All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Everton are seemingly in the mood to spend big this summer as Rafa Benitez is welcomed back to Merseyside with a war chest to utilise on new recruits.

What’s the word?

The Toffees haven’t been afraid to spend huge sums of money in the last few years and with Benitez at the helm, the Spaniard has been promised a healthy budget.

Ben White has been linked with a mega-money switch to Goodison Park while flying wing-back Denzel Dumfries has also been targeted.

Throw in a light sprinkling of Wilfried Zaha on top of that and this would be an exciting window for Everton.

Another player they could sign from the Premier League is Wolves attacker Pedro Neto.

He was linked with the club a few months ago, and Marcus Bent had his say on a potential move this weekend.

Speaking to This is Futbol, he commented: “He can play out wide, he can play down the middle, scores goals as well. I think that’s the key at the minute, quick winger, cannot just score goals, he’s got a good pass on him; he’s got a good through ball.

“He’s done well at Wolves. To bring him in at Everton at that age would be brilliant.”

Imagine him & DCL

Providing Dominic Calvert-Lewin remains at the Toffees this summer, then Benitez could create a magical duo at Goodison Park.

They already have Richarlison in wide areas but he was guilty of running down blind alleys and lacking end product at times.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-everton-news-benitez-kamara-romero-dumfries” title= “Read the latest Everton transfer news!”]

The Brazilian ended the season with an impressive 13 goals but found the net just once in his last 12 outings.

His ability to provide goals was also rather poor; assisting one strike in the league since December.

Despite his poor numbers, Neto would have the ability to turn up on a more consistent basis.

Touted at £50m, he was named Wolves’ Player of the Season for 2020/21 after ending as their top scorer.

He beat the goalkeeper on just five occasions but was rampant down the wings and mesmeric with both feet.

Described as “sensational” by Jamie Redknapp, Neto completed 2.1 dribbles per game, which was more take-ons than any other player at Goodison Park.

At the age of just 21, the Portuguese is one of the most promising young players in English football.

If anyone can get Goodison rocking again then it’s him. On countless occasions Neto has dazzled the Wolves supporters with a moment of trickery or a burst of pace down the flanks.

He has the ability to take Everton’s attack to the next level alongside Calvert-Lewin. After all, the more players Neto is beating, the better chance the ball has of arriving at his feet or head inside the area.

AND in other news, Celtic eye move for “wonderful” 18-goal beast, he’s a big upgrade on Griffiths…

After two weeks without a game, Tottenham are set to return to Premier League action on Sunday afternoon as they host a Liverpool side who sit just one point off the top of the table.

A rise in virus cases in the Premier League saw Spurs’ matches against Brighton and Leicester postponed, but the game against Jurgen Klopp’s men appears set to go ahead.

With that being said, here is the line-up that Football FanCast believes will start for the Lilywhites, with two changes from the side which started their last match against Norwich a fortnight ago.

In terms of the back four, there are no changes as Cristian Romero remains sidelined with a serious hamstring injury. Both defender Eric Dier and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris have been ever-present in the Tottenham starting line-up so far this season, a record they should both preserve today.

There’s one change amongst the wing-backs as Emerson Royal appears fit to return to action after a recent positive virus test. The £22.5m-rated Brazilian has slowly settled into life as a Spurs player, admitting that he “has to be aggressive when attacking”.

On the other flank, Sergio Reguilón also appears to be fit, having picked up an injury in the 3-0 win over Norwich which required the Spaniard to be withdrawn.

In the middle, another ever-present in Pierre-Emile Højbjerg keeps his place, whilst there’s a change alongside the Dane as Giovani Lo Celso replaces Oliver Skipp.

The 21-year-old has been impressive this term, featuring in 13 of the Lilywhites’ 14 league games, and was voted man of the match last time out against Norwich. However, with Spurs set to play four games in nine days, it may be wise for Conte to rest the midfielder, particularly after he tested positive for the global virus.

Lo Celso has been cleared to play having missed the last month-and-a-half with a knee injury, and he could offer more offensive quality, ranking in the top five amongst Spurs’ squad for both shots and key passes per game.

The attack remains the same, with Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura and Harry Kane all set to be available. Son and Moura both scored in the Norwich game, but Kane is suffering a barren run of six league games without a goal or an assist and has just two goal contributions in the top flight all season.

In other news: Conte can find his new Gary Cahill for Tottenham in “sensational” 19.8m-rated colossus

Back in the summer of 2019, when Neil Lennon’s Celtic side had lost the services of Dedryck Boyata, Marvin Compper and Filip Benkovic in the heart of their defence, the Hoops were in rather desperate need of one or two fresh faces at centre-back ahead of the 2019/20 campaign.

By the time the transfer window closed in September, Celtic had secured the signings of both Christopher Jullien, for whom they paid £7m to Toulouse, and Hatem Abd Elhamed, paying Hapoel Beer Sheva £1.6m for the 28-year-old.

However, according to agent Adrian Aliaj, there was another player on Celtic’s wish list that year, in the shape of Amir Rrahmani from Dinamo Zagreb.

Indeed, shortly after the 25-year-old’s eventual €2.1m (£1.8m) switch to Hellas Verona that same summer, Aliaj informed Calcio Hellas that Lennon had registered his interest in signing the Kosovo international.

However, with Celtic not being forceful enough in their attempts to lure the player to Parkhead, Rrahmani decided that he would prefer a move to Serie A.

In the time since his low-key move to northeast Italy, the 6 foot 4 centre-back has quickly gone on to establish himself as one of the best defenders in the league – impressing so much for Hellas that, just six months after joining the club, Napoli parted with a considerable €14m (£12m) in order to bring the Kosovan to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in January 2020.

The £48k-per-week titan has continued his remarkable rise over his 27 Serie A appearances this season, helping the Azzurri to keep 11 clean sheets and scoring three goals, along with averaging 0.5 interceptions, 0.7 tackles and 2.5 clearances and winning 3.9 duels (at a success rate of 62%) per game.

These returns have seen the player who Matteo Bonetti dubbed “imposing” and Josh Bunting labelled “commanding” record a very impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.11, ranking him as Luciano Spalletti’s fifth-best player in the Italian top flight, with the 28-year-old playing a key role in Napoli’s title charge.

As such, considering the fact that the £25m-rated Rrahmani would have cost Celtic just £200k more than Abd Elhamed back in 2019 – a player who would spend just 18 months in Glasgow before returning to Israel – it is clear to see that the Hoops had a nightmare when missing out on the Kosovan sensation.

AND in other news: Postecoglou now closing in on eight-figure deal, it’s a huge coup for Celtic

Everton want to sign Iddrisu Baba from RCD Mallorca in January, according to Spanish outlet Fichajes.net.

The lowdown

25-year-old defensive midfielder Baba has featured in all 12 of Mallorca’s La Liga fixtures so far this season, starting 10.

Baba has been even compared to his compatriot Thomas Partey, who joined Arsenal in 2020, by Sports World Ghana.

He has three years to run on his contract and is valued at just £2.25million by Transfermarkt.

The latest

Benitez has asked Everton to bring in Baba, say reports in Spain, and the club are aware that his performances will soon catch the eye of ‘several’ other teams, so they want to tie up a deal at the first opportunity.

It will apparently take a ‘significant amount’ of money to convince Mallorca to part with him.

The player, for his part, considers the Premier League a ‘very attractive’ proposition, so he’d be open the move.

The verdict – Possible Gbamin replacement

Former Mallorca manager Vicente Moreno has hailed the ‘reliable’ Babu for the industry and defensive protection he provides.

The stats attest to this: he’s averaging 2.8 tackles, 1.4 clearances and 1.1 interceptions per 90 minutes so far this season (via WhoScored).

For Everton he could represent a cheap replacement for Jean-Phillipe Gbamin, who’s yet to show he can be a dependable option.

The injury-riddled midfielder made his first league start under Benitez on Monday against Wolves, only to be taken off at half-time.

In other news, Everton are also keen on this Ligue 1 star. 

Leeds United may finally have the perfect chance to sign Reading midfielder John Swift amid a major update on his future…

What’s the story?

Reports back in late October from The Sheffield Star, suggested that the Whites, along with fellow Premier League teams Newcastle United and Brentford, have got their eye on the attacking midfielder.

And now, Leeds Live have claimed that Swift is set to end a six-year stay with Reading by leaving the club on a free transfer come the summer.

The report adds that there has been no progress in terms of a new contract being signed, and that Premier League interest has remained over the past few months.

Leeds could axe Mateusz Klich

With Klich now set to turn 32 in June, and having had a very disappointing season by his standards – he’s managed just one goal and two assists in 31 games across all competitions (he had nine goal contributions in the Premier League alone last year) – it could be time for the Whites to finally move on from the Pole.

And in Swift, they could find the ideal goal-scoring midfielder to replace the £20k-a-week ace.

The Reading ace has a track record of being someone who can offer a goal-scoring threat from attacking midfield, managing an impressive 72 goal contributions in 202 games – in fact, his current campaign for Reading has been impressive to say the least, netting 11 goals in the Championship as well as chipping in with a whopping 13 assists too.

Speaking back in August after a 2-1 win over Preston, Royals manager, Veljko Paunovic, said: “Now he’s back, it is important we keep him healthy and motivated as he is now because that will help us a lot.

“He is super talented and he showed an urgency that he wanted to decide the game. The first couple of passes to Azeez and Joao were fantastic vision and execution of the final pass – something we’ve missed in the past. We missed those slick combinations through the middle when we progress forward so that’s something we have to keep up.”

With a record of 43 senior goals to his name in his professional career thus far, Swift could help answer Marsch’s prayers of needing a new goal-scoring midfielder this summer.

AND in other news – Leeds could strike gold with £42m teenage sensation, he follows Raphinha on Instagram

Kalvin Phillips is now expected to be fit for Leeds United’s Premier League clash with Southampton on Saturday, according to journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Leeds head to Saints

The Whites return to domestic duties with a trip to St Mary’s this afternoon, looking to build on their 1-0 win at home to Watford before the international break.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men will have to perform well to pick up all three points against Saints, though, with victory taking them further clear of the relegation zone.

Defeat will see Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side overtake Leeds, however, highlighting the importance of the match at the bottom of the table.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Phillips could be available

With kickoff fast approaching, The Athletic‘s Hay has provided a promising injury update regarding Phillips on Saturday morning.

He had stated earlier in the week that the midfielder had a ‘chance’, now upgrading that to a ‘good chance’ of playing at St Mary’s in this 12-word update:

“Kalvin Phillips is in with a good chance after his calf strain.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-20/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Potential huge boost

There is a strong argument to say that Phillips is Leeds’ most important player, dominating midfield battles with his tenacity off the ball and quality on it, averaging an 84.6 percent pass completion rate in the league this season.

If the 25-year-old is fit to start, it will be an immediate boost for Bielsa, who will be aware that his team’s season needs to get back on track.

In other news, Leeds could be able to sign one rumoured transfer target in January. Read more here.

Former All Leeds TV presenter Joe Wainman feels Leeds United were never in the running to sign Matheus Pereira, contrary to reports.

Pereira swapped West Bromwich Albion for a big-money contract with Saudi Arabian outfit Al Hilal earlier this month.

The move came after the Baggies suffered relegation to the Championship despite the Brazilian winger notching 12 goals and six assists last season.

A number of clubs were keen to keep Pereira in English football, with Leicester City and West Ham United being named as two of the interested parties.

According to ESPN Brazil, Leeds were also courting the 25-year-old. The report suggests Aston Villa and Crystal Palace joined the race to sign Pereira before he opted to join Al Hilal.

However, JustJoe Football Show anchorman Wainman has rubbished claims a move to Elland Road was ever on the cards, although he does question why boss Marcelo Bielsa did not raise an interest in the winger.

He told Football FanCast: “I was quite surprised when we heard from Pereira’s agent that Leeds had not been in contact at all.

“I know some Premier League clubs were but the fact that we never actually opened up dialogue was a little bit surprising because I think he would have fit in nicely.

“I understand why he has gone abroad – it is what it is. It’s money for him and that kind of money can’t be sniffed at.”

West Ham are reportedly interested in signing Manchester City centre-back Nathan Ake in order to make up for the loss of Angelo Ogbonna.

The Lowdown: Ake struggling for playing time

The £100,000-a-week Dutchman joined City in 2020 but he has found regular football hard to come by, with the likes of Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte and John Stones keeping him out of the team.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-developments-2/” title=”West Ham developments” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Ake has only managed four starts in the Premier League so far this season, as well as just one in the Champions League, and he may want a fresh challenge soon. The 1.8m-tall (6 foot) defender was limited to just nine top-flight starts at the Etihad Stadium last term, too.

The 26-year-old has 23 caps to his name for the Netherlands and may want to be a key figure at club level ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

The Latest: West Ham keen on move

According to 90min, West Ham have identified Ake as a transfer target in January, seeing him as someone who can fill the void left by Ogbonna, who is out injured for the rest of the season.

It is stated that a loan move is on the offing, with a potential to sign him permanently at the end of the season.

The Verdict: Strong Ogbonna alternative

Ake may not have cut the mustard consistently for City, but he is still a hugely competent centre-back who Premier League-winning manager Pep Guardiola claimed is a ‘joy’ to have in his squad.

At 26, the former Chelsea defender is also approaching his prime years and he could not only make up for the loss of Ogbonna in the short run, he may even represent a long-term replacement for the 32-year-old Italian.

Ake has averaged three interceptions per game in the Champions League this season, showing he can excel at the highest level – Declan Rice (1.9) is West Ham’s top performer in the Premier League in that regard, so the Dutchman may add something new to the Irons’ line-up if he makes the move.

In other news, West Ham have been linked with an audacious swoop for one player. Find out who it is here.

Celtic journalist Kieran Devlin has expressed uncertainty about the return date of centre-back Christopher Jullien. 

The lowdown

The Frenchman hasn’t played for the Hoops since their 3-0 win over Dundee United at the end of December 2020. He was forced off in that game after injuring his knee when colliding with the post (via BBC Sport).

Former Scotland boss Alex McLeish has said it will be a ‘massive’ boost for Celtic whenever Jullien, a treble winner in 2019/20, eventually makes his comeback.

Ange Postecoglou said in late October that the 28-year-old would be back after the November international break, but there’s no sign of him as yet.

The latest

In The Athletic’s matchday discussion surrounding Thursday night’s Europa League clash with Bayer Leverkusen, a supporter asked Devlin if there was ‘any indication when/if’ the defender would be back.

The fan ‘thought by now we would have seen something of Jullien in training’ or in a youth team game.

Devlin replied: “It just keeps being pushed back. Briefed multiple times this season that he’d be back within a few weeks and it just hasn’t happened. Not sure what the new estimated date is.”

The verdict

Celtic initially expected to be without Jullien for a period of four months, but we’re now approaching a full calendar year of him being sidelined.

Devlin’s latest claim is worrying because it suggests that there may have been a setback, with the 28-year-old not able to meet the club’s revised timeline.

They were knocked out of the Europa League this week after a 3-2 defeat by Bayer Leverkusen, with Chris Sutton acknowledging that ‘defensively, Celtic have come up well short in Europe’.

It’s tempting to wonder whether they would have had enough to progress from their group with a fully fit Jullien, who was included in their squad for the competition – a sure sign that the Hoops had banked on him returning to action by now.

In other news, this defender is open to signing for Celtic

Liverpool could be set to witness the incredible skills of Mohamed Salah at Anfield for many years to come after an exciting update regarding his future was revealed.

What’s the story?

The Eygpt international has long been linked with a potential move away from Liverpool, but the Reds are now reportedly set to offer him an astronomical new contract to keep him at the club.

As per an exciting update from Liverpool ECHO reporter Paul Gorst, the Merseyside outfit are very keen to extend Salah’s current deal, which expires in the summer of 2023, following his several incredible seasons on English shores.

Gorst’s report states: “The club are eager to reward his 31-goal showing last term with an improved deal that will make him the highest-paid player in the club’s history.”

Fans will be absolutely buzzing

News that the Liverpool hierarchy are set to offer Salah lucrative fresh terms over the coming weeks will surely have the club’s supporters absolutely buzzing.

The 29-year-old has been one of the Reds’ standout performers since his arrival back in 2017, scoring an incredible 125 goals in 203 appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s charges.

Despite some accusations of him being selfish on occasion, Salah has also provided 47 assists for his teammates during his Liverpool career, playing a pivotal part in both their Champions League and Premier League triumphs in recent years.

However, he’s arguably never been as important to 19-time English champions as he is at this moment in time.

While the other members of Liverpool famed front three – Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino – suffered their own losses of form throughout 2020/21, Salah continued to put the ball in the back of the net with alarming regularity.

His 31 strikes in all competitions, 22 in the Premier League, helped to drag an underwhelming Liverpool side to third place in the top-flight standings last term, a finish which looked beyond them for large periods of the campaign.

It remains to be seen whether Salah puts pen to paper on a new contract or seeks pastures new, but the fanbase will be delighted by the club’s plans to reward their attacking talisman for his magnificent efforts.

They’ll now be hoping he agrees to stay at the club and hopefully, lead them to even more silverware in the future.

And, in other news…Imagine him and Salah: Edwards must sanction LFC move for “intelligent” £42.7m gem