All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Aston Villa will be looking to end another January transfer window with a healthy number of new additions to their squad after bringing in the likes of Calum Chambers and Lucas Digne on permanent deals as well as loans for Philippe Coutinho and Robin Olsen.

With deadline day now underway, it seems as though the Midlands club may have a challenge on their hands to keep hold of one of their current players rather than looking at bringing any more new ones in.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from The Athletic, Newcastle United are keen on signing Villa left-back Matt Targett before the January transfer window deadline.

Villa signed the full-back during the 2019 summer transfer window from fellow Premier League side Southampton in a deal worth a reported fee of around £11m.

Gerrard’s big mistake

Since then, the 26-year-old has gone on to make 89 appearances for the Midlands club across all competitions, scoring three goals and providing five assists along the way, highlighting how much of a key figure he has been for the Villans.

However, with the club bringing in Digne from Everton earlier this month for £25m, who has since taken Targett’s place in the team with two league starts under his belt already, it’s easy to see why the Englishman has now been linked with a late move away from Villa Park.

While a move away from Villa could be beneficial for Targett if he would be guaranteed regular game-time, it would be a calamity for the club to let him go halfway through the season in case Digne were to get injured and they ended up needing to rely on the £15.3m-rated defender to fill in.

Even though he may have been demoted to being Digne’s backup in recent weeks, it’s safe to say that Villa manager Steven Gerrard would still very much rather have Targett remain in his squad for the remainder of the season based on his useful defensive attributes. It would be a big mistake to let the 26-year-old leave and join another Premier League club, especially if Villa end up needing him at any point.

In other news: Lange must seal late Villa swoop for “massive” £29k-p/w machine, Gerrard would love him…

It’s safe to say that Leeds United are in a bit of a crisis period at the moment with the number of injured players they have and the fact that the team have lost their three previous league games, conceding 14 goals in the process.

With the January transfer window opening in a matter of days, this could give Leeds a good opportunity to do some business and add some players to their squad that could either fill in for some of their injured players or strengthen the team in general.

In terms of which players Leeds could target to sign next month, the Yorkshire club could look to reignite their interest in one figure that they were chasing during the previous summer transfer window – Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien.

Taking into account how Leeds have Kalvin Phillips and Jamie Shackleton out injured, this has left them somewhat light in midfield and could therefore push the club to do what they couldn’t in the summer and bring O’Brien to Elland Road.

After reportedly making two bids for the 23-year-old in the summer which were ultimately rejected by Huddersfield, O’Brien put pen to paper on a new deal, keeping him at the club until 2025, which could make it harder for Leeds to sign him in January or at least mean they would have to offer a lot more money than they offered in the summer.

Labelled as a “powerful” player with a “great engine” in him by former Huddersfield defender Calum Woods, who played with O’Brien at Bradford City, he could be a magnificent capture.

He has played the full 90 minutes in 20 of the 21 Championship games he’s played in and donned the captain’s armband on four occasions, showing just how much of an engine he has that Woods spoke about and how important he is to the team.

In those league appearances, O’Brien has managed to rack up an average of 2.9 tackles per game in the league, higher than any other Huddersfield player, which is also higher than any Leeds player has managed to get this season, including Phillips, demonstrating how useful he could be for Bielsa’s side to help them stop conceding so many goals.

Looking ahead to January, Leeds should definitely explore the possibility of signing O’Brien again to see if Huddersfield would budge on potentially letting him go to see if he can fix their current issues and help them get out of a potential relegation battle.

In other news: Leeds United rocked by yet another injury issue that’ll surely have fans fuming – opinion

According to ESPN, Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte is eyeing a major overhaul behind the scenes as he holds private meetings with club chiefs and makes a decision on midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.

The Lowdown: Conte ‘evaluations’ made…

The Lilywhites manager, as he candidly admitted to the press, has been making ‘evaluations’ on his Tottenham squad as he decides who stays and who goes this January and beyond.

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

Spurs’ head coach recently finished his assessment of the Hotspur Way squad with many players currently linked with a possible move away from north London.

The likes of Matt Doherty, Giovani Lo Celso and Dele Alli are mentioned as possible departures with yet more news emerging on who could leave Spurs.

The Latest: Conte makes Ndombele call…

According to ESPN, club record signing Ndombele is one of six players Conte is now ‘willing’ to part with as he holds ‘private meetings’ with Spurs chiefs.

Chairman Daniel Levy is ‘expected to back’ the Italian’s exit decisions but club hierarchy recognise the difficulty in facilitating these deals mid-season.

As well as Ndombele, other players at risk of being sold are indeed Alli, Doherty, Lo Celso, Steven Bergwijn and even Japhet Tanganga.

The Verdict: Right call?

Given his arguable lack of application at N17 despite his obvious ability, with Conte publicly questioning it, perhaps may be the right time to entertain offers for the Frenchman.

As ever in January, the difficulty lies in finding a suitable offer for Ndombele but given the player’s pedigree, you would believe it is a possible a big club could register interest.

Described as ‘unbelievable’ by insider John Wenham, the midfield ace completed more dribbles per 90 last campaign than any Spurs player in the Premier League (WhoScored), with former boss Jose Mourinho hailing his turnaround at one point.

Alas, his bright flashes have come at an inconsistent rate and Conte will want players who can perform at a high level more regularly in his side.

In other news: Tottenham ‘working strongly’ for ‘phenomenal signing’ as reporter drops Twitter claim, find out more here.

A much-changed Manchester United secured a 1-1 draw with BSC Young Boys at Old Trafford in their final Champions League encounter in Group F.

Ralf Rangnick made a full 11 changes to the side that featured from the off in the victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday, handing first starts of the season to teenagers Anthony Elanga and Amad Diallo.

And it was a fast start from the hosts, with Mason Greenwood finishing in spectacular style within the opening ten minutes following Luke Shaw’s measured cutback.

United continuously won the ball back high up the pitch at the start of proceedings as Rangnick slowly implements his Gegenpressing style, but Diallo and Juan Mata both failed to finish off promising attacking moves.

However, the Red Devils were unable to sustain their pressing game and their Swiss opposition clawed themselves back into the tie on the stroke of half-time.

Fabian Reider won the ball back following some sloppy play on the edge of United’s area before bending in an unstoppable strike, leaving Dean Henderson helpless between the sticks.

An uneventful second half saw Rangnick hand first-team debuts to Tom Heaton, Charlie Savage and Zidane Iqbal, while Shola Shoretire also made his first appearance of the campaign, but it was perhaps a more experienced head who really took his chance.

Donny van de Beek controlled proceedings in the middle of the park and put his name firmly in the hat for more consistent outings under the new regime.

As per SofaScore, the Netherlands international had a whopping 92 touches throughout the 90 minutes, won nine of his 11 duels (82%) and picked out a teammate with three of his four attempted long balls.

The 24-year-old finished the game with a passing accuracy of 84% and successfully completed both of his dribbles, yet it was defensive contribution that really caught the eye.

Van de Beek made six tackles – at least two more than any of his teammates – pulled off three interceptions, two clearances and one block, highlighting his hugely effective display at both ends of the pitch.

His part in Young Boys’ equaliser was the only blot on the former Ajax ace’s copybook, and he’ll be hoping Rangnick can look past his single error as he bids to become a regular fixture in the starting lineup.

And, in other news…Rangnick lines up move for “unbelievable” £100k-p/w “animal”, he’s what Man Utd need

West Ham boss David Moyes has remained coy over Aaron Cresswell’s potential involvement in tonight’s clash with Arsenal…

What’s the word?

The 31-year-old left-back has been absent since the defeat to Manchester City, where he picked up a nasty back injury after colliding with the post in making a last-ditch block to deny a goalscoring opportunity.

And speaking ahead of the Irons’ trip to the Emirates Stadium, Moyes was “still not able to be clear on Cresswell,” according to Evening Standard reporter Jack Rosser, who also relayed comments from his pre-game press conference.

“Cressy has got a chance and we’re still trying to push him for the game,” he claimed.

Still doubtful?

This latest update ahead of kick-off is surely going to leave much of the Hammers faithful concerned as they could do with their first-choice defender back amongst the starting XI, particularly for this encounter.

West Ham’s place inside the Premier League’s top four is at risk right now as the Gunners could leapfrog them in the table with three points, so having Cresswell involved would certainly be a boost.

However, Moyes’ remarks and Rosser’s reaction hardly provides much encouragement over whether or not he will feature in north London this evening.

Cresswell is one of West Ham’s most influential players, having ended last season as their most creative option in the final third with eight assists. He also led the squad for key chances created, averaging 1.6 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

His importance to this squad was recently emphasised by talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino, who said last month: “Talk about unsung heroes; I think Cresswell has been brilliant for them at left-back this year. I thought as he gets older, his place would be in jeopardy – it’s not.”

Without him, Moyes is left with Arthur Masuaku as his only option, with academy gem Ben Johnson also out through injury, but the 28-year-old isn’t as reliable as the Englishman, having failed to start more than 12 league games in any season since 2019/20.

With doubts still lingering over the availability of Cresswell, many around east London should remain concerned heading into tonight’s crucial fixture.

AND in other news, Moyes must axe £22.5m-rated West Ham passenger vs Arsenal, he’s now holding them back…

Newcastle are in talks with the representatives of Bayern Munich defender Niklas Sule ahead of the transfer window, Liam Kennedy has reported. 

The lowdown

The 26-year-old’s contract is up at the end of the season, with negotiations over the course of the year failing to yield a breakthrough as yet.

He has been at Bayern since 2018, when he joined from Hoffenheim in an £18m deal. The German has gone on to make 150 appearances for the Bavarian giants and win 37 caps for his country (via Transfermarkt).

He has racked up 13 major honours during his time at the Allianz Arena, including a Champions League triumph in 2020.

Sule is both imposing (at 6 foot 5) and quick, clocking a top speed of 21.6 miles per hour in the 2017/18 season. Only Kingsley Coman could match that in the Bayern squad (via Bundesliga).

The latest

According to Kennedy via Twitter, Sule is ‘very much on NUFC’s radar’ as they look to strengthen the heart of their defence in January.

Encouragingly, it’s thought that the player would be willing to trade Champions League football for a Premier League relegation battle. However, Newcastle face competition for the 26-year-old’s signature, with reigning Champions League winners Chelsea also in the frame.

The verdict

Newcastle have the second-worstt defensive record in the Premier League, with only bottom club Norwich City (26) conceding more goals than their 24 up to this point. Therefore, it’s no surprise to see that the Magpies are intent on strengthening the centre-back position at the first opportunity.

Signing a player of Sule’s calibre wouldn’t necessarily fix everything straight away, but he could certainly elevate the whole defensive unit, especially in terms of ball distribution – his 88.7% passing accuracy rate in the Bundesliga is better than every Newcastle defender this season and second only to rarely-seen midfielder Jeff Hendrick.

Beating Chelsea to a signing from Bayern Munich would also be quite a statement from the Magpies at the beginning of an exciting new era.

In other news, Newcastle are also battling for this Serie A maestro  

Manchester United are reportedly set to part ways with midfielder Donny van de Beek over the January transfer window after a torrid 18-month spell.

What’s the story?

The 24-year-old has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford since the summer after struggling for game time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and he finally seems set to seek pastures new.

According to well-known journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, there are ‘many clubs interested’ in van de Beek’s services, and the creative talent is planning to leave the red half of Manchester in search of regular game time.

He tweeted: “Donny van de Beek has never been offered to Real Madrid. There are many clubs interested, but no talk, proposal or negotiation with Real Madrid as things stand #MUFC. The plan is still to leave Man Utd in January if he’s not gonna be involved in Solskjær team in the next weeks.”

Man Utd fans will be gutted

After securing a domestic double with boyhood club Ajax and playing a pivotal part in their run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2019, Van de Beek’s arrival on English shores the following year was greeted with much excitement amongst the United fanbase.

His record of 41 goals and 34 assists in 175 appearances for the Amsterdam club pointed to a player who was more than capable of making the step up to the demands of the Premier League, yet things haven’t worked out as planned.

Van de Beek was unable to force his way into Solskjaer’s starting XI last term, featuring from the off on just 15 occasions in all competitions, but his game time has been even more limited in the current campaign.

The technically gifted talent has received just 154 minutes of action across five outings, completing 90 minutes just once in a third-round Carabao Cup defeat at the hands of West Ham United.

And now, it appears as though an imminent exit is on the cards for van de Beek as the winter window fast approaches, something that will leave large sections of Red Devils supporters feeling gutted.

His previous exploits at Ajax and several promising cameo appearances at United have shown his truly top-class potential, and yet he seems destined to fulfil that promise elsewhere after not receiving the opportunity to demonstrate his potential in the red half of Manchester. This is a sorry saga, one that will surely leave fans rather dejected.

And, in other news…Rice signs, CR7 dropped: How MUFC may look under Rodgers after potential £135m spree

Leeds United continued their poor start to the Premier League season as they lost 1-0 to Southampton at St. Mary’s, leaving them 17th in the table.

One team enduring a worse campaign, however, is newly-promoted Norwich. The Canaries are rooted to the bottom of the league and held Brighton to a 0-0 draw on Saturday.

Interestingly, though, a Leeds transfer target was involved in a slight controversy, as Todd Cantwell was omitted from the matchday squad despite being available for selection after time out due to personal reasons.

Norwich manager Daniel Farke insisted that his lack of involvement was purely down to Kieran Dowell’s form in training, although the ex-Everton man was then an unused substitute. He said:

“It was not a decision against Todd. It was more about Kieran, who was always available during this period. He trains unbelievably hard and in an outstanding way.

“Todd missed many weeks and was only back in team training at the start of the week. For each and every player who comes back after missing a period of training they have to show consistency in how they train to be picked ahead of a different player.”

With Cantwell’s contract expiring at the end of the season, this potential friction at Carrow Road could allow Leeds to swoop in and secure a deal in the January transfer window. Norwich have the option to extend his terms for another year, which means that it is unlikely Leeds will be able to sign him for nothing, but the next window could represent their best chance to rake in a large fee for the attacker.

If the Canaries wait until next summer to cash in then he will only have 12 months left on his contract and could be forced to sell for a minimal fee. Therefore, Leeds could tempt them into selling him in January for a deal that would suit all parties involved, with the Whites not overpaying for his services and Norwich not losing him for next to nothing.

His former Norwich youth team coach, Gary Cockaday, hailed his talents in an eye-catching way. He told The Athletic: 

“He did things every week that were just special. It was God-given. No one taught it. I always believed if you had someone like that, don’t change them or make them conform.”

Orta must ensure that he can get a deal over the line for the midfielder as he could forge an exciting partnership with current first-team star Raphinha.

The Brazilian loves to get fans off their seats at Elland Road, with nine goals and nine assists in the top-flight since the start of last season. Cantwell was directly involved in 12 goals in the Championship last term and managed six strikes and two assists in the Premier League the year before.

This shows that, like Raphinha, the Englishman has the ability to score and create goals from an attacking midfield position. Therefore, they could form a deadly attack for Leeds by linking up together to open up chances for themselves to score, weaving inside and out of opposition defenders.

Imagine Cantwell and Raphinha playing one-twos on the edge of the box to work room for a shot or to feed the ball to Patrick Bamford for him to score…tantalising!

AND in other news, Concerning injury update emerges on £35k-p/w Leeds powerhouse, fans surely devastated…

Antonio Conte is expected to be in the dugout for his first-ever match in charge of Tottenham Hotspur, having been appointed as their new manager on Tuesday afternoon.

And he’s been thrown straight into the deep end as Spurs welcome Vitesse to north London in the UEFA Europa Conference League, where they occupy third place with only three games remaining.

The Lilywhites’ second-string were defeated 1-0 by the Dutch outfit two weeks ago and you’d imagine that the 52-year-old won’t be making the same mistake that Nuno Santo made by leaving the bulk of his starting lineup at home.

Instead, the Italian coach will want to kickstart his reign with a convincing result, so we should expect a pretty strong starting XI at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Their defeat to United on Sunday ultimately cost Nuno his job but it highlighted another massive concern as the struggles in the final third continued – Spurs have not registered a shot on goal in the league or in Europe since the first half against West Ham.

Conte won’t have had time to implement his ideas and tactics at all yet but he can certainly help himself by picking the right players and as such, he must call upon Tanguy Ndombele this evening.

The £34m-rated midfielder has been quite the enigma throughout his time at the club, having cost a club record of £55m, so he’s always going to come under scrutiny for his performances.

Not only can he take a game by storm on his day, but Spurs also play a lot better when he’s starting.

In terms of carrying the ball forward, only Lucas Moura (3.6) is averaging more dribbles per game than Ndombele (1.8) in the Premier League, whilst the Brazilian, Heung-min Son and Harry Kane are the only ones ahead of shots per game (1.5) too, as per WhoScored.

“I said to Joe, how good is he?,” revealed BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand during Spurs’ FA Cup clash with Wycombe Wanderers last season. “And he said ‘this kid is a world-beater, he can do anything.’ He just turned around during the game and said ‘this kid is unplayable’.”

On that evidence, Conte will surely want to start the Frenchman this evening, whatever the system is. He could be a game-changer and his influence may help steer the Italian to an impressive debut victory.

AND in other news, Conte demands Paratici to sign £45m-rated “monster”, he’d solve a major Spurs problem…

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been criticising the performance of Joe Aribo in their 2-1 win at home to Hibernian on Sunday afternoon.

Despite a red card given to Ryan Porteus after just half an hour after Kevin Nisbet had given the visitors an early lead at Ibrox, it took until the 78th minute before Alfredo Morelos struck the winner to give Steven Gerrard’s men all three points.

While there were some good performances for the Light Blues, Aribo seemed to struggle throughout the game. He lost out on eight of his duels, the most of any of his teammates, while he also failed to record a single shot on goal or key pass, losing possession on 15 separate occasions in the match (Sofascore).

Rangers fans on Aribo’s performance

These Gers supporters on Twitter slammed the 25-year-old’s performance against Hibs, with one fan even going as far as to claim that the Nigeria international is a ‘waste of a jersey’:

“Kamara, Hagi and Aribo shouldn’t be near the team the now. 3 are far too slow, though Kamara is a player.”

Credit: @bg724

“Aribo and Hagi. Not remotely interested”

Credit: @martinsuth90

“Hagi, Wright and Aribo have all been anonymous”

Credit: @SY97Ger

“Aribo can’t even make a simple pass”

Credit: @Davidjmae12345

“25 mins in. No shots on target. Defence a shambles again. Midfield creating nothing again. Aribo…waste of a jersey.”

Credit: @55andcounting55

“Joe Aribo has a good game every 10 games”

Credit: @michaelc_1872

In other news, find out which Ranger player’s display was praised by numerous fans