited by this news as it shows that the club are looking to make their decisions well in advance of the window. Instead of leaving it until close to July and then scrambling about throughout that month and August, they are attempting to get all of their business in order ahead of schedule in order to have the best possible summer window.

PIF may have learned their lesson after they waited too long in January and ended up missing out on two key targets. They failed with deadline day swoops for Hugo Ekitike and Jesse Lingard as they were unable to get those two deals over the line before the window slammed shut.

Hopefully, making all of their key decisions with months to spare will allow them to bring in all of the players they want to sign with plenty of time left to go. Being prepared for the summer in advance could also give them a leg up on their rivals if they are able to make moves for players before opposition clubs are able to come in with offers of their own.

It is now down to PIF and Eddie Howe to follow this through and enjoy an exciting summer window…

AND in other news, Wood upgrade: PIF will be having NUFC nightmares after missing out on £20m “cult hero”…

Manchester United are reportedly the “only serious bidder” (Sport Bild, via Sport Witness) in the race for Erling Haaland, with Ralf Rangnick seemingly looking to make an instant impact in his newly appointed role as manager of the club.

The Red Devils have been struggling for some time to establish dominance in both the Premier League and European tournaments, which has led to them not winning a single trophy since 2017 when they won the Europa League with Jose Mourinho, setting the club up for their longest trophy drought in 31 years.

Rangnick has made no secret that he wants to make changes at Old Trafford: “My opinion on winter transfers is clear. It needs to be a player who improves the quality, who improves the team to get better, it needs to be a high-quality player, no matter in which area of the pitch.”

With that being said, it is no wonder that Haaland is on the radar for Manchester United, with the youngster scoring 19 goals and bagging five assists already for Borussia Dortmund this season in just 15 appearances.

The 21 year old, who has been hailed “lethal” by Thierry Henry, has impressively scored more goals (76) than he has played games (74) for the Bundesliga side.

“Other players will go on the wing – he wants to stay within the frame of the net. Between the two posts, he knows he is lethal,” Henry said.

“He’s so powerful, by the way. He just wants to run in behind and the way he finishes is ridiculous.”

What’s the problem?

There is however one major issue with Haaland, which stands in the way of the potential signing – his agent, Mino Raiola, who has been vocal on many occasions about his issues with the Manchester club.

Raiola, who is the agent of current United player, Paul Pogba, has made many controversial statements about the club over the years of his involvement and dealings with them.

The super agent launched a scathing attack on the club recently saying: “It’s a club out of touch with reality and without a sporting project. I wouldn’t take anyone there. They would even ruin [Diego] Maradona, Pele and [Paolo] Maldini.”

The 54 year old has been in a back and forth with Manchester United for a while over Pogba, who is out of contract in the summer, but if Haaland was to seal a deal with Rangnick, they will need to build bridges to develop a positive working relationship.

There is every chance that Raiola could entice his client to go elsewhere due to the fractured relationship with the Red Devils, with a large number of successful clubs also interested in the 21 year old, including Bayern Munich and Manchester City.

Given the frankly ridiculous goal record and list of plaudits boasted by Haaland, missing out due to the issues with Raiola would be a colossal blow for Rangnick, especially if he joins Manchester City instead.

In other news: Ralf Rangnick must axe Anthony Martial

West Ham have been backed to make a move for Southampton striker Armando Broja, with the youngster currently impressing on loan from Chelsea.

The Lowdown: Broja impressing for Saints

The 20-year-old moved to St Mary’s Stadium on a temporary basis last summer, in order to earn more playing time away from Stamford Bridge.

Broja has impressed for Saints, leading the line well and scoring six goals in 11 Premier League starts, also chipping in with two Carabao Cup strikes.

It seems unlikely that the Albanian will play a big role at Chelsea for the foreseeable future – they have £100m Romelu Lukaku, £72m Kai Havertz and £48m Timo Werner to keep happy – and with West Ham eyeing up summer additions, he has been backed as a potential target.

The Latest: Broja backed to make move

Speaking to Give Me Sport, journalist Alex Crook of talkSPORT claimed the Hammers should consider making a move for the young striker, even though another year on loan at Southampton appears most likely:

“That’s the most likely outcome [another year at Southampton], but teams like West Ham and Newcastle would be foolish not to at least have a try.”

This comes after claims that an absolute promise has been made to David Moyes from GSB, ensuring he will have cash to splash with a proper strategy in place to attack the market this summer.

The Verdict: Shrewd summer signing

While it may be difficult to snap up Broja permanently, given his potential ceiling at Chelsea and the fact his contract there is until 2026, a loan move could add much-needed attacking depth to Moyes’ squad.

The youngster has been hailed as ‘dangerous’ by Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl and he has won an average of 2.9 aerial duels per game in the league this season, showing the type of physicality which could make him the perfect deputy to Michail Antonio.

The Hammers have long needed an adequate support for the Jamaica star, and Broja’s age and profile suggest they should look on further.

In other news, a journalist has dropped a big West Ham transfer claim. Read more here.

An update has emerged on Rangers and their January transfer window plans for gem Joe Aribo…

What’s the talk?

According to The Scottish Mail of Sunday journalist Gary Keown, via Ibrox News, the Gers are keen to ‘strike while the iron is hot’ by cashing in on the midfielder this month.

The report claims that he is attracting ‘strong interest’ from a number of English Premier League teams, although no potential fee is mentioned.

Infuriation

Gers fans will surely be left infuriated by this update as it suggests that the club have decided that now is the best time to sell Aribo.

However, Rangers could be headed for a major January blunder if this is the case because they would be frustrating their own supporters and weakening their side in the midst of a title battle.

Supporters will be up in arms as he has been in terrific form this season and his exit would harm Gio van Bronckhorst’s chances of winning the Premiership. He has averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.20 this term, scoring six goals and providing three assists, showing that he is delivering consistently brilliant displays for the Scottish giants.

His former Charlton teammate Ezri Konsa once praised Aribo’s style of play, saying: “Having Gerrard as his manager at Rangers, that has made him go up another level.

“Joe’s style is unique. When I was with him at Charlton he did remind me for a while of a left-footed Yaya Toure. But you don’t get a lot of midfielders like Joe, there aren’t many around.

“Like Toure, for a tall guy he’s got such great feet. But that languid style he’s got is actually fairly unique in the game.”

These comments, in particular, highlight why selling Aribo could be a big disaster for the Gers. He is not a run-of-the-mill midfielder who the club could go and easily find a replica of. He is unique and replacing him in the transfer market, particularly in the winter window, could be extremely difficult, which is why selling him now would be an error.

Therefore, Ross Wilson must reverse his decision to seek a sale for Aribo and avoid striking ‘while the iron is hot’ to keep him at Ibrox. He is a crucial player for the Gers and selling him now could have a major impact on the pitch and off it in terms of the fan reaction it could bring.

AND in other news, Expert makes “transformational” £50m Rangers claim that will leave Ross Wilson buzzing…

[ad_pod ]

Tyler Roberts for the injured Kemar Roofe will be the only change to the Leeds United XI for this weekend’s Championship clash with Bolton Wanderers.

Indeed, Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa named his team for the Bolton match on Thursday, revealing one change from the side that started the 2-1 win over Swansea City last time out.

Roofe’s knee injury will see the attacker miss out, which will mean a start for Roberts in the final third of the field.

Patrick Bamford will again lead the line, though, with Bielsa hopeful that the striker can score his third Championship goal of the campaign.

Pablo Hernandez and Jack Harrison will operate in the wide areas, with Ezgjan Alioski featuring at left-back and Kalvin Phillips holding the middle of the park.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

The Leeds fans have been on social media offering their views on the confirmation of the XI.

And a selection of their best reaction can be seen below:

According to reliable club insider ExWHUemployee, West Ham United, and by extension recruitment chief Rob Newman, have set their sights on a 2022 move as news emerges on Fulham defender Antonee Robinson.

The Lowdown: Moyes eyeing new left-back?

According to another report by the Irons source, it is believed that Aaron Cresswell’s back injury is much worse than originally feared with the club and manager David Moyes unable to put a timeframe on his return (West Ham Way).

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

As a result, the Hammers have been linked to potentially adding a new left-back to their ranks in January, with Moyes and Newman also previously linked with a loan move for defender Ainsley Maitland-Niles (West Ham Way Podcast).

Now, as insider ExWHuemployee shares more information, it appears Newman also has his eyes on future left-back additions as he looks set to move for Robinson next summer.

The Latest: Newman set for 2022 swoop…

Indeed, as per the Hammers insider, West Ham and Newman are ‘very keen’ on the USA international and are ‘looking set to make a move’ in the summer window.

As well as the 24-year-old, it is believed that the Irons are also fond of another Cottagers defender in ex-Man City man Tosin Adarabioyo.

The Verdict: Get it done?

While West Ham fans wouldn’t see him in Claret and Blue until long into next year, we believe Robinson could come as a brilliant nominee to eventually succeed Cresswell in the left-back slot.

At 32-years-old, the Irons mainstay isn’t getting any younger and it’s little wonder Newman is looking ahead to find his defensive heir.

Robinson, already an established international, certainly comes with credentials given he has played a starring role for Fulham in the Championship this season.

According to WhoScored, the left-back has averaged the joint-most crosses out of their entire squad so far over 2021/2022 whilst also making the second-most interceptions per 90 (1.8) – marking himself out as a key man on both sides of the ball.

Lauded as ‘a hell of a player’ by Hull City boss Grant McCann, Newman could have his eyes on an ideal target.

In other news: ‘Noooo’, ‘Beyond a joke’, ‘Xmas ruined’…Many West Ham fans flock to ‘worrying’ player claim, find out more here.

Newcastle are in a dangerous position in the Premier League, and the remaining days of the January transfer window could play a major role in deciding their fate at the end of the season.

It does not take a genius to work out that having better footballers gives you a higher chance of winning matches, and bringing in talent is exactly what the Magpies need to do between now and Monday night.

The Magpies are 18th in the Premier League table and have only won two games all season in the top flight, sitting one point behind 17th-placed Norwich.

Save their season

Signings made between now and Monday could save Newcastle’s season, and one player who could do exactly that is Chelsea striker Armando Broja.

TuttoMercatoWeb reported earlier this week that Newcastle are interested in signing the Albanian and have placed a £34m (€40m) offer on the table for his services, although that is believed to be not enough to tempt Thomas Tuchel into cashing in on him.

He is currently on loan to Southampton and the Magpies must increase their offer to snap him up on a permanent deal, ending his temporary stay at St Mary’s and allowing him to join the Toon Army.

Whilst Newcastle have brought Chris Wood in from Burnley, the New Zealand international scored just three goals in 17 starts for Burnley in the first half of the campaign and is yet to find the back of the net in two matches for Howe’s side, meaning he has scored once every 6.3 games this term.

This suggests that he alone may not be enough to keep the club in the Premier League, particularly with Callum Wilson currently out injured. Broja could come in and score the goals to win vital points in the top flight to stave off relegation.

He has seven goals and one assist for the Saints in all competitions this season, starting just 12 matches in the Premier League and Carabao Cup combined. He has scored just over once every two starts for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men, showing that he has the ability to make a big impact in the final third.

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards hailed the youngster earlier this month, saying: “He’s fearless, he’s strong, he runs in behind, he can hold it up – just at the age of 20 as well. I’ve been really impressed with him.

“Sometimes when young players go on loan, especially in the Premier League, they come off the bench and he’s bided his time a little bit but when his chance came he took it with both hands. Every time that I watch him play I’m impressed.

“He holds the line by himself, his hold up play, constant threat running in behind, his aerial ability as well. He’s really growing in stature.”

This suggests that Broja offers more than just goals, as he is able to provide the full package as a striker. Richards believes that the 20-year-old has the qualities to be a focal point at the tip of attack by making runs and winning balls in the air, which means that he could be a terrific signing for the Magpies.

They could bring in a player who is able to decide matches with his goals and improve the team’s performances with his ability to link up the play. This is why signing the Albanian predator could save Newcastle’s season, so PIF need to splash the cash to get a deal done.

AND in other news, “Behind the scenes”: Chris Waugh drops worrying PIF claim that’ll upset Newcastle fans…

David Moyes’ West Ham United side ease themselves back into first-team football with a trip to Kidderminster Harriers in the fourth round of the FA Cup this afternoon, a fixture in which the 58-year-old Hammers boss will undoubtedly be looking to rotate his side.

Indeed, the Scotsman recently suggested that he could be set to hand Alex Kral – the Spartak Moscow central midfielder West Ham signed on a season-long loan deal last summer – just his third start since his temporary switch to east London, while the club’s only recognised centre-forward, Michail Antonio, is also unlikely to feature having only landed in England on Friday following his international duty with Jamaica.

So, how many changes will Moyes make to the side that started the 1-0 loss against Manchester United last time out? Here’s how we think West Ham could line up against Kidderminster, along with the latest team and injury news…

With the greatest of respect to Kidderminster, a National League North side should not be giving a team chasing a top-four finish in the Premier League a great deal of trouble this afternoon, something which leads us to believe that Moyes will make nine changes to the team which lined up at Old Trafford before the winter break.

Fours of these changes come in defence, with Ben Johnson taking the place of Vladimir Coufal at right-back, Arthur Masuaku starting ahead of Aaron Cresswell at left-back, while Issa Diop and 21-year-old Aji Alese – who West Ham podcaster Tom Edwards dubbed “gold dust” – being given the nod ahead of Kurt Zouma and Craig Dawson at centre-back.

In the middle of the park, the rarely-seen £24k-per-week Alex Kral is indeed awarded a start, as is club captain Mark Noble, with both Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek being rested ahead of the visit of Watford on Tuesday.

In attack, Said Benrahma makes a return to the XI following his early exit from the Africa Cup of Nations with Alegria, taking the place of Jarrod Bowen on the right, while the £69k-per-week Nikola Vlasic gets the nod ahead of Pablo Fornals on the left – with Manuel Lanzini retaining his spot in the number 10 role.

Finally, the £100k-per-week Andriy Yarmolenko is given a chance to impress in the absence of Antonio up top, with Moyes certainty hoping for a clinical display from the 154-goal forward against Kidderminster – after the manager failed to bring in a backup striker for the first-choice Jamaican during the January transfer window.

In other news: “All I can say is”: Moyes finally addresses transfer failures, WHU fans won’t be happy

Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Sanson is still not 100% fit, according to The Athletic’s Gregg Evans.

The January 2021 signing has yet to play a minute of Premier League football so far this season, with his only first team action coming in the Carabao Cup clash with Chelsea.

The Frenchman has featured in Steven Gerrard’s first two matchday squads after he held talks with the new manager, who told the frustrated 27-year-old that he would be included as a means of boosting his morale. The player is apparently feeling ‘happier’ now that a ‘pathway into the team’ has emerged.

Sanson yet to truly make his mark at Villa

Villa paid £14.2m – the 11th biggest outlay in the club’s history – to sign Sanson in last season’s January transfer window, but he has been limited to just nine league appearances so far, totalling a mere 291 minutes, as his first year in the Midlands has been blighted by injuries.

Fan feed Villa Report relayed Evans’ update, and here’s what some supporters made of it.

These Villa fans run out of patience with Sanson

“Marseille were happy for him to go at half the supposed market value. The whole transfer didn’t sit right with me, they knew a lot more than they were letting on. Probably knowing what our medical staff are like”

Credit: @avfcvillaman

“Pathway to the airport to get him back to France. He’s not cut out for this league I’m afraid”

Credit: @sean_verdi1

“So he didn’t fall out with Deano after all then. Sell him in Jan or something. He’s the modern day Ivo Stas!”

Credit: @B31villa

“Just get someone who can stay fit for 5 minutes”

Credit: @kinglandranger3

“Longest pathway ever. It’s like the Inca trail.”

Credit: @jamesy55

“Perhaps one of the worst signings in recent history”

Credit: @paul_gordonh

In other news, this Premier League-winning beast has emerged as a transfer target for Villa