All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Celtic are back in action tomorrow with an SPFL clash against Ross County away from home to try and take another step towards securing the league title.

Last weekend saw the Hoops get knocked out of the semi-final of the Scottish Cup by Rangers in what was a disappointing afternoon for Ange Postecoglou and his side.

With that in mind, it could be bad news for County to have to come up against a wounded Celtic side looking to get back to winning ways.

However, one issue that the Bhoys will have to deal with is the absence of right-back Josip Juranovic, who will reportedly be out for the next couple of weeks through injury.

Despite this blow, it could pave the way for one Celtic figure to come in and shine for the team.

Opportunity knocks

Having only started one of Celtic’s six previous league games, Anthony Ralston has been in and out of the team since the turn of the year.

With 23 league appearances to his name in total this season, the right-back has shown what an attacking talent he can be by racking up four goals and seven assists.

Also, no other defender in Postecoglou’s squad has been able to have as many shots on target (13) or crosses (116) as the 23-year-old.

In addition to this, from a defensive point of view, only Juranovic (28) has won more tackles than the £1.62m-rated Scotsman (26).

This highlights just how much of a capable player Ralston is up and down the pitch and how much they will need someone like that while their other right-back is out injured, with the introduction of the 23-year-old potentially being a game-changer for the Bhoys.

Currently listed as the third-highest rated player at the Parkhead club, the full-back has earned himself an overall performance rating of 7.47 from WhoScored.

Labelled as a “soldier” on the pitch by Postecoglou, Ralston could use this time while the Croatian is recovering to really stake a claim that he should be the first-choice right-back at Parkhead.

Moving forward, in terms of the Hoops boss putting his starting XI together to take on County, he should have no reservations about putting the £10.5k-per-week Scotsman in from the beginning at right-back.

AND in other news: Sold at £2m, now worth £630k: Celtic struck gold on £11k-p/w dud with a “bad attitude”

Everton have suffered a big injury blow ahead of their Premier League encounter with West Ham United on Sunday week after Lucas Digne picked up a hamstring injury on international duty.

What’s the word?

The 28-year-old was called up to Didier Deschamps’ France squad for the Nations League finals but will now return to Merseyside after playing no part in their semi-final victory over Belgium.

A club statement read: “Lucas Digne has withdrawn from the France squad due to a minor hamstring injury. The Everton left-back will return to USM Finch Farm to be assessed by the Club’s medical team.

“Digne was on the bench for France’s 3-2 Nations League semi-final victory over Belgium in Turin on Thursday night and will now miss the world champions’ final clash against Spain on Sunday.”

Rafael Benitez will be gutted

Although the severity of Digne’s injury has not yet been confirmed, it seems likely that he’ll miss the Toffees’ next clash against high-flying West Ham on Sunday 17 October.

If the left-back is deemed unavailable for selection, Everton manager Rafael Benitez will be left feeling gutted at his enforced absence given the defender’s importance to the club. Digne has played every minute of the Merseysiders’ top-flight campaign so far this season, captaining the side in their last three matches.

His magnificent form has played a pivotal part in Everton’s impressive displays of late, with Benitez’s men sitting pretty in fifth position after collecting 14 points from seven games, and his attacking influence is evident in his match average of 1.9 key passes, the joint-highest in the Toffees’ squad.

The visit of the Hammers is set to be one of their toughest tests yet, though, and they’ll be hoping that Digne recovers in time to play some part against the capital club. If he misses out, Everton will be deprived of one of their main attacking outlets and most trusted players.

In other news…Brands must sanction Everton swoop for £12.6m-rated gem, he’s an “outstanding technician” 

When it comes to the injury front at Wolverhampton Wanderers, they’ve hardly had luck pouring out of their ears.

Nuno Santo’s final season at Molineux was marred by a number of fitness issues to his best players as Wolves suffered considerably without the likes of Raul Jimenez.

The Mexican was missing from November 2020 onwards after suffering a fractured skull and has only just returned to action.

They are still missing Pedro Neto who suffered a setback in his quest to recover.

Bruno Lage has also tasted similar pills in recent weeks. He was without a number of players in the early weeks of the campaign with Neto sitting on the sidelines alongside Daniel Podence, Yerson Mosquera, Willy Boly and Jonny.

However, in positive news, Podence returned in the 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest and he is set to be joined by Boly and Mosquera.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game with Manchester United, Lage said: “Yerson [Mosquera] and Boly started to work with us. That’s the good news. And Daniel [Podence] played 60 minutes on Tuesday night at a good level, scored one goal, so that’s three more top players with us.

“It’s very good to have them back and for them to be on the pitch and everyone to be working hard to be better.”

This is a huge boost for the Old Gold who have been working with an extremely limited squad this season.

Lage admitted before their match with Spurs that they’d been training with just 15 senior players so the returning members will add a great deal to the senior group.

Podence’s goalscoring return in midweek bodes well given that the Molineux outfit are yet to score in the league this term. Mosquera, meanwhile, looks a promising player and will bolster their limited defensive options.

Yet, it’s Boly who will be the biggest boost. The Frenchman has been a rock at the back for Wolves throughout the years and we saw just how big a miss and influence he was last season.

During a three-month layoff due to an ankle problem last term, Wolves played 15 league matches and kept just one clean sheet in that timeframe. Once the defender returned, they didn’t concede over the next 283 minutes of league action.

They had let in 13 goals in their last eight league games without him but conceded only two in their first six matches after he was back.

To see him return to the matchday squad on Sunday, especially against Man United, will be extremely handy. Lage should be elated to see his face once again.

AND in other news, Boly returns, £37k-p/w dud axed in 8 changes: Wolves predicted XI vs Man United…

Former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer thinks Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles could push for a move to Everton in January if he struggles to find regular game time at the Emirates.

Everton were interested in signing Maitland-Niles on loan during the summer transfer window, a move he was seemingly keen on, but were unsuccessful in their pursuit of the 24-year-old.

Since his failed move to Goodison Park, Maitland-Niles has gone on to make one start in the Premier League for Arsenal, a 1-0 win against Norwich City, so he does look to be in Mikel Arteta’s thinking.

However, should that be an exception and not the norm, Palmer believes a transfer to Everton could be revisited.

“If he’s not playing regularly for Arsenal and he can’t get in the side, I would assume in January he’d want to go on loan or he’d want to leave permanently,” the ex-Leeds United player told FFC when asked if he could see Maitland-Niles joining Everton in the future.

“Like I’ve said, Saturdays and Wednesdays are for playing football, they’re not for sitting on the bench and not for sitting in the stand.”

Maitland-Niles is obviously a very versatile footballer – something his former manager Arsene Wenger raved about after he first burst onto the scene – so it is hardly a surprise that Arteta wanted to keep him at the club.

Tottenham Hotspur slumped to an embarrassing 1-0 loss at the hands of Vitesse in the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday evening.

There were some very poor performances on the pitch for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team, and The Transfer Tavern have used statistical experts Sofascore to analyse the worst-three performing players (who played at least 45 minutes) based on statistics:

Ben Davies

Admittedly tied with Steven Bergwijn, Ben Davies was given the joint-third lowest rating out of any of his teammates by Sofascore, a mere 6.3.

Captain for the day, the Wales international lost out on eight of his duels, and failed to record a single successful dribble, tackle or accurate cross from left-back.

He also lost possession of the ball on no fewer than on 14 separate occasions, the joint-fourth most out of any of his teammates.

Dane Scarlett

Young Scarlett did not take his chance to impress, as Sofascore gave him a measly six overall rating.

The striker lost out on a whopping 19 duels, more than double the next closest player, perhaps suggesting he is struggling to adapt physically to senior first-team football.

He did not manage to have a shot or successful dribble, while losing possession 16 times, the second-most out of any Spurs player.

Dele Alli

Oh how far Alli has fallen. The once England regular was given an alarming 5.8 rating by Sofascore, which does not even tell half of the story.

Alli list eight of his duels, and had no shots on target, successful dribbles or key passes, while he too was also guilty of giving the ball away on far too many occasions, 14 in total.

In other news, find out which Lilywhite has suffered another injury setback here…

Axel Tuanzebe reportedly wanted a move to Newcastle United before Aston Villa signed him on loan from Manchester United.

The Lowdown: Tuanzebe wanted

The St. James’ Park faithful reportedly wanted to sign Tuanzebe before he made the move to Villa Park instead.

They have also been recently linked with a move for Ozan Kabak, suggesting that Steve Bruce would like to bring in another central defender before the summer transfer window ends.

The Latest: Why Tuanzebe move failed

Writing in his latest piece for The Daily Telegraph, Luke Edwards has revealed why the North East club did not end up signing Tuanzebe in the end.

As per the journalist, it was the player’s preference to move to Tyneside over AVFC, but they could not afford the loan fee to make it happen.

The Verdict: Shame

It is such a shame that the Magpies missed out on signing Tuanzebe, as they will now have to rush to get another centre-back in before the window closes.

Dubbed ‘outstanding’ by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after a very impressive performance in the UEFA Europa League against Granada back in April, he is clearly capable of playing at a high level, having notched up a fair amount of experience in playing in the Premier League (Transfermarkt).

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-updates-5/” title=”Newcastle updates! (5)” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

At just 23 years of age, Tuanzebe certainly has potential, and being English, he would have helped fill the homegrown quota in the squad as well.

Nonetheless, the Toon must now look at other targets.

In other news, find out what NUFC transfer update has this pundit baffled here!

A number of Liverpool supporters have reacted positively to Neil Jones’ claim that James Milner will leave the club at the end of the season.

The 36-year-old has been a wonderful servant for the Reds since arriving in the summer of 2015, arguably becoming one of the greatest free transfers in the club’s history.

Milner has now made 268 appearances for Liverpool, winning the Champions League and Premier League along the way and being a great leader in Jurgen Klopp’s squad.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

However, at 36 there is no doubt that the midfielder’s best days are behind him, and his current Liverpool deal expires this summer.

According to Jones on The Redmen TV [via LFC Transfer Room on Twitter], Milner will move on at the end of the current campaign, joining another club as he nears the end of a stellar playing career.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-16/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans happy about Milner exit claim

These Liverpool fans were pleased to hear that the club are unlikely to keep Milner beyond the end of this season, with some feeling that his best days are behind him, a view perhaps borne out of some recent underwhelming performances and his rarity of starts this season.

“Finally”

Credit: @boff_daddy

“Freedom”

Credit: @_JazzyJaz_

“CM incoming then surely”

Credit: @TWregistalfc

“About time. Been a top loyal servant but is no where near good enough as a player anymore. Thanks Milly”

Credit: @iLikeFutb0l

“Wonderful. I’ll set off fireworks on the day he leaves”

Credit: @Sabista_

“Thank God. Thanks to James for his services, but I was dreading ‘let’s keep him for one more year because of his leadership'”

Credit: @PhilyRedd

In other news, some Liverpool fans are delighted over this Fabrizio Romano transfer claim. Read more here.

Aston Villa have been linked with a move for Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara following Steven Gerrard’s switch to Villa Park.

The Lowdown: Gerrard appointed

Gerrard was officially announced as Villa’s new manager on Thursday, four days after Dean Smith was relieved of his duties in the Midlands.

The 41-year-old will reportedly be the club’s highest-paid manager of all time and could have a huge transfer budget in January.

It seems as if there’s a real possibility of Gerrard looking to take some Rangers players with him to the Midlands, one of whom could be Kamara, who he previously called a ‘Rolls Royce’.

The Latest: Campbell’s claim

Jordan Campbell of The Athletic shared an in-depth story on Thursday, looking at why Gerrard left Rangers for Villa.

He was asked in the comments section if Kamara could move to Villa Park with the former Gers boss, to which he replied, also adding Ryan Kent and Joe Aribo as possible targets: “I would not be surprised if he came in for him as he loves him as a player. A few more you could say that about like Kent and Aribo.”

The Verdict: Would be a smart move…

Villa appear to be in need of a central midfielder in the New Year, as they have just four senior options plus youngsters Jacob Ramsey and Carney Chukwuemeka in that position at this moment in time.

Kamara is a player who Gerrard actually signed at Rangers back in 2019 and he has used the Finland international on 122 occasions, so he will know the attributes that the 26-year-old would bring to bolster Villa’s midfield ranks.

Primarily a central midfielder who can also play in a defensive midfield role, Kamara’s eye for a key pass has also improved in recent seasons (WhoScored), so it seems as if he could provide a good balance in Gerrard’s preferred 4-3-3 system.

In other news: Many Villa fans go wild over one man Gerrard could bring to Villa Park. 

According to a report from Brazilian news outlet Vasco Noticias, Wolves are among the clubs battling to sign Vasco da Gama starlet Andrey Santos. 

The lowdown: Neves replacement?

This comes as speculation increases surrounding the future of talismanic Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves.

Already linked with Barcelona, Manchester United and Arsenal in recent days, the future of the 25-year-old at Molineux appears to be in serious doubt.

A report from South America has now highlighted a possible long-term successor…

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/all-the-latest-from-wolves-2/” title=”All the latest from Wolves!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The latest: Wolves in the mix for Santos

As per the report from Vasco Noticias, the Old Gold have joined Benfica, Monaco and AC Milan in the race to sign 17-year-old midfielder Santos in the summer transfer window.

The report claims that Wolves have made an ‘enquiry’ over the teenager but ‘no conversations’ have yet progressed to a formal offer being made as Bruno Lage attempts to strengthen the ranks in the Midlands.

A previous report from UOL had cited interest from Barcelona and Everton in the six-cap Brazil under-16 starlet.

The verdict: Get it done

Albeit only a sample size of four fleeting senior appearances from which to judge, the fact that Santos has already made strides into first-team action at such a tender age is a testament to his prodigious talents.

Despite possessing a €30m (£25m) buyout clause, it has been reported that Vasco da Gama would be willing to sell their teenage star for between €6m and €7m (£5m-£6m).

At that price, this deal would represent a relatively low-risk option for Wolves should Neves indeed depart, and given the levels of top European interest, those in power at Molineux should be actively attempting to bring Santos to the Black Country.

In other news, Wolves man wanted by Portuguse giants. Find out who it is here.

Leeds United were dealt a late transfer blow on deadline day, it has emerged…

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic, West Ham boss David Moyes blocked their move for veteran goalkeeper Darren Randolph, who would’ve arrived at Elland Road as a solid backup to first-choice Illan Meslier.

Aston Villa were also keen but the Irons’ third-choice shot-stopper will now be resigned to a seat in the stands for the remainder of the season.

Bolstering the goalkeeper department was surely one of many priorities for Victor Orta and co during the winter but in the end, the Yorkshire giants failed to sign a single player.

Frustrating blow

After the departure of Kiko Casilla in the summer, manager Marcelo Bielsa was left with a lack of options between the sticks. The French glovesman is clearly the no.1 man in west Yorkshire but he has no capable backup behind him.

Vastly-inexperienced 21-year-old Norweigen Kristoffer Klaesson arrived from Valerenga as part of the academy setup during the off-season but has been named on the bench in the Premier League throughout the campaign.

He is the only other registered goalkeeper in the squad right now.

Elsewhere in the window, Leeds snubbed the opportunity to sign either Donny van de Beek from Manchester United or Spurs midfielder Harry Winks after being offered the pair of them, whilst they enquired about the possibility of landing Liverpool’s Takumi Minamino and Chelsea winger Kenedy, too.

They also saw two bids rejected for mooted top target, RB Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson.

Frustrating.

Randolph would’ve hardly been the man to get the Elland Road faithful roaring every week but he’d have been a solid depth option and one that Bielsa may well need in the future, especially given how bad injuries have been this season.

Once dubbed “outstanding” by former teammate Jonathan Woodgate, the 34-year-old would have added some much-needed experience to Leeds’ goalkeeping department.

Bielsa was already probably angry enough to have missed out on any arrivals but to be dealt a blow that late is certainly going to leave him livid heading into the second half of the season.

AND in other news, Phil Hay reveals huge Leeds United injury boost…