All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

A Newcastle transfer update has emerged, regarding Lille’s Sven Botman and Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard as PIF aim to seal the first signings of their era with the club.

What’s the talk?

According to Fabrizio Romano in The Guardian, the Magpies are hoping to land both players in January to bolster their squad in a bid to avoid relegation.

The report claims that Botman could cost them a fee in the region of £30m-£40m, whilst they are open to signing Lingard on loan or permanently.

Delight

Newcastle fans will surely be elated by this update from Romano as it shows that the club are making serious plans to strengthen Eddie Howe’s squad in the market.

They have identified two players with recent experience of thriving at the top level and both of them could come in and make a positive impact on the team. Transfermarkt value Lingard at £19.8m and Botman at £25.2m, which means that the club could bring in a £45m-rated duo to improve their side midway through the campaign.

The Magpies have conceded the most goals in the Premier League this season and the signing of a defender could be crucial in their efforts to remain in the division. Botman helped Lille to keep an outstanding 20 clean sheets in Ligue 1 last term as he averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.08, showing that he has the talent required to keep shutouts as part of an organised defensive set-up.

Fans would surely be buzzing to see a defender with an impressive, recent, record of performing consistently as a centre-back in Ligue 1. He has helped Lille to multiple clean sheets in France and he could now head to England to do the same for Newcastle, which the supporters – and Howe – would love to see if it helps them to pick up more points.

Last season, Lingard produced nine goals and six assists in 16 Premier League appearances. He averaged 1.1 key passes per game as he showed that he has the quality to produce consistent end product in the final third during his loan spell with the Hammers.

Therefore, he could potentially come in and be a match-winner for Newcastle as he has proven that he can score and create goals at this level. His finishing and playmaking could be the difference for Howe’s side in tight games and that is why fans would be delighted with his arrival too.

Overall, these two players would appear to be high-class potential additions and Newcastle simply must swoop.

AND in other news, Possession lost 110x: Howe must brutally axe “fantastic” NUFC dud with 66% pass rate…

Dean Windass doesn’t think that Ross Barkley did enough to warrant a return to Aston Villa next season.

Barkley started like a house on fire following his loan switch from Chelsea last summer.

He scored stunning goals in his opening two appearances against both Liverpool and then Leicester as Villa made an impressive start to the Premier League season and sat second after four matches.

Barkley’s honeymoon period continued with an assist in Villa’s win at Arsenal, but he would contribute to just one more goal in his final 19 outings and found himself battling for a starting place by the end of his spell with Dean Smith’s team.

It’s unclear whether Barkley will be a part of Thomas Tuchel’s plans moving forward, but a more consistent loan period with Villa would have given the Chelsea man every chance of earning himself a permanent deal and possibly a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad.

But the midfielder will now return to Chelsea, and Windass exclusively told Football FanCast that Barkley’s next step must guarantee regular football:

“I think that will fizzle out now. If he did well then might have kept him, but I think that ship has sailed. But he needs to be playing week in, week out.”

Young Boys striker Jean-Pierre Nsame is on Newcastle United’s list of targets ahead of the summer transfer window, according to TEAMtalk.

The 27-year-old is also said to be on the radar of Southampton, West Ham and Celtic.

No surprise prolific Nsame is being eyed by PL sides

The Cameroonian has scored 25 goals and assisted a further nine in 38 appearances this season (Transfermarkt). Four of those goals have come in the Europa League, with Young Boys progressing to the round of 16 before they were eliminated by Ajax.

Nsame is just three short of a century of goals for the Swiss Super League outfit, having made 167 appearances (Transfermarkt). In 2020, only Robert Lewandowski, Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Ciro Immobile bettered his tally of 33 goals among Europe-based players (via FIFA.com).

Nsame says he takes inspiration from Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, who operates as ‘a focal point for breaks or clearances due to his technical precision’.

How much would Nsame cost?

Transfermarkt value him at just £6.3m, and Young Boys may decide that a sale this summer is wise given that he’s about to enter the final two years of his contract.

Of course, there’s a possibility that rival offers from the likes of Southampton and West Ham could drive up the fee, but remember that Newcastle once paid £40m for Joelinton so they’re not averse to splashing the cash.

Transfer Tavern verdict

This has the hallmarks of a bargain deal. Nsame may not be playing in one of Europe’s elite leagues but his goalscoring record remains remarkably impressive.

It’s not as if he’s only been filling his boots against minnows, either. He scored in both Europa League group stage meetings with Roma, who are about to take on Manchester United in the semi-finals.

If Newcastle were to be priced out a move for Tammy Abraham, Nsame could be a shrewd alternative.

In other news, an Arabian journalist has made this claim about a possible Newcastle takeover date.

Eddie Howe has been handed a huge behind-the-scenes boost over Newcastle full-back Kieran Trippier’s recovery from injury…

What’s the latest?

The Toon defender has been out of action since February and is now taking steps forward towards making his return to the first-team squad before the end of the season.

Journalist Miles Starford Tweeted: “Kieran Trippier close to injury ‘handover’.”

This Tweet was in relation to Howe’s comments on the defender’s current situation. Speaking about Callum Wilson and Trippier, the head coach said: “They’ll definitely be stepping it up.

“I don’t think they’ll be with us at all, so they won’t train with the group. There will be a handover period for Kieran, I think, where he’ll go with our sports science guys.”That might happen at some stage soon. It’s not happened yet. Both players are still with physiotherapists.” Howe will be buzzing

Howe will surely be buzzing with Trippier’s recovery and the pace at which he is going through it. These comments suggest that he is making good progress and stepping up the work that he is doing at Darsley Park to get himself back in contention to play in the Premier League.

The Toon boss will be keen to see him back out on the pitch in the coming weeks to make sure that he heads into the summer with a good base of fitness under his belt.

If he fails to play any minutes before the end of the campaign then that will mean that he will have gone around six months without competitive minutes by the start of 2022/23 and that is not an ideal way to start a season. Therefore, getting him back in for the last few matches would be a big boost ahead of the summer.

Howe will also be delighted with his return to action because of the quality he has on the pitch. In the top-flight this term, he has scored two goals in four matches and made a whopping 6.0 tackles and interceptions per game from right-back since joining from Atletico Madrid.

The England international has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.67 for the Magpies so far and this is why the head coach will be keen to have him back in the squad. He is a joy to watch with his sublime performances in defence, as he was able to showcase his attacking and defensive quality prior to his injury against Villa.

AND in other news, NUFC could finally axe shocking £80k-p/w flop with “insane” £40m “star in the making”…

Rangers were unable to make their second-half pressure count at Parkhead on Sunday afternoon, as Steven Gerrard’s side drew 1-1 with their Old Firm rivals, although they do preserve their unbeaten run by avoiding defeat.

The Ibrox outfit had plenty of chances to add a second goal after Alfredo Morelos’ equaliser in the first half but were forced to settle for a draw against John Kennedy’s Celtic side.

Although the performance was much more impressive than Thursday’s 2-0 defeat against Slavia Prague in the Europa League, there will still some lacklustre displays at Parkhead, with Joe Aribo arguably nowhere near his usual standard.

The Nigerian international has been one of Gerrard’s most impressive performers in the Premiership so far this season, having averaged a superb 7.4 rating across his 26 appearances, with six goals and four assists to his name.

However, he wasn’t anywhere near his best on Sunday and struggled to have much influence on the game, even when Gerrard pushed him further forward when Scott Arfield replaced Ianis Hagi in the second half.

As per SofaScore, the former Charlton Athletic man would earn a disappointing 6.6/10 rating for his display, which was the worst of any Rangers player who started the game.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-rangers-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Rangers news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Aribo really struggled to have any influence on the game whatsoever, as he managed no shots, no dribbles and no key passes during his time on the pitch.

Considering he has averaged 1.6 shots, 1.9 dribbles and 1.3 key passes per game in the Premiership so far this season, it is definitely fair to suggest that he was very underwhelming on Sunday, which will surely frustrate Gerrard, as he is reliant on the Nigerian to be the creative force in his midfield.

The 24-year-old also failed to complete a single long ball or cross in his 77 minutes on the pitch, so it was no surprise to see him axed in favour of Scott Wright as Rangers chased a winning goal.

[freshpress-quiz id=“588789″]

Although he may well have been tired following the Europa League game in midweek, there is no denying that this performance was far from Aribo’s usual standard, and with their rivals there for the taking, Gerrard may well be fuming that one of his chief creators failed to really turn up.

And, in other news… Wilson can sign Rangers’ ideal Defoe with swoop for £6.3m-rated beast

Some Liverpool supporters have been reacting to Thiago’s latest omission from Spain’s starting lineup at Euro 2020, with many left bemused by the decision to leave him out.

The 30-year-old enjoyed a good first season at Anfield, recovering from a slow start to become one of their most in-form players come the end of the campaign.

Thiago produced some superb performances in the middle of the park during the final few games of 2020/21, highlighting why so many consider him to be a world-class midfielder.

Despite this, Thiago has been criminally underused by Spain at Euro 2020 so far, not starting either of their group stage matches against Sweden or Poland. Luis Enrique’s side have subsequently drawn both of their games, putting their involvement in the knockout rounds under threat ahead of their final group game against Slovakia on Wednesday.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-copy-2/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool react to Thiago omission

A number of Liverpool supporters has been left perplexed by Thiago’s lack of involvement at Euro 2020, taking to Twitter to provide their thoughts on his “unbelievable” omission.

“Maybe start Thiago next time?”

Credit: @DHardayal

“Pedri might well be very special…..one day. But Thiago man. Thiago”

Credit: @SimonBrundish

“84 minutes gone and no Thiago… Spain but the S is silent”

Credit: @calcio_danny

“Trent, Thiago and Fabinho are incredibly disrespected on the international stage by their coaches. The lack of minutes for three world class players is genuinely staggering”

Credit: @TheAnfieldTalk

“How Spain start with Koke & Rodri over Thiago & Fabian Ruiz is staggering, same with Brazil, Casemiro & Richarlison over Bobby & Fabinho, unbelievable”

Credit: @deedna00

“Not even Thiago’s biggest fan as most of you probably know, but him not starting for Spain is actually a joke, how do Spain still pick absolute jabronis like Rodri and Koke over Thiago is beyond me. No complaints though”

Credit: @AzzurriLFC

In other news, some Liverpool fans are bemoaning a fresh transfer story that has emerged. Read more here. 

A number of Liverpool fans are unsure about the prospect of the Reds signing Kingsley Coman following an update over the weekend.

Jurgen Klopp may be on the lookout for attacking reinforcements this summer, providing even more competition for places. Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino will all be vying for playing time next season, but a fifth strong option wouldn’t go amiss.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

According to Sport 1 journalist Florian Plettenburg on Twitter on Sunday, Liverpool are interested in signing Bayern Munich winger Coman. The Reds are thought to be ‘in contact’ with the 25-year-old’s management, although a decision won’t be made until after his participation at Euro 2020 with France.

The £58.5m-rated attacker has scored 41 goals and registered 50 assists in 200 appearances for Bayern, famously netting the only goal in the 2020 Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-5/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

Liverpool fans excited after Coman update

Despite this, these Liverpool took to Twitter to show their displeasure at Coman being linked with the Reds, with some citing his injury record as a reason for their negativity. Others cited concerns over previous off-field misbehaviour and how that might negatively impact the Anfield dressing room.

“Ahhhh he’s so good but he’s injury-prone as it is, and with our horrible medical team it will be even worse”

Credit: @BackAgainBro

“I seriously don’t know what to make of this, seems very unlike Liverpool to go after someone so injury prone, personally I’d take him but who’s he going to be playing over? Won’t happen anyway cause FSG won’t spend a penny”

Credit: @Matty1999lfc

“I couldn’t think of a worse player to move for from LFC point of view. Poison in a dressing room and this stinks of using LFC to leverage that new contract at Bayern he’s after lately “

Credit: @John__Chubb

“He’s a baller but he’s so injury prone. I don’t want to be sold dreams again”

Credit: @ahmedlfc

“Another injury-prone Bundesliga player? Jurgen bro other leagues exist…”

Credit: @lfcOscar11

“If we sign Kingsley Coman then this club is finished”

Credit: @buuuugsas

In other news, a reliable journalist has provided a key update on one rumoured Liverpool transfer target. Find out who it is here.

Fabian Balbuena may already have played his final game for West Ham after David Moyes spoke of the defender in the same breath as Sebastien Haller.

What’s the word?

While discussing the benefits of having a small squad following Monday’s 3-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, via quotes shared by football.london, Moyes praised the impact that Balbuena and Haller both had on West Ham’s season.

The use of past tense from the Irons boss suggests he has already drawn a line under Balbuena’s time at the London Stadium, having not called on the Paraguayan to feature in the Premier League since December.

“Sometimes not having too big a squad makes a difference,” Moyes said. “I might say other things in the weeks to come but having everyone close to the team helps.

“Balbuena was great, Haller contributed so we have a good squad, but we can’t afford too many of them to pick up injuries.”

Balbuena made the last of his 12 top-flight appearances for the season  as the Hammers drew 2-2 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion, before Watford loanee Craig Dawson was then awarded his debut at Southampton, and Moyes has never looked back.

West Ham have kept six clean sheets over Dawson’s 15 league outings in claret and blue, which have now triggered a £2m purchase clause, compared to four in 15 without the 30-year-old featuring.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/the-latest-west-ham-news-and-views-2″ title=”The latest West Ham news and views!”]

Moyes also overlooked Balbuena when assessing his options to replace Angelo Ogbonna after the Italian sustained a high ankle sprain in the FA Cup defeat to Manchester United, with Issa Diop instead recalled and starting the Irons’ last seven top-flight fixtures.

The end of the road for Balbuena?

Moyes speaking on the impact that Balbuena had in the same breath as Haller, who was sold for £20m in January, may come as a hint to the Scottish tactician already drawing a line under the Paraguayan’s time at West Ham ahead of his contract expiring in June.

Balbuena was expected to earn a new deal back in December before falling out of favour at the London Stadium, where rumours surfaced on deadline day of the winter market that the Irons would listen to offers for the £40,000-per-week enforcer.

The 29-year-old has since been linked with clubs from around the world – including Flamengo, Internacional, a Saudi Arabian side and an MLS outfit – while his agent Renato Bittar confirmed last month that discussions had already taken place with potential suitors.

The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas also questioned Balbuena’s West Ham future following last month’s 3-3 draw with Arsenal, noting on the Fine Margins podcast: “Balbuena – it’s a tough one right now. Because his agent has come out and said all sorts of crazy stuff. Like for example, for now, he’s not really a West Ham player.

“He’s sort of looking to move abroad. So Moyes will have to think about it, I think. Or play someone who’s more committed – someone who wants to be here for the long-term.”

Moyes’ recent comments seem to strengthen the likelihood of Balbuena heading through the exit door when his deal expires this summer, having potentially failed to make 60 appearances in claret and blue over three years in east London following his £6.5m arrival.

AND in other news, West Ham trail a Premier League rival for a five-goal, seven-assist star once labelled an “exciting prospect”…

An exciting new claim has emerged in Tottenham Hotspur’s search for a new manager…

What’s the word?

According to the ever-reliable Alasdair Gold at football.london, Spurs are receiving plenty of fresh – and strong – candidates for their vacancy, and chairman Daniel Levy will attempt to meet them face-to-face rather than over Zoom in the summer.

Writing in a recent column, Gold revealed: “football.london understands that strong new candidates for the vacant managerial post are constantly emerging at the moment and making their interest known.

“Tottenham will attempt to speak to all of their top candidates face to face rather than over Zoom once the season ends, when currently employed managers are out of their club bubbles.”

An exciting development

Several names have been linked with the north London outfit since Jose Mourinho’s shock departure just over a month ago.

RB Leipzig’s Julian Naglesmann and Leicester City’s Brendan Rodgers quickly emerged as the two top targets, although the former was soon confirmed as Bayern Munich’s next boss whilst the latter wants to remain at their Premier League rivals – perhaps even more so after winning this season’s FA Cup.

The Athletic have since claimed that there are four names on the shortlist – Roberto Martinez (ex-Everton, currently with Belgium), Graham Potter (currently at Brighton), Ralf Rangnick (ex-Leipzig, currently unemployed) and Erik ten Hag (currently at Ajax and recently signed a new two-year extension this off-season).

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-managerial-latest-update-transfer-rumours-gossip” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, managerial gossip, transfer rumours and more!”]

Gold’s latest claim throws shade on this as it suggests that Levy has been fielding applications from more than just those four managers, and that should excite fans immensely as it opens up the pool of potential candidates even more – especially if they are ‘strong’ options, as he has suggested.

You can make a case against all four of those names above, so if other coaches are keen, then it should only help the Lilywhites chairman truly find the most suitable appointment.

Martinez failed at the Toffees, with some suggesting that systemic problems were the reason for his downfall.

Potter is vastly inexperienced, with this being only his second campaign in the Premier League. He does play the attacking brand of football that Spurs are thought to be seeking, but the Seagulls only narrowly escaped a relegation battle this term.

Rangnick, widely regarded as a pioneer of the gengenpress, has been out of a managerial role since the 2018/19 season and has never coached outside of Germany. Similarly, Ten Hag’s only senior management jobs have been in the Netherlands, with Ajax dominating perenially.

Therefore, the fact that new – and strong – names are still continuing to come in means that Levy can secure the right man to appease the fanbase.

This latest development is hugely encouraging news.

AND in other news, Levy could seal bold hire in “brave” 38 y/o who’d bring Klopp-like intensity to Spurs…

Pep Guardiola has been dealt a blow at Manchester City as Aymeric Laporte has picked up an injury on international duty with Spain.

What’s the word?

The 27-year-old centre-back, who has enjoyed a fine start to the season with the Citizens, was forced off at half-time with an adductor injury in Spain’s 4-0 win against Georgia at the weekend, which will put him in doubt for City’s trip to face Leicester City on Saturday afternoon.

The former Athletic Bilbao man has impressed in each of City’s last two games, which resulted in 5-0 victories against Norwich City and Arsenal, with his 7.61 average rating from WhoScored ranking him as the fifth-best performer in Guardiola’s side so far this season.

A big blow for Guardiola?

There were some suggestions that Laporte could leave during the summer transfer window after he spent much of last season playing second fiddle to Ruben Dias and John Stones, who formed a superb partnership in the heart of City’s defence.

[freshpress-quiz id=“577936”]

However, he remained at the Etihad and his impressive performances thus far have reinforced his immense quality, and he is sure to play a regular part in Guardiola’s side throughout the 2021/22 campaign.

The Spanish manager certainly rates Laporte highly, as he sang his praises following the game against Norwich, saying:

“Aymeric Laporte is the best left-footed centre-back for build-up in the world.”

Unfortunately for Laporte, with Stones surely now close to full fitness, it seems likely that he will resume his partnership with Dias at the back for City’s game at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, and it may be tough for the Spaniard to re-establish his place in the starting lineup following his recovery from injury.

Therefore, it is undoubtedly a blow that the £40.5m-rated man could be set for a spell on the sidelines and City fans will be gutted that he has picked up this injury after such a solid start to the season.

And, in other news… Guardiola set for huge Man City boost with “incredibly talented” star