All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Celtic are set to seal the signings of three players in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Pete O’Rourke, who stated his belief in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that he expects Celtic to sign all three of Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi in the winter market.

Speaking about Ange Postecoglou’s reported interest in the Japanese trio, the journalist said: “Postecoglou obviously knows these players from his time in the J1 League and they’ve had success with Kyogo Furuhashi following his arrival in the summer. He’s been a big hit up at Celtic Park as well. I’m not saying these deals are straightforward but they should happen.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering the sheer amount of injuries Celtic have suffered in recent weeks, the news that the club look set to seal deals to bring at least three additional players into the club in the January transfer window is sure to have left the Parkhead faithful buzzing.

And, considering just how impressive each of the Bhoys’ reported targets were in Japan this season, it would appear as if Celtic will not only be bringing more bodies into their first-team squad, but also three incredibly talented players.

Indeed, over his 36 J League appearances this season, the £990k-rated Maeda scored an astonishing 23 goals, provided three assists and created four big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 2.6 shots and making 0.9 key passes per game.

These returns saw the 24-year-old Japan international earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.09, ranking him as Yokohama F Marinos’ joint sixth-best performer in the league.

Meanwhile, over his 30 J League appearances, the £720k-rated Hatate bagged five goals, registered two assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.1 key passes, 1.5 interceptions, 1.3 tackles, 51.7 passes and winning 5.3 duels per fixture.

These returns saw the versatile central midfielder – who can also play at left-back or on the left-wing – earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.16, ranking him as his Kawasaki Frontale’s fifth-best player in the league.

Finally, over his 29 J League outings, the £720k-rated Ideguchi made an average of 1.2 interceptions, 2.3 tackles, 29.1 passes and won 2.7 duels per game, with these returns seeing the central midfielder earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.76.

As such, should each of these three deals be completed, as O’Rourke suggests they will be, the arrival of the trio could subsequently allow Postecoglou to clear some of the deadwood out of his current first-team squad.

The £18k-per-week centre-forward Albian Ajeti, the £15k-per-week left-back Boli Bolingoli and the £8k-per-week central midfielder Ismaila Soro looking to be prime candidates for the chop in the January transfer window.

In other news: Major blow: Celtic dealt potentially huge setback pre-Old Firm, fans will be outraged

Everton have agreed to a ‘ridiculous’ deal for Dele Alli, says former West Ham and Celtic star Frank McAvennie. 

The lowdown

Frank Lampard’s arrival at Goodison Park was greeted with the signings of Dele from Tottenham Hotspur and Donny van de Beek from Manchester United.

According to a report from The Athletic, the possibility of recruiting Dele had been raised in Lampard’s interviews for the job.

The 43-year-old subsequently sanctioned the transfer, confident he could extract the best from his compatriot, and his endorsement was a ‘big factor’ in Everton’s willingness to meet Spurs’ demands.

If performance-related add-ons are triggered, Dele could wind up costing £40million (via Sky Sports).

The latest

McAvennie was left scratching his head at the price tag, telling Football Insider that Everton had taken a ‘risk’.

“That £40million though, how can Tottenham can ask for that,” he said. “Why did Everton sanction that?

“That’s ridiculous. He hasn’t kicked a ball for two years. I guess if he does well enough to hit those targets then the signing will be worth it.

“Obviously it’s a risk but I think we will see the best of Dele Alli again. He’s needed this move for a long time.”

The verdict

Perhaps Everton are paying for the player Dele once was. He made his name by winning landing back-to-back PFA Young Player of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017.

His end product has dried up almost completely in recent times, though. Since the start of last season, he’s managed just one goal and one assist.

In the five previous campaigns, he’d managed a total of 50 goals and 36 assists.

It’s not quite fair to say he hasn’t ‘kicked a ball’, but his involvement has dropped off rather dramatically. From his peak of 3,044 Premier League minutes in 2016/17, he fell to just 617 last term.

At least the add-ons are performance-related, meaning Everton would theoretically get some bang for their buck.

In other news, Greg O’Keeffe reacts to a ‘disappointing’ sight at Goodison.

After tasting his first Premier League defeat as a manager against Leeds United on Saturday afternoon, Tottenham caretaker boss Ryan Mason will no doubt be searching for answers over the course of the week.

The Lilywhites looked second best all afternoon, mustering just three shots on target in the entire 90 minutes and eventually falling to a timid 3-1 defeat at Elland Road.

While Spurs’ star-studded attack failed to light up a wet and windy Yorkshire afternoon, it was Giovani Lo Celso’s performance in the middle of the park which surely raised the most eyebrows.

The Argentina international has become a regular starter in the opening weeks of Mason’s tenure as interim boss and was once again deployed in a much deeper role against Leeds.

However, the midfielder failed to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and was too often guilty of either misplacing easy passes or just running into a cul-de-sac – one particular moment in the second half saw him simply run the ball out of play while trying to dribble along the touchline.

As per Sofascore, he completed just one of his four attempted dribbles on the day, the worst of any Spurs player, managed no shots on goal and provided just one accurate cross. That sloppiness in possession was reflected by the fact he lost the ball on 19 separate occasions, the joint-most of any player in a Spurs shirt, while a measly 76% passing accuracy rate also told a story of his wastefulness.

In his post-match player ratings for The Independent, Andrew Gamble gave Lo Celso a five, saying: “Completely anonymous as he was dominated by Klich.”

The Spurs Web’s verdict on the Argentine was even more scathing, giving him a three with this assessment: “Lo Celso didn’t do enough to win the midfield battle off the ball today. Also misplaced so many key passes that could have led to goals.”

With just one goal and one assist in 17 Premier League games all season, Lo Celso has been rather poor in recent months, and it’s surely on Mason now to make a ruthless early call and drop him from the starting line-up.

With a talent like Tanguy Ndombele waiting in the wings, Spurs could give the Frenchman the chance to impress his new boss by taking Lo Celso out of the firing line.

In other news, this manager could restore shades of Pochettino if Spurs choose him as Mourinho’s successor.

Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United finally return to Premier League action this evening, with the Whites making the trip to south London to face Crystal Palace in Monday’s 20:00 kick-off – 16 days after their 3-0 win over Watford.

As a result of this time off, the 48-year-old manager has had plenty of time to work with his first-team squad at Thorp Arch, something that could well give Leeds the edge over tonight’s opponents – who were bested 1-0 by Newcastle United last Wednesday.

[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!”]

The gap between fixtures will have also afforded a number of the Whites’ injured and fatigued players a much-needed rest from the hectic Premier League schedule, although, it is reported that the meeting with Palace will still come too soon for Patrick Bamford.

And, with Daniel James having once again struggled when playing through the middle at Vicarage Road, it would appear highly advisable for Marsch to finally unleash 19-year-old Joe Gelhardt from the off against the Eagles.

“Banging on the door”

Indeed, since the American’s appointment in the Elland Road dugout, Gelhardt is yet to be included in the 48-year-old’s starting XI, featuring just four times in the Premier League under the management of Marsch, in which time he has bagged one goal – the stoppage-time winner against Norwich City a little over a month ago.

However, looking at the campaign as a whole, the £4.5m-rated striker’s impact is clear for all to see, with the England U21 international having scored two goals and registered three assists over just 486 top-flight minutes – averaging a direct goal involvement every 97.2 minutes of football played.

For comparison, while James’ record of four goals and five assists over 30 Premier League outings does better the 19-year-old’s returns, when taking into account the Wales international directly contributes to a goal an average of once every 253.4 minutes played, it is obvious who is the more deadly.

Furthermore, over the last seven top-flight fixtures in which the £16.2m-rated winger has been deployed up front, James has failed to hit the back of the net, something which would very much suggest that he is simply not suited to a central attacking role.

As such, despite his tender age, Marsch must finally place his trust in the player who Beren Cross dubbed Leeds’ “next big thing” against Palace, as it is clear to see from his impressive record in the final third that Gelhardt is very much “banging on the door” – in the words of Phil Hay – for a start under the American.

AND in other news: Joe Donnohue drops early team news ahead of Palace, it’s a double boost for Leeds

In a recent interview with Give Me Sport, Fabrizio Romano dropped an update on Jesse Lingard’s future at West Ham United.

Since arriving at West Ham on a five-month loan deal in January, Lingard has been in sensational form over his seven Premier League appearances for David Moyes’ side, bagging five goals and providing two assists, as well as averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.34 – ranking him as the Hammers’ best performer in the top flight.

Rather unsurprisingly, the £13.5 million-rated 28-year-old’s impressive displays have resulted in Moyes being keen to make the attacking midfielder’s loan deal a more permanent move in the summer transfer window.

However, speaking recently to Give Me Sport, Romano claimed that a deal for Lingard is not likely to be an easy one to get over the line for the Hammers this summer.

He said: “At the moment, Manchester United are saying the player is coming back. [They] are in a win-win situation. It won’t be easy for West Ham to negotiate with Manchester United because now the price is totally different.”

He explained: “[West Ham] are really happy with him, but they know that Manchester United are waiting for the player back, and that’s why it won’t be an easy negotiation.”

Transfer Tavern Take

Considering the fact that the typically reliable West Ham source, ExWHUemployee, has stated that the Hammers are confident of signing Lingard permanently this summer, in addition to claiming that the 28-year-old himself has expressed a desire to remain in east London, Romano’s comments suggesting otherwise certainly come as something of a surprise.

Given the England international’s fantastic form, it would certainly be a blow for the Irons if Romano turns out to be correct – fans will be hoping ExWHUemployee has the last laugh.

You can view the full interview with Fabrizio Romano on Give Me Sport here!

Arsenal appear to not be afraid of splashing the cash this summer so it could be wise for the Gunners to try and recoup some of the money they are looking to spend.

Someone they could sell is Joe Willock to Newcastle United with former defender Steve Howey hoping dialogue has already commenced between Steve Bruce and Mikel Arteta.

The Gunners look a different sort of club this summer compared to previous years where they have had to be frivolous with their spending, compared to other big clubs, as they are reportedly closing in on a deal for Brighton’s Ben White which will set them back a staggering £50 million.

Like many clubs though, they have been hit hard by the pandemic and a lack of revenue so, if they wish to recoup almost half of that money they are spending on White, selling Willock to the Magpies after he thrived there on loan last campaign could be a smart piece of business.

Bruce has publicly admitted his admiration for Willock and how much he would love to keep the 21-year old on Tyneside for next season, so with that accompanied with Arsenal’s potential need to sell after spending heavily, Howey hopes that there are talks going on between Bruce and Arteta over Willock and he spoke exclusively to Football FanCast on the matter:

“It’ll be interesting to see what happens and you would have thought that Bruce will have been speaking to Arteta or speaking to Willock and he will be talking to his manager and agent, but as a player I’d want to know where I was playing next season.”

Willock was a huge success during his time on Tyneside as he helped lift the club away from the threat of relegation with his eight goals but also, on a personal level, he thrived getting game time, equalling Alan Shearer’s record of scoring in consecutive games and also winning May’s player of the month award.

Despite Arteta claiming that Willock’s future was being sorted out at Arsenal for next season, there doesn’t appear to be a clear pathway into the first team regularly for Willock and that is something he needs as a young midfielder so he can continue his development.

Crystal Palace are looking to bring Osian Roberts to Selhurst Park as Patrick Vieira’s assistant, according to The Sun.

The Lowdown: Vieira announced; transfer budget emerges

Vieira was officially announced as Roy Hodgson’s successor on Sunday lunchtime, penning a three-year deal with the Eagles.

The Frenchman will reportedly have around £50m to spend on summer signings ahead of the new campaign, with just 15 senior players remaining on the books from last season.

The 45-year-old was joined by academy coaches Paddy McCarthy and Shaun Derry as he took his first Palace training session on Monday, with the club confirming his full backroom staff will be announced in due course.

The Latest: Roberts wanted

The Sun claim that Vieira is planning to bring Roberts to Selhurst Park as his No.2.

Roberts, who was described as ‘the most influential man in Welsh football’, is currently the director of football at the Morocco FA.

He admitted last year that he often speaks to Vieira, with the report claiming the latter is a fan of Roberts.

The Verdict: Palace need to act fast

Time is ticking ahead of the new season, so with Vieira now in charge, Palace really need to get going on incomings both on and off the pitch.

Hopefully, a move for Roberts can be sorted swiftly, as it appears he is the man Vieira wants.

Plenty of new additions to the playing squad will also be required, and Vieira may also make calls on 11 senior players who are now out of contract at Selhurst Park.

The likes of Joel Ward, Gary Cahill and Andros Townsend are just three players who are now technically free agents, so Vieira may well want to get some of those back at the club.

In other news: Many CPFC fans give their thoughts to Vieira’s priority Palace target, find out more here. 

Rangers have been linked with both Jerry Yates and Jonson Clarke-Harris in recent weeks, but which of the two would be the best addition to Steven Gerrard’s side at Ibrox this summer?

Jerry Yates

According to The 72, Rangers have joined the race to sign the Blackpool forward this summer, with Nottingham Forest, Bristol City and Blackburn Rovers having all previously registered an interest in the 24-year-old during the January transfer window.

Since joining from Rotherham United last summer, the 24-year-old has established himself as a key player in Neil Critchley’s side and has been one of the most prolific forwards in the division so far this season, with 18 goals in 38 league appearances.

Yates has enjoyed decent loan spells with Carlisle United and Swindon Town in recent seasons but struggled to make the grade at Rotherham in the Championship, with just five goals in 52 appearances there.

Jonson Clarke-Harris

According to Football Insider, Rangers have been scouting Clarke-Harris this season and were in attendance for Peterborough’s 7-0 demolition of Accrington Stanley recently, with the in-form striker notching a hat-trick.

The 26-year-old frontman has since taken his tally to 27 league goals in 40 appearances ahead of the weekend’s derby clash against Northampton, and he looks well on track to earn the top scorer award in England’s third tier this season.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/rangers-news-ibrox-steven-gerrard-ross-wilson-gers-rfc” title=”Latest Rangers news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Clarke-Harris is more than just a goalscorer, though, and has earned many plaudits for his build-up play with Peterborough this season, with Kevin Phillips praising his “phenomenal” campaign whilst also suggesting that he can offer something Alfredo Morelos doesn’t due to his aerial threat.

Who would be better?

As can be seen in the graphic above, Clarke-Harris has clearly had the edge over Yates this season and would be much more of an aerial threat in Gerrard’s side than the Blackpool man, as he wins significantly more aerial duels per game.

With both Blackpool and Peterborough looking strong contenders for promotion to the Championship this season, Rangers may have to wait until the end of the campaign before deciding between the two transfer targets from a financial perspective, as promotion would surely see the respective clubs raise their asking price for their star attackers.

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]

However, from a purely footballing perspective, Clarke-Harris looks to have the edge over Yates and would likely offer something different in Gerrard’s side, so Ross Wilson should focus first and foremost on bringing the Peterborough man to Ibrox this summer.

In other news… Ross Wilson must avoid disastrous repeat over “positive” gem after manager’s transfer claim 

Sunderland are interested in a deal to bring Todd Kane to the Stadium of Light this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by London Football News, who claim that the Black Cats, as well as Charlton Athletic and Portsmouth, are keen on a move for the Queens Park Rangers right-back in the upcoming transfer window.

It has also been reported that, despite the fact that the £720k-rated defender still has a year left on his contract at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium, Mark Warburton would be happy to part with Kane this summer, as he is looking to bring a new player in the position.

Johnson must not move

While it is undeniable that signing a player who came through the youth ranks at Chelsea, has been dubbed as “magnificent” by Gary Bowyer and has a wealth of Championship experience under his belt could well be seen as something of a coup for Sunderland ahead of their third consecutive League One campaign, there are a number of reasons why Lee Johnson should avoid a move for the 27-year-old in the upcoming transfer window.

Firstly, in an interview with ‘R’ Generation (via West London Sport) earlier this season, Kane stated his belief that he is a better right-back than his teammate Osman Kakay, who had been starting ahead of him in Warburton’s QPR side.

Kane then went on to boast that Sheffield United had previously wanted to sign him for a figure of £13m, as well as mentioning the fact that Kakay had been sent on a loan spell in the Scottish Championship.

Secondly, the £7k-per-week defender recently received a seven-game ban and given a £6k fine for using abusive language “referencing nationality or ethnicity” towards Brentford’s Sergi Canos.

Finally, the 27-year-old has not been all that impressive over his 28 Championship appearances for Warburton’s side this season, averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.75, ranking him as the club’s 15th-best performer in the second tier.

As such, it would appear wise for Johnson to avoid a move for the QPR troublemaker this summer, as he could well prove to be more trouble than he is worth at the Stadium of Light.

In other news: Key Sunderland figure drops massive club update that will likely split Mackem fans – opinion

Thomas Tuchel has now revealed how close Harry Kane was to leaving Tottenham Hotspur and joining him at Chelsea.

The Lowdown: Chelsea preferred Kane

Chelsea reportedly preferred to sign Kane over Romelu Lukaku in the summer transfer window, but while his future was still unclear at Spurs they opted for the Belgium international instead.

Manchester City were also firmly in the running to sign the England international captain, but in the end he stayed in North London.

The Latest: Tuchel on Kane

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match against the Lilywhites, Tuchel revealed (via Fabrizio Romano) that he thought that Kane would go to City, but admitted that they also had ‘some information’ on the striker, but a move to take him to Stamford Bridge was ‘never that close’:

“I thought Kane to Man City deal would happen. We never had a list with his name on it – but the club sorted out the situation. We had some information about Kane. But it was never that close that we had to experience the rivalry”.

The Verdict: Relief

It is certainly a welcome relief for Nuno Espirito Santo and everyone associated with the Lilywhites that they managed to keep hold of their talisman, despite interest from top teams in the Premier League.

There have been a number of reports recently suggesting that Kane would now be open to talks over a new deal, which would be vital in terms of keeping him at THFC for as long as possible.

Nonetheless, Tottenham now have to match his ambition, and by keeping him at the club they will have the best possible chance of success.

In other news, find out who Fabio Paratici has set his sights on signing here!