All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Former Premier League striker Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that he believes if Leeds were to sign reported target Patrick van Aanholt this summer, it would allow Stuart Dallas to play in his more natural position.

The Northern Ireland international is naturally a winger, but since replacing the injured Barry Douglas towards the end of the 2018-2019 campaign, has established himself as the the club’s number one left-back.

Such was his superb form throughout last season, Leeds allowed Douglas to join Blackburn on loan – with Dallas himself continuing to be one of their most consistent performers in the Premier League.

But as Leeds gear up for their second campaign back in the topflight, a host of names have already been linked with the Elland Road outfit this summer.

And with Leeds looking to improve their squad under Marcelo Bielsa, Dutchman van Aanholt, whose Crystal Palace deal expires this summer meaning he’ll available on a free, is one of many, especially with the Whites’ other recognised left-back Ezgjan Alioski strongly linked with Galatasaray.

Asked whether he could see van Aanholt joining Leeds, Windass told Football FanCast:

“Yes. You talk about Dallas, who’s done a fantastic job, but it’s square pegs round holes, he’s not a left-back. Yes he can play left-sided, but the energy he gives, he’s had an unbelievable season. Any club could take Dallas because you know how versatile he is.

“The lad from Palace is naturally a left-back and I’m sure that he won’t be the only one to sign for Leeds this summer.”

According to reports, Leeds United are in the race to sign Sheffield Wednesday starlet Osaze Urhoghide.

What’s the story?

Despite signing a couple of centre-backs in last summer’s transfer window in Diego Llorente and Robin Koch, it appears Marcelo Bielsa isn’t quite done with reshaping the centre of defence.

Now, Football League World have claimed that Leeds are one of a number of clubs tracking 20-year-old Urhoghide, whose contract with the Owls is coming to an end this summer, and with no resolution as of yet.

The report adds that “an initial offer has been made to the centre-back, but nothing has yet been agreed as his contract at the club winds down”.

Building Bielsa’s future

With Charlie Cresswell the standout academy centre-back at Leeds, and surely someone who Bielsa should consider unleashing, particularly next season, the Whites have already got one starlet ready to be a cornerstone of the side’s defence for the years to come.

In the 20-year-old Urhoghide, they could find the perfect long-term partner for Cresswell. The turn of the year has seen him break onto the scene at Hillsborough, playing eight times for Darren Moore’s side.

Former Wednesday boss Garry Monk, who of course managed Leeds for a brief stint, was glowing in his praise of Urhoghide, saying: “I’ve been really pleased with him. There are few things in football that are up there with seeing a young lad make his debut and start his journey with the club.

“The main thing is his attitude. He’s been with us quite regularly, he’s been in and out of our preparations and I felt he deserved that today. He’s got his rewards for his performances and his hard work. That should be an inspiration to the other younger players at the club and to himself.”The 1.88m (6 foot 2) gem is clearly a highly-rated prospect, and given that he has also played at left-back, is surely right up Bielsa’s street in terms of being a versatile defender.Orta can build a bright Leeds future with Cresswell and Urhoghide in the middle of defence.

Meanwhile, this Leeds star has been Bielsa’s real hero…

Some Glasgow Rangers fans were baffled by Steven Gerrard’s “daft” decision to take off Joe Aribo during their match with Slavia Prague on Thursday.

The Gers picked up a 1-1 draw in Czechia in their Europa League round of 16 first leg clash. Nicolae Stanciu opened the scoring with a stunner in the first half but Filip Helander was on hand to tap in Ianis Hagi’s pass to level things up. The result, as well as the away goal, gives the Ibrox outfit a great chance to qualify for the quarter-finals in the return clash next week.

Nigeria international Aribo started the match in Prague but was taken off with 10 minutes left on the clock. Many Gers fans thought he had played rather well, notably completing a team-high three dribbles, and were therefore shocked when Gerrard chose to replace him with striker Kemar Roofe.

These supporters took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Gerrard’s Aribo decision below

“Aribo off??????”

Credit: @MattG95

“Stevie mate what are you doing?! Aribo has been outstanding second half!”

Credit: @LaurzieJay12

“Aribo off is a strange one, our best player”

Credit: @bobsyshambs

“Aribo best player on the park ! That decision baffles me ??”

Credit: @jamied28

“Aribo surely not”

Credit: @RyanK52755

“Aribo has been our best player. Daft sub.”

Credit: @Macdooooogall

In other news, Rangers fans react to a tweet from this journalist.

According to Sunday World’s Kevin Palmer, Liverpool are likely to revive their interest in Lille centre-back Sven Botman following the injuries to Joel Matip and Fabinho, which could leaves Klopp with no senior centre-back options ahead of the weekend’s game with West Ham.

What’s the word?

Liverpool’s need to sign a centre-back has been clear to fans, and most likely Jurgen Klopp, for some time now but following the injuries suffered by Fabinho and Matip recently, the Reds must bring in a defender before the transfer deadline, otherwise, they risk providing a feeble title defence.

Matip was forced off at half-time in the 3-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday night after damaging his ankle ligaments, and the early suggestions are that it could be a long absence for the Cameroonian international.

Fabinho, meanwhile, missed the game at Spurs with a minor muscle injury, but there is currently no timescale for when he might return to action.

It was no surprise, therefore, that after the final whistle, links to Lille centre-back Sven Botman resurfaced, with the young defender having been heavily linked with a move to Anfield earlier in the window.

Should LFC sign him?

Botman’s reputation in France is quickly growing after impressing with his performances for the Ligue 1 side following his summer arrival from Ajax.

In 21 appearances in the French top-flight, the Dutch centre-back has averaged an excellent 7.07 rating, which ranks him as Lille’s fourth-best performer so far this season.

He has also helped Les Dogues to an impressive 10 clean sheets so far this season and on an episode of the Transfer Window podcast, journalist Duncan Castles relayed the thoughts of his centre-back partner Jose Fonte:

“Fonte has played with an array of top-class centre-backs in his career including Virgil van Dijk, Toby Alderweireld, Pepe in the Portuguese national team and Gabriel last season who is now at Arsenal.

“From what I understand of Fonte’s impression of Botman, he thinks he’s the best of all of them.

“He describes him as a machine and a man who doesn’t make mistakes and also indicates that for a young player playing alongside an experienced professional, he’s very open to learning and taking instruction and improving his game.”

If Fonte is rating Botman higher than Van Dijk, with whom he played with at Southampton, then he would surely prove to be an excellent signing for the Reds.

Botman has won 3.6 aerials per game on average so far this season, which is more than any of Van Dijk, Gomez, Matip or Fabinho, which suggests that he would be a useful addition to Klopp’s squad this month.

As he is just 21-years-old, he certainly wouldn’t be a panic buy and could be an excellent long-term option for the Reds to have, so it seems as if the £22.5 million-rated defender could well be the man to solve the defensive crisis in Klopp’s squad if he is brought to Anfield by Michael Edwards this month.

And, in other news… Forget Trent: LFC “machine” who played four key passes was Klopp’s star vs Spurs

Steve Bruce is facing a defensive injury crisis at Newcastle United as he prepares to host Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Toon are looking to claim a first win at St. James’ Park in 2021 having last claimed all three points on home soil against West Bromwich Albion, when Dwight Gayle headed in an 82nd-minute winner on December 12.

United have lost three of the following five on Tyneside following consecutive defeats to Leicester City, Leeds United and Crystal Palace since the turn of the year, but have won each of their past three meetings with the Saints played in the North East.

So, as Bruce aims to avoid two defeats at St. James’ Park in the space of four days, here’s a potential line-up the Magpies could field against Southampton as they deal with a raft of injury concerns…

Bruce has confirmed that Newcastle will be without captain Jamaal Lascelles on Saturday due to a hamstring injury, while Federico Fernandez will be missing as he still continues to feel the effects caused by Covid-19.

Jamal Lewis is also a doubt with a hamstring injury and could be joined on the sidelines by Paul Dummett, potentially leaving the £8.5m-rated Matt Ritchie as United’s only fit and available option for the left-back spot.

Ciaran Clark could play beside Fabian Schar in the core of the Toon defence but his situation is uncertain after his partner went into labour, which may force Bruce into fielding Isaac Hayden in front of Karl Darlow’s net if the Republic of Ireland international cannot feature.

Should Hayden not be needed in defence, the Arsenal product will be expected to line up beside Jonjo Shelvey in the engine room.

Bruce should be expected to axe Jeff Hendrick after fans were left irate by his midweek performance in defeat to Crystal Palace, yet his removal may not create an opening for Deadline Day signing Joe Willock to make his Newcastle debut after joining on loan.

Ryan Fraser, Miguel Almiron and Callum Wilson all delivered promising performances against the Eagles on Tuesday night, so will feel hard done by to fall out of the side with Bruce hinting at a starting role for Allan Saint-Maximin.

“Well, we obviously hope so,” Bruce said, via quotes by Chronicle Live, when asked Saint-Maximin would start against Southampton on Saturday. “We’ll keep protecting him.

“That’s another half an hour now [against Crystal Palace], so he’s had probably four half-hours. He’s getting his fitness levels back up – it’s always that difficult one, but he’s starting to show signs that he’s ready to start.”

Fraser provided a game-high seven key passes against Roy Hodgson’s Eagles in midweek, almost half of Newcastle’s tally of 15 as a side and more than double the amount of the next-most creative player in Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze (3), per WhoScored.

Wilson also took a joint game-high four shots on Tuesday night, and may count himself unlucky to have not built on his 10-goal haul for the Premier League campaign after assisting Jonjo Shelvey in the second minute.

AND in other news, Steve Bruce should make Joe Willock wait for his Newcastle debut and unleash a “bright spark” on Southampton…

Manchester United are back in Premier League action tonight as they welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Old Trafford on Tuesday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side find themselves in the midst of a title race at the top of the table, having picked up three wins and two draws from their past five games in a row, with the Red Devils sharing the spoils with Leicester City last time out.

United have a number of fringe players who will be looking to make an impact tonight as Solskjaer prepares to rotate his side ahead of the clash with Wolves.

Here is Football Fancast’s predicted starting XI, which sees Solskjaer make four changes from the trip to the King Power Stadium for this evening’s entertainment.

David de Gea should be given the gloves once again, meaning Dean Henderson will have to settle for a place on the bench.

Even with Solskjaer taking the opportunity to rotate his squad, it’s hard to imagine Harry Maguire won’t be starting at centre-back tonight.

Alex Telles will most likely be handed a start tonight, giving Luke Shaw some time off before the weekend clash with Aston Villa; Victor Lindelof won’t be risked so Eric Bailly and Axel Tuanzebe will start on the right-hand side of the defence.

Paul Pogba is set to start in the midfield alongside Scott McTominay with Bruno Fernandes just in front of them as the classic No. 10.

Despite scoring against Leeds, Daniel James offered very little against Leicester, so recalling Mason Greenwood and keeping Marcus Rashford on the left wing with Edinson Cavani leading the line makes most sense.

That means that Anthony Martial will have to drop to the bench, such is the strength in Solskjaer’s squad right now.

AND in other news, Solskjaer must force Man Utd to sign Moises Caicedo from Independiente del Valle…

West Bromwich Albion midfielder Filip Krovinovic is reportedly set for a Baggies exit and is set to return to Portuguese side Benfica.

Krovinovic has been linked with a move to Championship side Nottingham Forest and Croatian club Hajduk Split but an update has emerged about his future at the Hawthorns.

Krovinovic’s loan set for termination

Football Insider have recently reported on Krovinovic’s situation at West Brom. They state that the Baggies are set to terminate the Croatian’s loan deal, meaning he will return to his parent club Benfica.

He is said to be surplus to Sam Allardyce’s requirements at the Hawthorns and his exit would mean that the Baggies will have some extra wages to spend and another place in the squad for Big Sam to fill with a new player.

The report goes on to state that there is indeed interest in him from Nottingham Forest and Greek side Olympiacos and he is set for another loan move away from Benfica.

The midfielder arrived at West Brom on loan from Benfica in the summer of 2020 and in the current campaign, the Croatian has made 11 appearances in the Premier League. He also played once in the FA Cup, but he is yet to score or assist for the Baggies during this spell (as per Transfermarkt).

He is currently valued at £5.85m and as many as 13 WBA players have picked up better ratings than him in the current league campaign.

Krovinovic would need replacing

Since Allardyce’s arrival at the Hawthorns, Krovinovic has played just once for the Baggies in the Premier League. He played 17 minutes of the club’s 5-0 loss to Leeds United last month and he has been on the bench for each of their other games (as per Transfermarkt).

Given he’s not in the manager’s plans, it makes sense for Albion to let Krovinovic return to Benfica and hopefully replace him with a player who Allardyce believes in.

In other news, many West Brom fans are fuming at a news about Matheus Pereira – read more here.

David Moyes could soon face an unenviable task of weighing up how West Ham United can live without Declan Rice after the England midfielder admitted he wishes to win trophies.

What’s the word?

While speaking with Sky Sports, Rice has opened up on his ambitions to enjoy a trophy-laden career so that he can look back on his playing days in years to come and reminisce about the glory he achieved for both club and country.

Rice was heavily linked with a move to Premier League title-contenders Chelsea this summer, with boss Frank Lampard said to be a big admirer of the 21-year-old who has been an integral aspect of Moyes’ squad at the London Stadium.

The Stamford Bridge natives were opposed to matching West Ham’s £80million valuation at the time, but have remained attentive to the idea of a future pursuit with Lampard confident Rice’s versatility and pedigree will be of great benefit should they manage to offload two high-earning outcasts.

Going by Rice’s latest comments, another approach from Chelsea – who sit third in the table and two points shy of leaders Tottenham – could prove difficult for Moyes to reject, as well, as the Blues will be able to offer the midfielder what the Hammers cannot.

“As a footballer, you only get one career and it goes by very quick,” Rice said. “You want to be successful for club and country. I think it’s an important thing to win trophies. There’s talk of Harry Kane at Spurs and what he should be doing, obviously he can do whatever he wants.

“He’s going to win trophies; we all know that. I think that’s something I want to aim for as well. I’m only 21 but to get those highs of your career you need to win stuff and that’s what I want to do.”

Moyes’ unenviable task

Amid rumours of Chelsea’s interest this summer, Adrian Durham raised the question on talkSPORT of whether or not West Ham can cope without Rice in the holding midfield role. And going by the England international’s remarks to Sky Sports, Moyes may soon face the unenviable task of answering that question.

“Declan Rice is a good player – I do like him. Maybe some people think he’s better than what he actually is, but I do like him,” Durham said.

“I do think he’s an England standard player and he is one of West Ham’s better players – you could argue that he’s their best player. But is he a match-winner on his own? Can they do without him? And I think the answer to that is yes.”

Moyes has struggled to live without Rice since his return to the London Stadium, with the 13-cap ace starting all 28 of West Ham’s Premier League fixtures since the Scot succeeded Manuel Pellegrini at the helm.

The only way Moyes may be able to ensure that run continues for the long-term would be by turning West Ham into contenders for silverware, something the east London outfit have not been in years with their last FA Cup Final coming in the 2005/06 season, last winning an EFL Cup Semi-Final in 1980/81, and never winning a top-flight title.

West Ham’s last piece of major silverware came in the 1979/80 FA Cup, too, highlighting the Hammers’ wait for honours to arrive back on home soil and the mammoth scale of the task Moyes has to overcome.

Moyes is, at least, enjoying a strong start to the current campaign with West Ham sitting eighth in the Premier League standings and within three-points of fifth-placed Southampton, having won four of nine fixtures and boasting the division’s second-best defensive record.

AND in other news, West Ham can ease David Moyes’ fear by signing an “exemplary” gem who may not cost David Sullivan anything.

Southampton came agonisingly close to coming away with something against Manchester City, but they just couldn’t find a way to counteract Raheem Sterling’s first half goal. Not only were the Saints handed a defeat on home soil, but they saw the gut-wrenching sight of Danny Ings once again leaving the pitch due to an injury.

The striker couldn’t even manage to play out the first half before he was replaced by Nathan Tella in the 41st minute.

Southampton attempted a total of nine shots with three on target, but none of these came from Moussa Djenepo, who started ahead of Stuart Armstrong and Nathan Redmond. In fact, the 22-year-old had an extremely disappointing match and was Ralph Hasenhuttl’s weak link in attack.

Moussa Djenepo vs Man City

Although Southampton only lost by one goal, the boss will not be happy with the limited chances his side came up with. Djenepo had a torrid time trying to conjure up creative play for the Saints. According to Sofascore, he managed to complete just eight accurate passes in 57 minutes, which is 17 fewer than goalkeeper Alex McCarthy (25).

The winger, who earns £55,000-a-week, also failed to register a single attempted shot. Additionally, he lost possession seven times and was dribbled past twice. With Che Adams also struggling to make an impact on the game, the left side of Southampton’s set up was extremely weak. It’s no question why the duo were both hauled off the pitch as Hasenhuttl grew more and more frustrated with the lack of chances.

Luckily enough, the result doesn’t affect the Saints’ spot in the Premier League table and they keep their extremely respectable fourth place. They will now shift their attention to Fulham in their Boxing Day fixture on the road, which will be a match Hasenhuttl will believe he can win comfortably.

In other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer has dropped major claim on Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton future…

Tottenham Hotspur’s unbeaten streak continued on Monday evening as they edged past a resolute Burnley side at Turf Moor.

Jose Mourinho and his side haven’t lost since their opening day defeat to Everton and have now picked up successive clean sheets after the 1-0 triumph in the north-west.

It sees Spurs move into fifth in the Premier League table, just two points behind the Toffees.

And the Special One has that red-hot duo of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son to thank for a late winner as they combined for the 29th time in the Premier League.

The 27-year-old vice-captain swung in a ball for the South Korean to head him his eighth goal of the season in the 72nd minute – although on another day, it could’ve been a different story.

Ashley Barnes had a strike ruled out for offside before Kane denied fellow Englishman James Tarkowski with a goalline clearance.

The Clarets were arguably the better side, recording more shots (13) and creating more big chances (one) than the visiting Spurs side.

Aside from Son and Kane, there was another Spurs player that deserves to take the plaudits as was quite the unsung hero throughout the match – Moussa Sissoko.

It was another excellent and underrated showing from the French powerhouse – he doesn’t completely stand out with so many flashier players around him, but boy does he do the basics superbly.

Per FotMob, the 31-year-old made three recoveries, recorded four interceptions and notched a 94% accuracy from 50 passing attempts. He only lost possession four times from 60 touches too, and even committed four tactical fouls that broke up any swift Burnley attack.

Hotspur HQ graded the midfielder a 7.5/10 and said: “Sissoko is an extraordinary athlete, and he covered a lot of the Turf Moor pitch Monday evening. Between Sissoko and Højbjerg, nothing really troubled the defence too greatly and the flexibility to play inside and out affords the team to get creative with positioning.”

Sissoko’s industrious display allowed the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, substitute Erik Lamela and the prolific duo of Son and Kane to thrive further up the pitch.

No one was getting past him on Monday night. The €20m-valued (£18m) monster is certainly an underrated cog in Mourinho’s system.

AND in other news, ANONYMOUS £80k-per-week Spurs star massively let Mourinho down in Burnley win…