All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Rumoured Leeds United transfer target Noa Lang could leave Club Brugge in the January transfer window, according to a fresh report.

The Lowdown: Leeds linked with Lang move

Lang, who has been likened to Neymar due to his close control and finishing, was linked with a move to Elland Road a number of times during the summer, but he ended up staying put at Brugge.

The 22-year-old has made a superb start to the 2021/22 season, already chipping in with three goals and four assists in the Jupiler Pro League, while winning the man of the match award in a 1-1 draw against PSG in the Champions League group stages.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Fresh update emerges

Leeds have been boosted in their potential efforts to sign Lang, with Voetbal International [via Sport Witness] claiming that he could move on in January.

Brugge are thought to be ‘realistic’ about the interest in the attacker, with the report adding that he could leave ‘as early as this winter’.

[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: Ideal attacking addition

Lang is a player with a huge amount of promise, having been described as a ‘phenomenon’ by Belgian sports journalist Peter Vandenbempt in the past.

His start to this season shows how much attacking quality he could bring to Leeds’ team, giving them extra guile in central areas but also capable of thriving out wide.

If the Whites managed to snap up the young Dutchman in January, it could give the squad a much-needed injection of class midway through the campaign.

In other news, Leeds could make a move for a defender, according to one report. Read more here.

Everton have had a difficult season which can be partially blamed on their poor transfer business at the club ever since the arrival of Farhad Moshiri, and lessons must be learned with new manager Frank Lampard heading into his first full transfer window this summer.

It has been reported that the Toffees will need to axe up to 10 players this summer to recoup some of the financial losses incurred during Moshiri’s reign at Goodison Park, and there are many candidates that are worthy of the chop following a series of poor performances over this season.

One player who has seen a revival in his Everton career since Frank Lampard took over is Alex Iwobi, who has had a less than positive impact since he joined the club back in 2019, with the winger offering up just seven goals and six assists in 89 appearances over the last three years.

Despite the Everton boss giving the Nigerian international his opportunity to redeem himself in the second half of this season, it is too little too late for the player who has been part of a squad that has led to the demise of the club, putting them in a position to be relegated for the first time ever from the Premier League.

In one of Moshiri’s biggest transfer howlers to date, Iwobi cost the club up to £34m and following his unsuccessful spell at Goodison Park has seen his market value diminish to over half that amount, as the attacker is now worth just £16.2m.

Indeed, over his two and a half seasons at Goodison Park, the £100k-per-week flop who Michael Ball claimed plays in “panic mode” has earned seasonal SofaScore ratings of 6.75 in 2019/20, 6.74 in 2020/20 and 6.73 so far this term, ranking him as Everton’s 11th-best, ninth-worst and 14th-best player in each respective Premier League campaign.

And, when you consider that the 25-year-old winger is on one of the highest wages at the club, selling up this summer could save Everton millions on the two years left on his contract – something which could be reinvested into players who can offer something more influential on the pitch.

Lampard has some big decisions to make this summer and must be ruthless with rebuilding his squad if the Toffees are to improve upon their incredibly disappointing campaign this time out.

AND in other news: Everton must launch move for “outstanding” 25 y/o “Wolverine” as insider claim emerges

Celtic face Hibernian in the Scottish League Cup final at Hampden Park this afternoon, with Ange Postecoglu eyeing his first trophy since taking over at Parkhead in the summer.

The 56-year-old is missing a handful of players, with some facing last-minute fitness tests, so who will make the Hoops’ line-up for the cup final?

This is how Football FanCast predicts Celtic to set up against Hibs later today, with two changes from Wednesday’s starting line-up which faced Ross County.

There are no changes at the back after the midweek 2-1 win, with Celtic having the Premiership’s best defence, having conceded just 11 goals in 18 league matches so far this season.

Goalkeeper Joe Hart has been a significant part of that feat. The 34-year-old has been superb since making the move to Glasgow and will be looking to add another trophy to his impressive CV.

In midfield, Tom Rogic comes in for Nir Bitton after being rested in midweek. The Australian has been key for Postecoglu’s side this season, making 25 appearances in all competitions already, and his experience could be vital if Celtic are to be victorious today. He also boasts a potent presence, with three goals and five assists to his name in 2021/22.

Fellow midfielder Callum McGregor will be eyeing his 16th trophy for Celtic, and his first as captain of the club.

With the chances of James Forest and Kyogo Furuhashi being able to prove their fitness in time for kick-off too close to call, Liel Abada and Josip Juranović retain their places, with Mikey Johnston returning from a knock in time to start on the left. He replaces Adam Montgomery, who did not convince in an unfamiliar wide attacking role in Dingwall.

Johnston’s fitness was in doubt but the 22-year-old was pictured in training on Friday, which suggests that he could be fit to play, whether that’s as a starter or a substitute.

In other news: Postecoglou drops teasing Celtic team news before Hibs showdown, fans will be buzzing

West Ham United are unlikely to make a move to bring James Tarkowski to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Jacob Steinberg’s recent report for The Guardian, with the journalist revealing that, despite David Moyes’ side being heavily linked with a move for the Burnley centre-back this month, a deal for the 29-year-old looks more and more unlikely with each passing day.

Steinberg goes on to suggest that this is both a result of the defender being available on a free transfer at the end of the season, as well as the fact that Kurt Zouma is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a hamstring injury the France international picked up against Chelsea towards the start of December.

In his article, the journalist wrote: “West Ham, who have not been as defensively sound without Zouma and [Angelo] Ogbonna, could still look for a defender. It is understood that a move for Burnley’s James Tarkowski, who is out of contract at the end of the season, is increasingly unlikely this month.”

Fans will be fuming

Considering just how poor West Ham have been without both Ogbonna and Zouma in the heart of their defence, it is clear for all to see that centre-back is undoubtedly a position which Moyes must strengthen this January if he is to give his side the best possible chance of securing a top-four finish in the league this season.

Indeed, over the five Premier League games in which the Hammers have been without both centre-backs – a run which was hardly the most challenging set of fixtures, with the Irons facing Burnley, Arsenal, Southampton, Watford and Crystal Palace – the East London side conceded eight goals, kept just one clean sheet and picked up seven points from a possible 15.

As such, a move for a player who has made an average of 1.4 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, 5.1 clearances and won 67% of his duels over 16 Premier League outings this season in the form of Tarkowski would have very much appeared to be a wise one by Moyes this month.

However, following Steinberg’s recent update, it would now appear unlikely that the Hammers will be making a move for the England international this January, something that certainly has the potential to leave the London Stadium faithful fuming.

In other news: GSB can land “next Mbappe” as WHU bid for 19 y/o with “the mentality of Kobe Bryant”

As per a report in The Daily Mirror’s print edition (28.01.21, pg. 58, via The 72), a transfer update has come out of Tottenham Hotspur involving West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

The Lowdown: Tottenham eye Johnstone move…

The Baggies ace will be a name familiar to Lilywhites supporters given he has been linked repeatedly before, with talkSPORT most recently claiming Spurs and transfer chief Fabio Paratici remain in contention for his signature.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-2/” title=”Tottenham latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Tottenham, joined by the likes of Southampton and West Ham, are consistently mentioned as interested clubs with Johnstone’s contract at the Hawthorns set to expire soon.

If West Brom are to make a profit, they must cash-in over the next two days or risk losing him for nothing at the end of 2021/2022.

Johnstone’s manager, Valerien Ismael, left him out of West Brom’s last squad to face Preston North End – citing it as a behind-the-scenes ‘issue’ and one which will remain ‘internal’ (Birmingham Live).

The Latest: Spurs ‘could make a last minute move’…

After this development, it is claimed by The Mirror (via The 72) that Spurs could now ‘make a last minute move’ to sign the 28-year-old before deadline.

The fellow usual suspects, West Ham and Southampton, are also mentioned as clubs who may make an eleventh hour bid.

The Verdict: Priority?

Signing Johnstone should, at the very most, be a priority for the summer window when he is a free agent – especially since Conte has four other priority positions to strengthen before January 31.

The Italian wants a right-wing-back, midfielder, left-sided central defender and a striker through the door at N17 but time is very much running out (Alasdair Gold).

Johnstone comes with merit, with the Three Lions ace even being called ‘unreal’ by former Premier League shot stopper Paddy Kenny for his form in the Midlands over this last year.

Meanwhile, Spurs favourite Glenn Hoddle raved about the 6 foot 3 powerhouse in a column for The Evening Standard – branding Johnstone ‘outstanding’.

Plaudits like these don’t come from nowhere, but with time ticking down, Conte must surely be looking at other targets first.

In other news: Spurs also preparing last gasp marquee bid to sign ‘special’ forward, find out more here.

[ad_pod ]

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp may have something of a striker conundrum should Roberto Firmino be ruled out with the issue that saw him substituted off against Manchester United after half-an-hour on Sunday, but there might be one surprise solution.

On the chalkboard

The Reds have crucial fixtures against Watford and Everton this week as they look to keep their Premier League title hopes alive and kicking, but they could easily be without their Brazilian talisman.

Klopp of course could call on Daniel Sturridge – as he did on Sunday – or Divock Origi to fill the centre-forward role, or the German boss could choose to use Mo Salah through the middle – something he has done when he has preferred a 4-2-3-1 system.

However, one left-field option could be to use Sadio Mane there, in the hope of aiding the Senegal international’s personal development.

Make him less selfish

While the 26-year-old is clearly a great attacker who provides a huge threat for his team in the final third, there have been examples on more than one occasion this term where he has been too selfish.

It is a trait that perhaps could have been attributed to Firmino prior to him being used through the middle too, but since he moved to the centre-forward role he has clearly become much more of a team player and taken the responsibility on his shoulders.

The South American star has excelled when it comes to holding the ball and bringing his teammates into play, and basically giving Mane and Salah more time and space to thrive.

It is certainly an unselfish role that the Brazilian is playing, and Mane could learn a thing or two by taking on the same one – with last season’s top goalscorer and Xherdan Shaqiri available they wouldn’t lose quality on the wings either.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has dropped an update from behind-the-scenes about the current state of affairs at Leeds United.

What’s the story?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side picked up only their second win of the Premier League season when they beat fellow strugglers Norwich City at the weekend, and Hay has now suggested that there remains an internal belief that the Whites will turn the corner sooner rather than later.

He said: “The attitude of the club is very much that the team will play better when key players return from injury (for a sustained period) and individual form picks up. One of the main messages from yesterday and Wolves is that the players are fighting for this – in comparison to Norwich who really looked like they threw the towel in at 2-1.”

Looking forward with Bielsa

While the start to this Premier League campaign has been nothing short of disastrous – whether that’s been through a lack of results or a number of injuries to key players – the momentum that the win over Norwich could bring could be seismic.

Leeds face a home clash against Leicester City this Sunday, with the Foxes of course coming off the back of a disappointing defeat at home to Arsenal last weekend, and with the added obstacle of having to navigate a Europa League encounter against Spartak Moscow tomorrow.

Once that game is done, the Whites will have the international break to get through, and arguably, it has come at a very good time. The extra time Bielsa will get to work with the players on the training ground could prove to be invaluable, while perhaps more importantly, it gives an extra two weeks or so for some of his injured players to close in on a return to fitness.

The likes of Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips have been in and out of the side in recent weeks due to injury, so if they don’t get called up for the international break, the extra rest could prove to be vital. The same can also be said of Patrick Bamford, and getting the club’s starting striker back could ensure the Whites come into that game against Spurs with a bit more spring in their step.

It’s exactly why Hay’s update from what people are thinking at Thorp Arch is sure to excite Leeds fans going forward.

Meanwhile, Leeds have been handed an encouraging transfer update on this star…

Rangers will be looking to re-establish their six-point lead at the top of the Premiership as they return to action in the league tonight.

The Gers travel to face Aberdeen and can move six points clear of their nearest challengers with a win against the Dons.

It is a first outing for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side since Boxing Day due to the rescheduled winter break, having beaten St Mirren 2-0 towards the end of December.

How many changes will the Dutchman make to the team for tonight? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that the 46-year-old will make three alterations to the team from their most recent match, with Juninho Bacuna, James Sands and Fashion Sakala coming in.

One player who could be axed from the XI to make away for Sakala is Scott Wright. Van Bronckhorst has rotated his attacking options throughout his time at the club so far and he could offer the Zambian an opportunity to come in and show what he can do on the wing, with the 24-year-old being the fall guy.

The summer signing has five goals and one assist in 14 Premiership outings this term, whilst only starting six league matches for the Gers. This suggests that he has the quality to come in and make an impact in a front three alongside Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent.

Van Bronckhorst could also hand a debut to midfielder James Sands, who has joined the club from New York City FC on loan this month. Joe Aribo started the win over St Mirren and is now away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria, leaving his place in the team open for someone to come in.

Scott Arfield and Steven Davis have both been ruled out through injury, which means that Sands could be primed to start in holding midfield alongside Glen Kamara.

Finally, Juninho Bacuna could come in to replace Ianis Hagi. The £21k-per-week Romania international could be axed after his poor showing against St Mirren prior to the break, recording a lowly SofaScore rating of 6.4 for his performance, the worst of any Gers starter that day.

As per SofaScore, he lost seven of his eight duels in the match and only created one chance from midfield. Therefore, Bacuna could be selected ahead of him in order to give him the chance to show Van Bronckhorst what he can do in the number 10 role.

AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst could find Rangers their next Patterson in machine who’s tipped for a “big career”…

Celtic have the chance to go six points clear at the top of the Premiership on Sunday if they can secure a win in the latest Glasgow derby.

Prior to the recent international break, the Hoops recorded a convincing 4-0 win over Ross County at Parkhead, setting them up nicely to take on their fiercest rivals at Ibrox this weekend.

On the chalkboard

In terms of how Ange Postecoglou could set up his team tomorrow, one player who didn’t start against County but we feel should be in the starting XI on this occasion is full-back Anthony Ralston.

Despite seeing Josip Juranovic start ahead of him last time out, the 23-year-old replaced him with 62 minutes on the clock and managed to put on a solid show.

With 28 minutes under his belt, the Scotland international made one tackle, won 100% of his aerial duels and completed 40 of the 43 passes he attempted, two of which were key passes. This cameo ultimately earned him an overall match rating of 7/10 from SofaScore, which is higher than what Juranovic got.

Looking at his season as a whole, Ralston has shown what an impressive all-around figure he is by racking up four goals and seven assists, along with averaging 1.6 tackles and 1.6 clearances per game in the league.

Praised for his “magnificent” performances in the past and hailed as a “warrior” on the pitch by Postecoglou, Ralston certainly has what it takes to be a real nuisance for his opponents from an attacking and defensive sense.

Taking into account the magnitude of tomorrow’s showdown and what it could mean for the title race on both sides, having a player like the £1.62m-rated defender on the pitch could be vital for Celtic given how deadly he can be in front of goal and how tough he can be at the back.

Moving forward, even though Rangers have scored fewer goals and conceded more than the Hoops this season, their current position in the table means that they will only be looking to win on Sunday. Therefore, if they go all-out attacking from the get-go, having a player like Ralston who can defend and also punish teams at the other end could make him the difference between winning and losing for Celtic. He is a man they will likely need this weekend.

In other news: Celtic will rue call on £25k-p/w gem whose value has rocketed 400% since Parkhead exit

Sky Sports have dropped a live TV update on Manchester United and their pursuit of Ajax boss Erik ten Hag.

The Lowdown: United closing in?

It seems as if the Red Devils are looking to get a deal for Ralf Rangnick’s long-term replacement in place before the summer.

United officials spoke with both Ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino last month, with a move for Ten Hag now gathering pace.

The Telegraph revealed on Wednesday evening that United are close to appointing the Dutch manager at Old Trafford, with negotiations moving very quickly.

The Latest: Sky Sports update

Sky Sports senior reporter Melissa Reddy dropped a live TV update on Thursday regarding United and Ten Hag.

Reddy revealed that United have insisted that no deal has been signed with Ten Hag. However, ‘sources close to Ten Hag and Ajax’ told Sky Sports that compensation and an ‘announcement’ have been discussed regarding the 52-year-old, with formalities expected to be completed soon.

The Verdict: A matter of time?

It looks as if it is now just a matter of time until Ten Hag is announced as Manchester United’s next permanent manager.

The club have done extremely well when it comes to working behind the scenes for Ten Hag, who is leading his side in a title race with PSV.

Finalising a move before May should give the Red Devils the best possible chance of a successful rebuild, instead of the club searching for a new boss during the summer window.

In other news: Fresh Man Utd ‘concern’ after Romano shares ‘bad news’ at Old Trafford.