All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Ange Postecoglou means business in the transfer market at the moment, with Celtic concluding a number of deals before their first competitive fixture in Europe next week.

They added Liam Shaw and Osaze Urhoghide to their ranks swiftly before concluding moves for Liel Abada and Kyogo Furuhashi.

What’s the word?

Celtic’s recruitment won’t stop there as the Bhoys aim to bring in a few other attacking faces. Gorica winger Kristijan Lovric is fielding interest from the Hoops once again and he could move to Paradise in a £5m deal.

However, the Bhoys have now been presented with an ideal opportunity to sign another long-term target in Peterborough forward Siriki Dembele.

Brother to Karamoko Dembele, the nippy attacker has been the subject of discussion at Celtic for a number of months now. His contract expires in a year’s time and thus he could be available on the cheap.

A fresh report from the Peterborough Telegraph stated that a move to Scotland would be preferred amid links to Rangers, Fulham, West Brom and Nottingham Forest. Dembele spent a part of his childhood in Scotland, so he is already familiar with the surroundings.

Postecoglou needs him

If the Peterborough winger arrives at Parkhead this summer, it may then allow the new Celtic manager to kill two birds with one stone. Mohamed Elyounoussi has returned to Southampton after his successful loan spell in Glasgow, while Odsonne Edouard could still depart, so the Hoops could do with attacking reinforcements.

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Although a potential move to Leicester City fell through after they preferred RB Salzburg’s Patson Daka, West Ham have been keen on adding the Frenchman to their ranks.

Therefore, with the ability to play out wide or as a centre-forward, Dembele could act as a replacement for the pair of them in the Hoops squad. He started out as a winger but in recent years has been turned into a striker where’s been incredibly ruthless in the final third.

The 24-year-old has beaten the goalkeeper on 25 occasions in his Posh career, 12 of which came during the 2020/21 season.

Peterborough were promoted from League One to the Championship and Dembele was one of the stars of the show. He supplied 12 assists for his teammates and was one of the most successful players in terms of take-ons in the third tier of English football.

The winger completed 135 dribbles at a rate of 3.2 per match, the highest tally in League One by some distance.

With that in mind, Barry Fry’s appraisal (as per Football FanCast) will come as no surprise. He said: “Siriki can get the ball in his own half and with dazzling dribbling ability, he can beat four or five players and score a wonder goal or cross it for somebody else to score.”

Fry added: “He’s very, very exciting. He’s got the best stats outside the [English] Premier League, I think. We’ll try to keep hold of him if we go up, and we’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse! So watch this space.”

Dembele has caught the eye for a while now, and with a switch to Scotland favoured, Postecoglou must turn his attentions to the 24-year-old, who could add a vibrant threat to their frontline.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Furuhashi: Ange can form magic Celtic duo by signing “exciting” 21 y/o…

 An update has emerged on Leeds United forward Raphinha, regarding interest in him ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

Italian reporter Fabrizio Romano has revealed that no clubs have agreed on a deal with the Yorkshire giants for the Brazilian winger’s services.

This comes after TNT Sports reported that he is set to join Bayern Munich in January for a fee in the region of €50m.

He told his YouTube channel:

“We had rumours during the Christmas period about an imminent move to Bayern. Someone in Brazil reported that it was a done deal with Bayern, but from what I am told, nothing has been agreed yet between Leeds and Bayern.

“It’s true that Bayern, as well as many other clubs, including Liverpool last year, are looking at Raphinha. We’re speaking about one of the best wingers in Europe, but as of now, nothing has been agreed yet.”

Delighted

Leeds fans will surely be delighted with this update from Romano as it quashes the report stating that the forward will join the Bundesliga giants next month. This suggests that he is now set to remain at Elland Road, based on the evidence we have to work with as it stands, which is a major boost to Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

Raphinha is the club’s match-winner and his quality could be crucial to avoiding relegation back down to the Championship at the end of the season. He has the ability to score and create goals at this level, which is a talent that not many in the current squad possess.

The Brazilian is the only player in the team with more than two Premier League goals to his name this season, highlighting his importance to the side. In 16 starts, he has produced eight goals and one assist whilst averaging a WhoScored rating of 7.21 – with Liam Cooper’s 6.81 the second-highest score in the squad.

This suggests that he is Bielsa’s standout performer week-in-week-out, which is why losing him would be a gigantic blow. Therefore, fans will be delighted that the report claiming he is set to leave is seemingly wide of the mark, with Romano revealing that no one has agreed on anything for him.

His key contributions in the final third could win crucial points for Leeds in the coming months and it is imperative that Victor Orta is able to resist any interest if it does come about next month.

AND in other news, Bielsa can finally axe Leeds’ “unsung hero” by signing 23 y/o with “unlimited energy”…

Liverpool secured their place in the FA Cup final by beating Manchester City 3-2 at Wembley Stadium this afternoon.

Reds defender Ibrahima Konate opened the scoring for his side with just nine minutes on the clock with a header.

After 17 minutes, Sadio Mane doubled Liverpool’s lead before adding another goal just before the half-time whistle.

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City duo Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva then managed to pull a couple of goals back for the Manchester club in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to turn the tide for Pep Guardiola’s team.

With that result, it’s Liverpool who will be in the final this year to face either Chelsea or Crystal Palace.

Despite the victory, not every player in a Liverpool shirt had a particularly successful day in terms of their individual performance.

One player in Jurgen Klopp’s side that was something of a passenger on this occasion was Mohamed Salah.

With the entire 90 minutes under his belt, the winger only had 38 touches of the ball in total, which was 31 fewer than goalkeeper Alisson Becker managed to have.

Having completed just 15 passes throughout the game, the Egyptian gave possession away for his side 13 times, making him a bit of a liability on the ball.

Off the ball, the attacker ended up losing 78% of the duels he was involved in, as well as being caught offside twice and getting dribbled past on two occasions.

This display ultimately earned Salah an extremely underwhelming overall match rating of just 6.3, making him the joint-lowest rated player that started the game for the Reds, alongside Fabinho.

Having been slammed by Alan Shearer for his “awful” first-half display in the 2-2 draw between the two sides in the Premier League last weekend, the 29-year-old didn’t have much impact once more this time out.

Moving forward, with the Reds now having an FA Cup final ahead of them, as well as a final sprint towards potentially winning the Premier League and Champions League, they will undoubtedly need Salah to start firing if they are to have any chance of securing a famous quadruple.

AND in other news: In talks: Liverpool eye move for “ice cold” £31.5m-rated gem, he’s Klopp’s next “star”

Newcastle officially confirmed Eddie Howe as their new manager earlier this week as they finally replaced Steve Bruce, who was sacked last month.

The 43-year-old had been out of work since leaving Bournemouth at the end of the 2019/20 campaign and another key figure from that season on the south coast has been in the headlines recently.

Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale was in the limelight for making a terrific save from a James Maddison free-kick against Leicester in the Premier League. Peter Schmeichel called it one of the ‘best saves’ he has ever seen and Mikel Arteta hailed it as ‘incredible’ as he lauded his shot-stopper.

Evidently, he has come a long way since player under the tutelage of the new Newcastle boss.

Ramsdale 2.0

Howe brought Ramsdale into the first-team at the Vitality Stadium and trusted him to be his number one in the Premier League, giving him the experience he needed to push on and get to the position where is now earning praise for his performances for a big club in Arsenal.

The Sun recently reported that Newcastle are interested in a potential deal to sign Dean Henderson from Manchester United and Howe could find his next Ramsdale in the young goalkeeper. Both stoppers are young, English, players on the verge of the national team.

Ramsdale has been in the England set-up but is yet to receive his first senior cap, whilst Henderson has one cap to his name and is one year older at 24 than the Gunners number one. This suggests that they are on a similar career path, albeit the former is currently playing regularly whilst the latter is in need of a move away from Old Trafford to get regular minutes.

Henderson has previously shown that he has the quality to play in the Premier League. At the end of the 2019/20 campaign, Toon legend Alan Shearer named Henderson in his Team of the Season, for his performances on loan at Sheffield United. He said:

“It was tough to leave out Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson, but Sheffield United’s season has been one of the best stories of the campaign and Henderson has been key to their success.

“The Manchester United loanee has kept 10 clean sheets and his bravery and confidence belie his 23 years. He is a star in the making.”

This suggests that he has the ability to come in and make an impact for the Magpies between the sticks. Howe’s previous with Ramsdale also indicates that he could help Henderson to take the next step in his career and ensure that the titan develops as a player, which is why this could be a shrewd transfer move by the club in January.

AND in other news, “I’m told” – Craig Hope issues exciting NUFC claim that’ll surely leave fans buzzing…

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Luka Jovic to the London Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report from Spain (via Sport Witness), who claim that David Moyes’ side will go head to head with Tottenham Hotspur in a bid to secure the signing of the Real Madrid centre-forward at the end of the current campaign.

The report goes on to state that the 24-year-old himself is desperate to depart the Santiago Bernabeu this summer, while Carlo Ancelotti is also more than willing to part ways with the Serbia international – with the LaLiga side reported to be demanding a €30m (£25m) fee for the striker.

Imagine him & Antonio

Considering West Ham’s rather desperate need for a new centre-forward this summer, with Michail Antonio having been the Premier League side’s only recognised senior striker ever since the sale of Sebastien Haller back in January 2021, it is not difficult to understand why Moyes would be interested in a move for Jovic ahead of the Hammers’ 2022/23 campaign.

While it is true that, following his €60m (£52.4m) move to Madrid back in the summer of 2019, Jovic has struggled to make any real impact at the Bernabeu – featuring for a grand total of just 1487 minutes, the equivalent of 16 and a half matches, over his near three-year spell in Spain – the 24-year-old has nevertheless proven previously just how talented a player he is.

Indeed, over his 32 Bundesliga appearances in his final campaign with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2018/19, the £16.2m-rated forward was in devasting form, scoring 17 goals, providing five assists and creating seven big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of three shots and making 0.9 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the player who Mladen Krstajic dubbed a “dangerous” talent average a rather remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.14, ranking him as his club’s third-best performer in the top flight of German football.

However, it was not only domestically that Jovic impressed that season, as the £152k-per-week hitman was also in deadly form over his 14 Europa League fixtures, bagging ten goals, registering one assist and creating two big chances for his teammates, with these returns seeing the Serbian – who Zvezdan Terzic predicted to “explode” back in 2014 – average a SofaScore match rating of 7.26.

As such, should Jovic be able to refind this level of form following a potential switch to West Ham this summer, alongside Antonio, Moyes will have finally formed an extremely dangerous attacking duo at the London Stadium – something that has been a huge issue for the Hammers over the last year and a half.

AND in other news: Moyes could unearth WHU’s next Cottee in 18 y/o “talent” who’s “getting rave reviews”

Harry Winks’ time at Tottenham Hotspur is surely running out after the Englishman endured another disappointing outing this week.

The 25-year-old has been restricted to only 60 minutes of action in the Premier League so far this season, so the bulk of his opportunities to impress have come in domestic and European cup competitions.

Nuno Santo heavily rotated his side for their Europa League clash at Vitesse on Thursday night, leaving home the bulk of his starting XI, a decision which seemed pretty smart considering that he still had plenty of options available.

One of those was Winks, who started in the Netherlands, making it four appearances from a possible five in the competition, but he failed to take the golden chance handed to him.

With the January transfer window on the horizon, it could be best if both parties go their separate ways.

According to The Times, the Hotspur Way academy graduate is likely to seek a temporary move away from north London. He attracted interest from Everton, Aston Villa and Brighton in the summer and needs regular game time to stand a chance of breaking back into the England squad.

Valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, it could be wise for Spurs to simply offload Winks, as it seems unlikely that a positive loan spell would see him suddenly rise through Nuno’s pecking order.

The Lilywhites could instead sell him and use the funds to bolster other key areas of the squad such as in attack, where Harry Kane still lacks a backup, or in attacking midfield as they have been bereft of creativity for quite some time.

With all due respect to the Dutch outfit, who were very worthy winners, the north Londoners should be sweeping aside such teams, especially when there are several players with points to prove on the pitch.

Winks was pretty poor once again, not only picking up a yellow card for his troubles, but also winning just two of nine battles (22%) in the engine room, thus proving to be lightweight. He also committed three fouls and lost possession 11 times, as per SofaScore.

At half-time, BT Sport pundit Chris Sutton questioned his attitude and ability, claiming that the 25-year-old maestro “looked a shadow of himself” [21st October, 18:40pm].

In the past, Spurs legend Graham Roberts dubbed him “an average player” during an interview with Football FanCast in the summer.

After another abject display and one which will hardly have Nuno rushing to keep him involved, perhaps it would be wise if Winks never featured for the club again as it is clear that he is simply not good enough.

If he can’t do it against Vitesse, then there’s no real hope in the Premier League. It’s time to get rid and move on.

AND in other news, Forget Lo Celso: £27m-rated Spurs lightweight who lost 89% duels failed Nuno yet again…

Manchester City have reportedly made a bid for Barcelona outcast Ilaix Moriba, and the teenage midfielder could be a superb addition to Pep Guardiola’s squad in the future.

What’s the word?

After a disagreement with manager Ronald Koeman, Moriba looks set to leave Barcelona in the near future, which has piqued the interest of several top clubs across Europe.

According to Spanish news outlet Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), the 18-year-old has already received offers from City, Chelsea and RB Leipzig, with the Citizens looking to bring him in on a free transfer in 2022 when his contract at the Nou Camp expires.

Would Moriba be a good signing?

Moriba is currently being made to train with the reserves at Barcelona due to an ongoing contract dispute, but his previous performances in the first team, as well as him being a product of the esteemed La Masia academy, would suggest that he’d fit in well at Manchester City in the future.

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In total, the teenage midfielder has made 18 appearances for the Barcelona first team, in which he has contributed one goal and three assists.

After the youngster opened his account for the Catalan side last season, Koeman sang his praises, saying: “Ilaix scored a fantastic goal, it was an incredible goal and had a lot of impact on the match. He took advantage of the opportunities he had. He is very good at controlling the ball and he is a very strong player.”

However, he now seems to have ruined any chance of having a future at Barcelona, and he deserves a fresh start at another club, with a Nou Camp exit seemingly on the cards for Moriba in the near future.

Considering that three of Guardiola’s key midfielders in Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Fernandinho are all 30 or older, you could argue that the Manchester City manager needs some young talent capable of replacing them in the future.

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Moriba seems to have a huge amount of potential and City fans will surely be delighted to hear that the Premier League champions have reportedly made an offer to sign him.

In other news… Guardiola handed huge boost with academy talent, fans will be buzzing

Manchester United have been linked with a move for Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn ahead of the upcoming January transfer window, with new interim manager Ralf Rangnick keen to strengthen his first-team squad.

What’s the story?

According to The Sun, United are scouring the market for engine room options due to the uncertainty over several stars currently at the club.

The report states that: “JOHN McGINN is still on Manchester United’s radar as they prepare for a new future under Ralf Rangnick.

“United are in the market for midfield reinforcements as doubts continue to surround the long-term futures of the likes of Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Donny van de Beek.”

It goes on to claim that Villa are set to demand upwards of £50m for their prized asset, who still has three and a half years left to run on his current contract with the Midlands outfit.

Rangnick can seal dream Man Utd deal

Enticing McGinn to Old Trafford over the coming months could prove to be a dream deal for United due to the £25,000-per-week gem’s suitability for Rangnick’s famous Gegenpessing style of play.

As per FBref.com, the Scotland international has made 4.63 successful pressures per 90 this season, 1.42 successful tackles, 4.55 progressive passes and 1.57 interceptions, outperforming compatriot Scott McTominay in each metric.

In addition to those eye-catching underlying numbers, McGinn has also bagged three goals and laid on a further two assists in his 14 outings, further highlighting his top-class ability.

And the box-to-box dynamo has caught the eye of several onlookers with his outstanding performances in recent weeks.

On the BBC Radio 5 Live Daily Podcast (as relayed by ReadAstonVilla), pundit Micah Richards lauded McGinn’s displays of late in the absence of Jack Grealish following his summer switch to Manchester City.

He said: “John McGinn, he’s really, really impressed me. He was a bit in the shadow of Jack Grealish and he’s not as technically great, but he gives so much to that team, energy, he runs in behind, he tackles and he’s got everything, he really has.”

His new manager Steven Gerrard was equally as impressed following Villa’s 2-1 win over Leicester City on Sunday, hailing the diminutive star’s passing.

“Some of his passing today was outstanding, so I’m super pleased with John over the past few games, the challenge for him now is for him to stay in this place,” he said.

Therefore, McGinn could be the ideal candidate to excel under the tutelage of Rangnick at United, and he could be set to become the first acquisition of his reign at Old Trafford.

And, in other news…Forget Poch: Man Utd must swoop for “remarkable” Rangnick heir, fans would love him 

Celtic have made contact with Jeando Fuchs regarding a deal to bring the 24-year-old to Parkhead.

What’s the talk?

In a recent interview with French media outlet Foot Mercato, the Dundee United midfielder revealed that he is considering his options before making a concrete decision on his future at Tannadice, with the Cameroon international’s contract at the Premiership side set to expire at the end of the season.

Fuchs went on to claim that a number of clubs have already made contact with him regarding a potential switch next summer, including the likes of Celtic, Rangers, VfB Stuttgart, a plethora of EFL clubs and an unnamed Premier League side.

Regarding the interest in his services, the midfielder said: “I am at the end of my contract in May. I’m waiting to see something concrete and see if I have a choice to make at that time. I am not in a hurry.

“There has been contact with Blackpool, Peterborough and Wigan. Stuttgart have taken information since the summer. There has been contact from Celtic and Rangers as well, but nothing more. A Premier League club as well. England would be good.”

Disaster

While there are undeniable traits in Fuchs’ game that would suggest the defensively-minded midfielder is a very decent player in the middle of the park, whether or not the 24-year-old is up to the standard required to be a starter for Celtic is another matter altogether.

Indeed, over his 15 Premiership appearances so far this season, the £720k-rated man has made an average of two interceptions – the joint-highest in the league – 2.3 tackles – the joint eighth-most in the division – and won an impressive 5.8 duels per game.

However, the £3.1k-per-week midfielder’s passing – something that is an incredibly important factor in the way Ange Postecoglou likes his side to play – leaves a lot to be desired, with Fuchs completing a mere 20.9 passes – with a success rate of just 71% – per fixture.

It is more than likely this shortcoming that has contributed to the former Deportivo Alaves player averaging a disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.74, ranking him as Thomas Courts’ 13th-best performer in the top flight of Scottish football.

As such, considering the options that Celtic currently have in his position, such as Ismaila Soro, Nir Bitton, Liam Shaw and James McCarthy, it would very much appear as if signing the man who the Dundee United boss dubbed a “top player” would be something of a disaster for Postecoglou, as the Cameroonian would not seem to be much of an upgrade – if any – on the current crop at Parkhead.

In other news: Ange can save millions with “Roy of the Rovers” who’s got a “big future at Celtic”

According to Sky Sports, Celtic are still in ongoing talks to sign Royal Antwerp defender Aurelio Buta but are now ‘preparing’ a fresh £4.5m bid for his services.

The Lowdown: Hoops in Buta discussions…

After agreeing a deal to sign Carl Starfelt from Rubin Kazan, Celtic have since been in talks over a move for Buta as Fabrizio Romano first reported last month (Twitter).

The 24-year-old speedster has been the subject of heavy interest from Ange Postecoglou’s side for nearly a month with even more new signings being confirmed since they first entered negotiations.

Indeed, Joe Hart and James McCarthy have come through the Parkhead door in that time, but Sky have now brought news of Celtic’s unwavering determination to land Buta.

The Latest: Celtic plot fresh £4.5m offer…

As per the reliable broadcast giant, Celtic are believed to be preparing a new bid of around £4.5m to finally secure his services this summer.

However, as explained, Antwerp may value him at an even higher price and that could force The Bhoys to turn to alternative full-back targets.

Talks remain ongoing over Buta with new boss Postecoglou fully expecting more arrivals through the door.

Sky reiterate that, if these discussions end unsuccessfully, Celtic hold an interest in Croatian right-back Josip Juranovic but could face stiff competition from abroad.

The Verdict: Move on?

Buta can play a variety of roles out wide, having been deployed at both right-back and right-midfield in his career, but Antwerp’s stubbornness in talks could mean Celtic should consider moving on – especially if they don’t accept a possible £4.5m offer.

The Portugal youth international, on a reported £234,000-per-year salary at the Bosuilstadion (Salary Sport), made 19 Jupiler Pro League appearances last campaign and bagged three assists from out wide (Transfermarkt).

While his versatility and attacking threat could prove a useful asset for Postecoglou, he arguably isn’t worth breaking the bank for either.

In other news: Celtic in talks to sign yet another defender, this time from the Premier League…find out more here.