All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Loads of Tottenham Hotspur fans on Twitter have waxed lyrical about club-record signing Tanguy Ndombele’s performance in the 5-0 win against Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday night, with two even comparing him to former Spurs star Luka Modric.

The 22-year-old arrived in north London in a deal that could eventually be worth £62.8m during the summer transfer window, but his performances have so far been a little mixed having been labelled “ineffective” by Football London against Leicester for example.

However, the Frenchman was absolutely brilliant against the Serbian outfit last night, and bossed the central midfield area alongside Moussa Sissoko, making three tackles and two interceptions as well as picking up two assists from the three key passes he completed, as per WhoScored.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Tottenham supporters were certainly impressed with what they saw from the former Lyon man, with many choosing to compare him to another ex-player in Mousa Dembele, and one individual describing him as “the player people thought Dembele was”.

Another focused on Modric, who now plays for Real Madrid, saying “Ndombele will be a more productive passer of the ball than Modric for Tottenham”.

High praise indeed.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In The Pipeline series, which takes a look at some of the most promising young talent either linked with clubs or emerging from their academies…

Pascal Struijk has been one of the names mentioned that could play in place of Liam Cooper while the skipper sits out with an injury problem.

The 20-year-old Dutchman has seemingly risen up the pecking order at Leeds but he isn’t the only one competing for a place in the defence.

Cooper’s replacement on Tuesday, Gaetano Berardi, will also be in the frame but there could be a route back into the side in that role for Luke Ayling.

The three aforementioned names all make sense in one way or another. Berardi offered a cause for hope among some bad news on Tuesday while Ayling has played in that role before.

However, a surprise name was among those muttered by Marcelo Bielsa in his pre-match press conference on Thursday ahead of their clash with Millwall.

That happened to be teenager Olly Casey, one of the defenders who has been featuring for Carlos Corberan’s U23 side in 2019/20.

A centre-back by trade, he’s clearly been impressing if Bielsa sees him as someone that could challenge for a spot in the very immediate future.

Another defender in Charlie Cresswell has recently signed a new deal and is someone we think could go onto have a big role to play in the team, but it appears as though Casey is slightly ahead of him in terms of development.

At 18, he is still incredibly young and it would be quite the statement to throw him in but it bodes well for the youngster regardless. This is certainly a huge boost for someone who won the Apprentice of the Year award at Leeds last term.

On those who could come in, Bielsa noted: “Casey and Struijk are younger. Davis has played with us. Phillips is an option in this sector. Of course, Berardi is the direct substitution.”

Before this comment was made, Casey didn’t even have a squad number with the senior side so it’s rather come out of nowhere, even if he did play for the first team in pre-season.

Why are Leeds fans the best in the country? Find out in the video below…

It remains to be seen who replaces the Scot but this isn’t the first time the aforementioned teen, who doesn’t turn 19 until later this month, has been on the end of rather surprising news.

In November 2018 he was handed professional terms, something that left him shocked.

He said at the time: “I still watch the first team games every week, I love it, my dad has been bringing me to games since I was young. When I first found out about getting a pro deal I was shocked as you usually find out a bit later in the year.”

Being a fan of the club, Casey must be ecstatic that he’s simply been muttered in the same breath as someone like Kalvin Phillips.

It’s now time for him to build on that and start making Bielsa think very strongly about whether to include him in the first XI.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Former Leeds United man Noel Whelan has told Football Insider that Gaetano Berardi could earn himself a new deal with the Whites by proving his importance to the club in the coming weeks.

What did he say?

Berardi’s current contract expires at the end of this season and the Switzerland international has the opportunity to showcase his talents for Marcelo Bielsa, with regular centre-back Liam Cooper sidelined for a few more weeks.

Whelan said: “I think at the moment it’s about letting Gaetano get on with it then assessing him up until Christmas time.

“We’ve got Liam Cooper out injured and after Berardi’s red card against Millwall was rescinded, he has the opportunity to go out there and put in some performances to earn that new contract from Leeds United as he can prove to the club that he is a player they need.

“To be quite honest, I don’t think he’d be good enough to be a regular for the first-team in the Premier League, I think we’ve seen many teams go up, for example, Villa this season, that have changed both centre-halves as you can bring in new players with that money you get from promotion.

“So I can’t see him being a regular in the first-team if we do get promoted to the Premier League.”

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Cooper’s backup and that’s it

The 5 foot 10 Berardi has been with Leeds since 2014 and although a regular addition to the squad, the versatile defender has had to settle for a more sporadic role within the starting XI, making only 124 appearances in the Championship over the past five years.

This season, the former Sampdoria man has played four times in the league and twice in the EFL Cup, where he has scored and assisted. However, it’s his form in the Championship that has got doubters like Whelan questioning his capabilities, should the club return to the top-flight.

Upon stepping in for Cooper, Berardi received a red card within 14 minutes of the game against Millwall, and although it was later rescinded, it cannot be forgotten that he has picked up seven red cards for the Whites in just five seasons.

In his four Championship appearances this season, the 31-year-old has only averaged an alarming 0.4 tackles per game, off the back of averaging a 6.60 rating in the second tier last campaign.

It is no surprise to see both Ben White and Cooper keep him out the side when available, with his erratic nature and lack of defensive stability a worry for the team. Also, the form of the Leeds’ full-backs has kept him away from those spots and Berardi will find it tough to get past Luke Ayling and Ezgjan Alioski.

Why are Leeds fans the best in the country? Find out in the video below…

Ultimately, should the Whites return to the Premier League, they are going to need proven experience and abilities at such a level. And, although he has played 53 times in Italy’s first tier, the defender was relegated with Brescia in 2011.

Bielsa will need more reinforcements and better quality across his defence in the Premier League and unfortunately, Berardi is not that man.

[ad_pod ]

When Leicester City signed Caglar Soyuncu from Freiburg the summer before last in a deal worth up to £19m barely a ripple was made. The 22-year-old was joining a club whose principle centre-backs were Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire and not many people expected the Turkish international to break that partnership up. This duly came to pass with Soyuncu making only six league appearances last term with a couple of EFL Cup games thrown in.

When Leicester City sold Harry Maguire in early August for a world record fee for a defender an awful lot of ripples were made, but returning to Soyuncu he was now even more off the grid. All the attention beyond the Maguire sale centred on who the Foxes would be bringing in to replace him with Burnley’s James Tarkowski mentioned many times in dispatches along with Bournemouth’s Nathan Ake.

Just one month into the new campaign and they’re talking about Soyuncu a lot now. And so far the reviews have been spectacular.

It all began on the opening day of the season when the floppy-fringed giant put in a formidable performance against Wolves at the King Power Stadium. So impressive was the display he reportedly received a standing ovation from his team-mates post-match and highly deserved it was too. Soyuncu made the second most successful passes and tackles of any Premier League defender that weekend as his unerring reading of danger and whole commitment kept the visitors almost single-handedly at bay at times.

Watch Leicester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

This commanding introduction was followed up by a further three imperious outings – that included a stoic draw at Stamford Bridge – but it is not merely the elite levels shown thus far that is rapidly making him one of the talking points of this Premier League year. With his aforementioned locks and muscular style that could be termed ‘swashbuckling’ if we’re feeling a touch whimsical, Soyuncu has already gained a cult status in the Midlands, so much so that Maguire’s name is a distant memory.

“You sense the supporters are really enjoying watching him play,” Brendan Rodgers said recently, of a role not traditionally regarded as entertaining. “He does a couple of wee maverick things that make you wonder sometimes.”

The defender’s unanticipated rise has also brought into the public domain an interesting insight into his transfer back in 2018 and the reasons behind it. In addition to being naturally attracted to an accomplished centre-back yet to hit his development ceiling the thinking at Leicester was that Soyuncu would prove an able replacement should Maguire depart for Old Trafford. To clarify: this was a decision taken in 2018, well over twelve months ago.

Check out the fan in the video below who thinks he could beat Joey Barton in a fight…

Following a season of adaptation to the demands and pace of English football the Foxes’ long-term thinking looks to now be paying off handsomely and all while saving themselves a fortune in the transfer market.

It is still too premature to be making any heightened claims about a player who is still learning and from that learning will come mistakes. But in ‘super’ Soyuncu there is enough pace, composure and bravery to take risks to know that Leicester’s future looks rock solid at the back.

This article forms part of our Profit Players feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how well a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how good of a deal the club managed to achieve.

Everton’s relationship with Seamus Coleman was one which began in January 2009, when the Toffees splashed out £150,000 (extratime.ie) to snap up a then 20-year-old right-back from Sligo Rovers ahead of competition for his signature from Celtic, Birmingham City and Ipswich Town.

David Moyes would hand Coleman his Premier League debut 297 days later as a late substitute for Johnny Heitinga against Bolton Wanderers, and 3,628 days on, Coleman remains a key man at Goodison Park, making his fee a bargain even when the Blues’ defence is not at its best.

Making his 296th outing for Everton across all competitions on Saturday against Manchester City (TransferMarkt), Coleman was one of few Toffees men to stand out for the right reasons as Pep Guardiola’s reigning champions picked their way through a faltering Blues defence.

Michael Keane was caught out of position for Gabriel Jesus’ opener by playing the Brazilian onside, while Lucas Digne – Everton’s 2018/19 Player of the Year – was run ragged by Riyad Mahrez and was fortunate not to have seen referee Michael Oliver point to the spot for a collision with Kevin de Bruyne in the second-half.

Coleman, meanwhile, was not without fault but showed why he is still the man Marco Silva names at right-back, by rolling back the years to assist Dominic Calvert-Lewin with a marauding adventure down the right-hand side – a goal which would have been his without the former England under-21 international poaching on the line with a diving header.

It has been a while since Coleman last showed himself as the creative, overlapping full-back that dazzled under Roberto Martinez on the opposing flank to Leighton Baines, and left many in awe when he outfoxed Santi Cazorla to delight the Goodison Park faithful as Everton beat Arsenal 3-0 in April 2014.

Injuries have been a regular plight of the Republic of Ireland captain’s career since then, with the 2017/18 campaign particularly short-lived with just 12 outings to his name across all competitions after fracturing his leg.

Saturday showed what Coleman is all about when on song, though, as he saw the weaknesses of a Fernandinho/Nicolas Otamendi centre-back partnership with Oleksandr Zinchenko at full-back to attack title-chasing Manchester City, and ended the day with more successful dribbles to his name than any other player on the pitch. (WhoScored)

Mahrez and Rodri led the Citizens’ charge for dribbles with two each – the same number as Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fabian Delph – but neither were a match for Coleman, who recorded eight successful dribbles from 10 vaunts down the wing, according to WhoScored data.

The 30-year-old, who has started 66) of any Everton player against City on Saturday, and the second-most successful tackles (three) – the most on the Blues’ right-hand side, with Theo Walcott and Alex Iwobi both recording none.

Coleman’s career may be winding down more so than it is gearing up, but the experienced defender still has years left in him, and is now worth substantially more than the fee Everton paid a decade ago with TransferMarkt touting the Republic of Ireland leader at £13.5million – a 900% mark-up.

Everton fans, how much longer do you envisage Coleman as your starting right-back? Let us know in the comments below…

[ad_pod ]

Crystal Palace star Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been identified as a summer transfer target by Manchester United, who have reportedly drawn up a shortlist including the full-back, Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic according to talkSPORT.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Eagles’ academy graduate has not put a foot wrong since breaking into the first team at the start of 2018, going on to make the right-back berth his own ahead of former first choice Joel Ward.

As a result, a number of clubs have taken a shine to the England Under-21 international, including the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and now the Red Devils.

The 21-year-old is arguably the best defender in Europe right now, even earning the nickname of ‘The Spider’ as a result of his uncanny ability to use his long legs to wrap around the opponent and win the ball back.

Palace must tie him down to a new contract

Wan-Bissaka currently has three years left on the contract that he signed in April of last year, but given his rise in the game since then, it is imperative that Palace lock him into a monster new deal.

The aforementioned clubs who have taken an interest in him are giants of the game, and all possess the financial power to turn the youngster’s head.

Additionally, Wan-Bissaka is allegedly earning just £15,000-a-week right now, which is well below what he deserves – to compare, second-choice right-back Ward earns £35,000-a-week.

One would assume that Wan-Bissaka’s agent will be pressing the club to offer his client a much improved contract, and could easily point to the fact that a number of heavyweights in the game could easily offer him a significant rise on his current salary.

The south London-based side have a real gem on their hands and arguably one of Europe’s best young players right now, so they must tie him down as soon as possible to avoid losing him in the summer.

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has made a decent enough start to the Premier League season with three goals in four appearances, although he suffered a disappointing afternoon in his side’s previous home match when he failed to score in the 1-0 defeat against Newcastle United.

The England international will be looking to get back on the score-sheet again for the visit of Crystal Palace on Saturday, following a mixed performance against Kosovo on Tuesday where he scored once but missed a penalty kick, too.

Spurs lie ninth in the top flight standings with only one win from their opening four fixtures, and that record needs to improve significantly if they are going to be anywhere near being title challengers over the remainder of 2019/20.

Even at this early stage, a win against Roy Hodgson’s men looks to be important, but Kane will need to get the better of an experienced centre-back who is in fine form himself.

Gary Cahill signed for Palace on a free transfer during the summer transfer window, but he had to wait until the third Premier League game of the campaign to be handed his debut – a 2-1 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

It was an impressive instant impact from the man who was captain of Chelsea as recently as last term, and he followed it up with a clean sheet in the 1-0 win against Aston Villa at Selhurst Park before the international break.

The former England international has already shown his strength in the air by winning an average of 2.5 aerial duels per game, as per WhoScored, while he has made 1.5 blocks and a whopping seven clearances per outing as well.

His stats in the air compared to Kane’s – the centre-forward has only won an average of 0.8 per match so far this term – suggests he is going to have to do the majority of his work on the ground if he is to get the better of his former Three Lions teammate.

Cahill will be looking to take advantage of the fact the £200,000-a-week Spurs talisman has been dispossessed an average of two times, suggesting the ball is there to be won when he is in possession.

It will certainly be an interesting battle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and manager Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping Kane can down his opponent to deliver a crucial three points.

[ad_pod ]

After PIF’s takeover of Newcastle United was confirmed a number of months ago, we were all expectant and excited to see the type of talent they could lure to St James’ Park.

Sadly, and rather unsurprisingly, however, they have found life difficult during the winter.

January is always a tricky time to recruit and the club’s new owners are finding that our swiftly.

What’s the word?

News broke on Wednesday that Newcastle were trying to complete a deal to bring Jesse Lingard to the club.

However, the Magpies have been rebuffed in their attempts to lands the Manchester United playmaker and it’s thought he’d prefer another move to the capital.

As a result, the Toon are considering making moves for two other players, one of which is Tottenham’s Dele Alli.

That’s according to 90min who report that the England international is an alternative to Lingard this winter.

It’s thought Spurs had set an asking price of £25m according to a separate report last year.

The new Gazza?

A few years ago Darren Anderton was incredibly effusive in his praise for Dele, hailing the creative midfielder as a “freak of a talent.”

Indeed, that talent is clearly still lurking in the 25-year-old but there is a sense that he needs a fresh start elsewhere in order to discover that.

After all, the playmaker has scored just twice in all competitions this term and has only registered one assist too.

That is a far cry from the numbers we saw him rack up in the early stages of his career. In 2015/16, Dele amassed as many as ten goals and nine assists in the top-flight, then went even better in the campaign after that, scoring 18 times with another nine assists to his name.

2017/18 was also productive for the attacking midfielder who racked up nine goals and 11 assists.

With that kind of dynamism in mind, he could well become Newcastle’s next Paul Gascoigne if he finds his form again.

Gazza was a wonderful player in his prime and scored 133 times during his career.

The duo have also been compared previously by none other than Barcelona manager, Xavi. He once said: “There are some very promising young English midfield players and there is no doubt he is very special.

“He is very talented, very technical. I can understand why the Tottenham fans are hoping he is the next Paul Gascoigne.

“For me, Gascoigne was an inspiration when I was developing, one of the best midfield players I have ever seen. It is important not to put pressure on Dele with these comparisons but I can see why fans are excited.”

Of course, his form has subsided since that comparison but there is certainly a belief that he can get back to his best with new tools and resources.

Newcastle must make that happen.

AND in other news, “From sources” – Fabrizio Romano drops big NUFC transfer update that’ll delight fans…

Everton must finally offload Cenk Tosun amid a recent update on his future.

What’s the story?

According to Turkish publication Sabah, Besiktas were hopeful of re-signing their former star last month, but that a deal failed to materialise because Tosun wanted some money from Everton to cut his contract short.

Moshiri’s biggest disaster

It’s fair to say that Farhad Moshiri has had his fair share of transfer disasters during his time at Goodison Park, but Tosun certainly figures high up on that list, if not right at the very top.

Signed for £27m from Besiktas back in January 2018, the 30-year-old was tipped for big things by the man who signed him, Sam Allardyce, who said: “He is Turkey’s No 1 striker and has scored goals in the Champions League and the Turkish League but he is desperate to play here in the Premier League.

“We looked at the qualities of the player, his talent and goal-scoring, and his resilience, too. I do not think you can look any more than we have done and, for the price, he is the best in Europe at the moment.”

A big claim that has come to back-fire spectacularly on the Toffees in the years since.

In 60 games for the club in total, he’s scored just 11 goals and provided only six assists in that time too, meaning he has cost the club more than £1.5m per goal he has scored – it’s no surprise then that he was also shipped out on loan in recent seasons too.

Indeed, according to CIES, his transfer market value now is less than £1m – a real indication of the kind of decline the Turkish ace has endured at Goodison Park in his time at the club.

And, back in December, former Premier League ace Alan Hutton urged then Everton boss Rafa Benitez to have a discussion with Tosun over his Everton future and to try and move him on for the good of the club.

He said: “But I think that the only way you can really move forward and is to try and be open and honest. Have a sit-down with the manager and player.

“Say: ‘Look, you are not in my plans, you’re not going to be involved. You’re not going to be in matchday squads. All you’re going to do is train.’

“I think if you have an open and honest discussion, maybe that will help to move things along. If you don’t have these conversations, you just leave him to think and go in a bad mood. He will get in a huff and go: ‘Well I’ll just sit it out then.”

Given Tosun has not been in the reckoning at Goodison Park for a long while now, new Everton boss Frank Lampard must surely now call time on the striker’s time at the club and acquiesce to the striker’s demands and finally get him out.

Meanwhile, Everton facing a Rafa Benitez-esque howler…

A key Newcastle United transfer update has emerged, regarding what position they are looking to strengthen in…

What’s the talk?

Athletic journalist Chris Waugh has revealed that the Magpies are in the market to add at least one new striker to their squad this month, although they are not close to completing any deal as it stands.

In the Q&A section of his piece on The Athletic, Waugh replied to a fan asking about Steve Nickson and the pursuit of a forward:

“In terms of Nickson, you’re right that he was working within restrictions under Ashley and, hopefully, that may have changed. The players identified do seem impressive so far, so let’s hope they can manage to sign some of them. As for his long-term future, there has been no rush to remove him, but I think substantive decisions will be deferred until a CEO and director of football are in place, then they can determine the long-term direction of the club.

“In terms of strikers, they are very much actively looking to recruit at least one but, as you say, it’s a very difficult window and hard to secure one even during the summer, so it’s proving tricky, but they will keep attempting to lure one. I don’t believe anything is close, though, and I think they see beyond Gayle now.”

Delight

Newcastle fans will surely be delighted with this update as the club are in desperate need of more goalscorers in the squad heading into the second half of the campaign.

This was shown in full view on Saturday as the Magpies lost 1-0 to Cambridge in the FA Cup. They managed 19 shots, nine on target, against the League One outfit and were unable to find a way past Dimitar Mitov as they wasted chance after chance at St. James’ Park.

In the Premier League this season, only Allan Saint-Maximin (four) and Callum Wilson (six) have scored more than one goal. This also highlights how little Eddie Howe has in the striking department and why fans will be buzzing with Waugh’s latest claim.

Goals win games and Newcastle have only won one league match all season, which is why they could benefit greatly from bringing some extra firepower to the side. They could improve their chances of winning games and dragging themselves out of the dropzone by signing a player who could come in and score six or seven goals in the next five months.

Therefore, fans will be delighted that the club are working hard on a deal to sign a striker and are aware that the position needs attention alongside other areas. It is now down to the likes of Nickson, Howe and Nick Hammond to identify the right targets and get them in before the window slams shut at the end of the month.

AND in other news, “Intensifying efforts”: Ornstein drops NUFC transfer update that’ll have fans buzzing…