All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

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…

Speaking to Caught Offside, reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano has made a definitive behind-the-scenes Tottenham Hotspur claim involving manager Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici.

The Lowdown: Conte era begins…

The serial winner arrives at Spurs with much promise as supporters aim to have optimism about the direction in which their club is heading.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-developments-2/” title=”Spurs developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

It’s been two years since Mauricio Pochettino guided the Lilywhites to a Champions League final and fortunes in north London haven’t exactly continued to blossom since them.

The Argentine’s sacking was followed by the dismissals of both Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo as a variety of managers try and fail to bring back the glory days to N17.

Conte is the next man given this mountainous task and Fabrizio Romano has now made a definitive claim on why managing director Paratici chose him for the role.

The Latest: Romano makes Conte claim…

Speaking to Caught Offside, the Italian journalist explained that the 52-year-old was always Spurs’ number one choice for the job and went into detail regarding Paratici’s decision.

“I have no doubt in it, Antonio Conte. It’s always been Antonio Conte,” Romano explained

“The relationship is amazing, they won the title here in Italy three times in a row with Juventus, but also they have the same mentality.

“I’ve known both for a really long time and I can tell you Antonio Conte is living 24 hours a day with only football. There is family and then there is football.”

The Verdict: Right choice…

Not appointing Conte, especially given his free agent status at the time, would have been a head-scratching decision, but now as he begins his tenure, Spurs fans will see just how he can transform their club.

The former Chelsea boss has won silverware nearly everywhere he’s been so far during his managerial career but his hardest task yet will be ending Tottenham’s 13-year wait for another trophy since their League Cup final win over Chelsea in 2008.

Paratici has got the ball rolling somewhat with a few shrewd deals in the summer, like the signing of 2020/21 Serie A Best Defender MVP Cristian Romero, but the Argentine’s hamstring injury may mean Conte needs backing again in January.

The ex-Inter boss is no miracle worker and it will come down to how Tottenham help their new manager.

In other news: Journalist says ‘world beater’ could now be tempted to join Spurs, find out more here.

With three matches in the space of a week, West Ham boss David Moyes has some tricky decisions to make as he targets top spot in Group H.

The Irons have already advanced into the knockout stages of the Europa League but can seal first place with a win over Austrian outfit Rapid Wien this evening, so it leaves him with a dilemma in terms of team selection.

There’s the small test of defending Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday before finally returning to the London Stadium to host Brighton and Hove Albion next Wednesday.

Moyes will also be looking for a reaction after a run of seven games without defeat was put to an abrupt end last weekend, with the Hammers being defeated by Wolverhampton Wanderers in an utterly drab affair.

West Ham talisman Michail Antonio’s struggles in front of goal continued but he also looked rather fatigued, having travelled back from Jamaica in midweek.

It’s now one goal from nine matches across all competitions from the 31-year-old, a disappointing return considering he began the season on fire with six goals and four assists in just seven appearances, as per Transfermarkt.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/west-ham-news-transfer-updates-rumours-gossip-david-moyes-gsb-premier-league” title=”Read the latest West Ham news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Indeed, the £10.8m-rated Irons frontman “looked knackered” at full-time, according to The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas, and that’s hardly a surprise given the sheer volume of minutes he’s played this campaign (1,368), compared to this time last season (530).

Antonio, who is on around £70k-per-week, is hugely important to the Hammers’ success and will need to be fully fit and firing if they are to stand a chance of a result against Pep Guardiola’s side, especially after they defeated Paris Saint-Germain this week.

Only Jarrod Bowen (7.35) and Declan Rice (7.39) have managed a better average WhoScored rating than the 31-year-old (7.29) this campaign, whilst no one scored more goals than him last season.

Dubbed a “complete monster” and an “absolute revelation” by Daily Star journalist Paul Brown to GIVEMESPORT, Antonio is clearly a vital part of Moyes’ set-up in east London right now but his poor injury track record is worrying, so he ought to be rested for this trip.

It would be a ruthless call to make with the top spot on the line but a necessary one for the greater good of their season. Moyes must axe Antonio from his starting XI over in Austria tonight.

AND in other news, West Ham could discover their next Declan Rice in “clinical” 19 y/o “on the radar” of Moyes…

A worrying Newcastle United injury update has emerged, after Jamal Lewis suffered a blow against Liverpool on Thursday…

What’s the latest?

Magpies boss Eddie Howe has revealed what caused the young defender to be withdrawn from the match in the first-half. He told The Chronicle:

“It looked bad.

“It’s a hamstring injury, which is a surprise with Jamal because he’s obviously so athletic. He’s been excellent in terms of his athletic work for us so far, so for that to happen so early in the game, I was surprised.”

Gutted

Newcastle fans will surely be gutted with this update for multiple reasons. Firstly, the fact that it is a hamstring injury is a worrying prospect, as they can range from days, to weeks, to months, of recovery being needed before the player is able to return.

This means that Lewis could potentially miss a large chunk of the campaign, especially given Howe’s claim that it “looked bad”. Supporters will now be concerned about the severity of the injury and just how many matches he will be out for.

Secondly, they will be disappointed for the player himself. He had only been back in the side for three Premier League matches prior to Thursday night, playing against Norwich, Burnley and Leicester. His resurgence has now been stopped in its tracks and it is a major shame for the young full-back, as he could have established himself in the side and enjoyed a run of games in the team, revitalised under the new leadership.

Finally, fans will be gutted because it means that Matt Ritchie may be required to come back in at left-back for the foreseeable future. He gave the supporters a glimpse of what they have not been missing with a disappointing display off the bench against Liverpool.

In 75 minutes on the pitch, he failed to compete in a single ground or aerial duel. He made zero tackles and completed just 19 passes, attempting zero crosses from left-back in the match. This shows that he struggled to make a positive impact at either end, which is another reason why fans will be gutted by this injury to Lewis.

Hopefully, it will not keep the Northern Ireland international out for a prolonged period of time and he will be able to return for the start of January, or even Boxing Day if he is able to complete a speedy recovery.

AND in other news, NUFC liability who lost 83% duels badly betrayed Howe, Shearer thinks he’s a “danger”…

David Moyes is hopeful that West Ham United defender Angelo Ogbonna will step up his recovery from injury with a view to returning after the March international break.

The Italian has missed his side’s last four Premier League games after sustaining a high ankle sprain during the first half of last month’s FA Cup fifth round defeat to Manchester United.

Ogbonna had played all bar 27 minutes of the Irons’ top-flight campaign before missing the 3-0 win over Sheffield United, having been a staple of the backline at the London Stadium with 23 starts.

West Ham visit Manchester United on Sunday with Ogbonna now one of several potential absentees, with Moyes alert to “a couple of slight doubts” after a slew of minor injuries.

Ogbonna was required to wear a protective boot on his left ankle to protect the 13-cap international from any further damage, but is making good progress towards an April return.

“Angelo is doing great,” Moyes said on Friday. “He’s back in the gym regularly. He’s out of his boot and we’re expecting him to start some running on the AlterG, which is the machine that takes a bit of your body weight off.

“He’s coming along and I’m hoping that, maybe by the end of the international break, we might have him back on the grass in some capacity. There are signs that we’re getting him back.”

Moyes has also welcomed Arthur Masuaku back to training this week, having been without the DR Congo international since Manchester United visited West Ham on December 5 after undergoing career-saving knee surgery.

“Arthur’s trained two or three days this week with the U23s and trained with me for a couple of days now, so Arthur’s getting much closer to match fitness and all-round fitness generally,” the Hammers boss added.

Moyes having Ogbonna back after the March international break will come as a huge boost for West Ham in the London Stadium natives’ push for a top four finish, with Champions League football a distinct possibility for a club who narrowly staved off the threat of relegation just last season.

The Hammers enter the weekend only two points behind Chelsea in the last of the Premier League’s qualifying places, albeit with a game in hand over the Stamford Bridge outfit, who visit Leeds United in the early Saturday afternoon kick-off.

Having a game in hand could prove crucial with West Ham facing a difficult end-of-season run, with matches against fellow European football hopefuls Arsenal, Leicester City, Chelsea and Everton to come after visiting Manchester United on Sunday.

Moyes will no doubt be keen to have Ogbonna back available for those games, with the centre-half able to have a big say in proceedings, having lauded the £4.5m-rated enforcer as a “magnificent” and “really important” leader last month.

Ogbonna had also begun to build a promising relationship with Watford loanee Craig Dawson, which former England international Steve Howey believes had allowed the pair to get the most out of one another.

“It’s always good when you’ve got that good understanding and a bond in a relationship with your partner back there,” he told Football FanCast. “You can understand what he’s really strong at, what he’s kind of a little bit susceptible to, you can kind of read each other’s minds a little bit.”

AND in other news, West Ham are keen to sign a “special talent” who his manager feels “privileged” to have in his squad…

In a recent interview, former Premier League goalkeeper, Paul Robinson, urged Leeds United to sign defensive midfielder, Okay Yokuslu, in the summer transfer window.

Since joining West Bromwich Albion from Celta de Vigo on a five-month loan deal in the January transfer window, Yokuslu has highly impressed over his seven Premier League appearances for Sam Allardyce’s side, making an average of 1.3 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, 2.9 clearances and 0.6 key passes per match, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 7.07 – ranking him as the Baggies’ best performer in the top flight.

And, with it appearing more and more likely that West Brom will be dropping down to the Championship come the end of the season, it would seem considerably less likely that Allardyce’s side will be able to land the £31,000 per week 27-year-old on a permanent basis.

According to Robinson, speaking to Football Insider, this is where Leeds should come in, as the former England ‘keeper believes that Yokuslu would be an ideal candidate to provide Kalvin Phillips with backup and competition in the Whites’ midfield next season.

He said: “He will be highly sought-after this summer. He plays in a very similar way to Kalvin Phillips and that is the type of player that Leeds need. It is going to be a difficult one to sell though. Would he want to be Kalvin Phillips’ backup? He is playing week in, week out right now.”

Transfer Tavern Take

Indeed, with Phillips being Marcelo Bielsa’s only real option as an out and out defensive midfielder, and with Leeds losing six of the eight Premier League games in which the England international has been missing due to injury this season, the position would appear to be somewhere the Whites must add depth this summer.

And, considering how well Yokuslu has performed in a poor West Brom side, as well as the fact the 27-year-old has a Transfermarkt valuation of just £3.6 million, perhaps Victor Orta and his Leeds transfer team should heed Robinson’s advice regarding the Turkey international – as he would seem to comfortably be a Premier League level player, at what is likely to be an extremely reasonable price.

In other news: Leeds are ‘thinking seriously’ about making this key addition – find out more here!

West Ham United are among the leading candidates to sign Andrea Belotti this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Italian publication Tuttomercatoweb, who claim the 28-year-old striker will leave Torino on a free transfer at the end of the season, though there are three other teams mooted with interest.

These are mentioned by the report as being Premier League rivals Newcastle United, Atalanta and Fiorentina.

They have also relayed comments from Torino president Urbano Cairo, who said:

“Belotti? He may have already signed up for another club. Maybe he could also tell us, but that’s okay. Let’s say that from February 1st he was free to sign, theoretically, he could even have done so … Disappointed? I no longer speak of this issue.”

Get it done!

By signing Belotti, the Irons’ head of recruitment Rob Newman could finally end one of David Moyes’ long-serving nightmares at the London Stadium.

It’s been over a year since Sebastien Haller’s exit from the club after the club-record flop joined Ajax in January 2021 and that’s a decision that left the Scottish head coach awfully light on options.

Indeed, he’s only had Michail Antonio available at his disposal and we know too well of his chequered injury past, whilst his form this campaign – particularly in 2022 – has been called into question.

But that’s hardly a surprise when you’re relying on a 31-year-old to deliver each and every week across multiple competitions without a break.

His only league goal this calendar year came on New Year’s Day, some 14 games ago, but he has no backup and no other alternative, so Moyes has to continually select him.

Belotti could be the perfect competition given his prolific goalscoring record in Italy. The Euro 2020 winner has bagged 110 goals in 247 appearances for the Turin-based side, including a season-best of 28 during the 2016/17 campaign, via Transfermarkt.

“Andrea is similar to all the great strikers, English and not. It’s hard to compare him to someone else because he’s special,” once claimed his former teammate Joe Hart to renowned journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.

“He’s Belotti and that’s it. He has [an] instinct for goals, personality and he’s a team player: he’s always focused on his team and plays hard to help it.”

High praise indeed from someone who faced the 5 foot 11 tank every day in training.

Now valued at £25.2m by Transfermarkt, the Hammers could well seal an absolute bargain in Belotti and given his talismanic-like record, he’d be a much welcome and much-needed addition to Moyes’ squad heading into next season, where they could well remain in Europe.

AND in other news, Time to go: Moyes must ruthlessly axe WHU’s £61k-p/w “monster” as big claim emerges…

Leeds United have been linked to a move for Fiorentina’s Erick Pulgar as they approach their chance to bolster their first team options.

The summer saw the Whites recruit six new first team players on a permanent basis, including first choice goalkeeper Illan Meslier and wide man Raphinha. But their recent run of form in the Premier League has raised a couple of red flags and Andrea Radrizzani must be prepared to once again splash the cash.

According to Viola News, Pulgar is in a position where he will be allowed to leave Fiorentina under the “right conditions”. Elland Road is reportedly a solid contender for his next potential destination.

Pulgar vs Phillips

Kalvin Phillips is currently Leeds’ first choice defensive midfielder, with Ouasim Bouy behind him in the pecking order. However, the latter is yet to even make a senior appearance for the Yorkshire outfit and is now into the final six months of his contract.

With an exit more than likely on the cards this summer, Leeds would benefit from adding another No.6 to their arsenal. Not only would a back up for Phillips be hugely beneficial, but Pulgar could also compete with the 25-year-old for prime spot in Marcelo Bielsa’s lineup.

According to WhoScored, the two were almost like-for-like with their defensive contributions last season. Phillips made 1.4 interceptions per match compared to Pulgar’s 1.3 and both averaged 1.3 clearances.

The Fiorentina man’s two tackle average per game isn’t far off Phillips’ 2.6 either. But one major difference between these two similar players is Pulgar’s ability to pose a major threat in front of goal.

Leeds are leaking goals and need tightening up at the back, but they are also in need of some extra creativity in the final third. Pulgar contributed an impressive seven goals and six assists last term for the Serie A side, compared to two goals and two assists for Phillips.

Not only would the £11million-valued midfielder be a rock in the engine room for the Whites, but he could be a great asset to Patrick Bamford’s threat in front of goal. His offering of getting forward as well as mercilessly defending is something that Phillips doesn’t quite offer Leeds right now.

In other news, Helder Costa must be sold to make way for Adama Traore…

Alan Nixon has shared a quite cynical update on Celtic’s pursuit of Eddie Howe.

The Lowdown: Howe closing in on Hoops switch

The 43-year-old is thought to be closing in on a move to Parkhead to become Neil Lennon’s permanent successor.

Howe has been out of management since August after he left Bournemouth, and his previous employers are currently involved in the Championship playoffs.

Reports have suggested that Howe has agreed to move to Glasgow and will take some members of staff from the south coast with him, with many now wondering when a deal could be announced.

The Latest: Nixon’s comments

Nixon, who writes for The Sun, was asked by a Hoops fan on Twitter on Tuesday evening if Howe could be announced in 2-3 days time.

He replied, admitting he’s heard that timeframe ‘a few times’.

“We have heard ‘two or three days’ a few times.”

The Verdict: When could he be announced?

Not knowing when a deal will be announced may not be ideal for some supporters, but, in our view, we can’t see Howe being officially unveiled by the Bhoys until the Cherries complete their season.

They defeated Brentford 1-0 in the first leg of their semi-final on Monday and will look to book a spot in the final on the weekend.

Should they get to Wembley, that could keep some members of staff Howe wants busy until the end of the month.

It’s not ideal, but it seems as if Howe is the man Celtic want, so they may have to wait a little longer until they can show off their new boss.

In other news: Frank McAennie reacts to Conor McGregor claim, find out more here. 

Karl Darlow is set to be replaced by Martin Dubravka for Newcastle United in their home fixture versus Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday night.

That is according to The Daily Telegraph, claiming Steve Bruce has decided to change his goalkeeper for the game against Nuno Espirito Santo’s men.

Darlow can count himself unlucky

Darlow can count himself very unlucky to be dropped as he has put in some stellar displays for the St. James’ Park faithful over the course of the 2020/21 term so far.

The 30-year-old makes no fewer than 3.5 saves on average per game in the Premier League and has also saved a penalty and made no errors that have led to shots or goals (Sofascore).

Alan Shearer was particularly full of praise for him during the North East club’s 0-0 home draw with reigning EPL champions Liverpool back in December of last year, describing Darlow as ‘exceptional’.

Nonetheless, Dubravka is a safe pair of hands and is more than capable of filling into the Englishman’s shoes against the Molineux outfit.

After all, the Slovakia international was Bruce’s first-choice ‘keeper before his injury which meant that Darlow had to step in, and now he will take his place in between the posts again for the Magpies as they look to get a vital three points to ease off fear of potential relegation.

In other news, find out what inside claim Luke Edwards has dropped on Bruce’s future here!