All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Newcastle United are closing in on a move for Aston Villa left-back Matt Targett.

That’s according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, and as to be expected, a number of Villa fans have been reacting to the news on social media.

Villa have bolstered their left-back ranks with the signing of Lucas Digne from Everton this month. The Frenchman has since replaced Targett in the team, and it seems as if the latter could now be on his way to St James Park on a temporary deal.

According to O’Rourke, Newcastle are closing in on multiple signings, with Targett set to be the latest on loan. Should that move go through, Steven Gerrard would be left with Digne and Ashley Young as left-back options for the remainder of the season.

Villa fans react

Here is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply to O’Rourke’s post, with many not exactly thrilled at the update and one labelling it as ‘ridiculous’ given that Targett was a near-constant starter prior to Digne’s arrival this month. Another fan even described it as ‘the dumbest move in existence’.

“Surely not a loan”

Credit: @FHG10VTID

“Surely got to be kept for depth, or sold? Be an awful decision to let him go on loan.”

Credit: @mcartlidge275

“Ridiculous to get rid of him on loan!”

Credit: @Villacallum

“on loan would be the dumbest move in existence”

Credit: @EliAVFC

“This is bizarre to me. Cashing in is one thing but loan? Felt like we had genuine depth there for the first time in a long time. Guess Targett just doesn’t fit SGs plans”

Credit: @TomC2312_AVFC

“LOAN?”

Credit: @AVFCTranstweet

In other news: ‘No way’ – Lots of Villa fans flock to journalist’s deadline day hint

Out of all the names that have played under the guidance of Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United, one player that has been a regular figure for the Argentine with a total of 131 appearances for Leeds under Bielsa is midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

Having been linked with a move away from the Yorkshire club in recent months with fellow Premier League clubs Liverpool and Manchester United reportedly interested in him, it would be a disaster if Leeds were to say goodbye to their midfield star, especially to another top-flight side.

However, it seems as though Leeds have been handed a massive boost regarding Phillips and his future with the England international recently revealing that he would be willing to sign a new contract at Elland Road, even though his current deal isn’t set to expire until the summer of 2024.

He commented: “I just want to focus on getting back fit,’ he says. ‘But I speak to the owner regularly. I want a new contract. I’m very happy here.”

Phillips’ importance to Leeds was shown throughout last season with the Whites losing seven of the nine Premier League games he missed.

It’s been a similar story this season with Leeds failing to win any of the games Phillips hasn’t been involved in, highlighting just how crucial he is for the team.

In the 29 league games he played in Premier League last season, the 26-year-old, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £38k-per-week according to Salary Sport, managed to rack up an average of 2.6 tackles per game, 1.7 clearances per game and 1.6 interceptions per game, showing how important he is for the team, particularly from a defensive point of view.

With this in mind and his desire to sign a new deal with Leeds, Victor Orta now has the opportunity to start 2022 with a bang and delight plenty of Leeds fans by giving Phillips, who has been labelled as a “destroyer” on the pitch by former England manager Steve McClaren, what he wants.

Looking beyond that, another big hope for Phillips would be that he can get back to full fitness as soon as possible after picking up a hamstring injury earlier this month so he can help his side avoid relegation by the end of the season and not have to spend another campaign in the Championship.

In other news: Bielsa can finally axe Leeds’ “absolute disaster” by signing “spectacular” 5 ft 9 gem…

Despite not doing any business in the January transfer window so far, Manchester United have been in a frenzy of speculation surrounding the rumoured upset in the dressing room which has seen up to 17 players wanting to leave the club, and Ralf Rangnick could be set to get rid of his first player as Red Devils interim manager.

What’s the word?

According to today’s issue of Catalan newspaper Sport (via Sport Witness), Newcastle United have made an ‘important offer’ for an Anthony Martial, with the report suggesting that the Premier League club are not the only one interested in securing the signature of the striker.

Sevilla, Barcelona and Juventus have all been named alongside the Tyneside club in the race to sign Martial, with a suggestion that Newcastle have already offered just over €35m (£29.3m) for him.

However, the report added that Martial does not want the move to Eddie Howe’s side, nor does he want to go to Juventus, with claims that the Frenchman’s agent has ‘frozen all other offers on the table’ whilst they wait for a response from Barcelona. Only if that doesn’t materialise would they welcome another offer from Newcastle.

Fans will be buzzing

The news that a move away for Martial is on the cards, with a number of potential suitors rumoured to be involved in the chase for the player, is sure to leave many United fans buzzing as the club tries to get the 26-year-old out of the squad. That is due to his abysmal recent record.

The striker has scored only eight goals since the beginning of last season, with just one in the current campaign, meaning that he is failing to make an impact on the team and falling out of favour due to more prolific scorers joining the team, such as Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The France international was even labelled a “lightweight” by Simon Jordan, who claimed that “Martial will get you sacked” in a rant last year on talkSPORT.

According to SofaScore, when you look at the £180k-p/w forward’s performance in the 4-1 defeat to Watford in November, he had just 15 touches of the ball and lost possession with seven of those during his 45 minutes on the pitch. That puts into microcosm just how ineffective he has become in a United shirt, and why plenty of fans would be glad to see the back of him.

If the rumours are true that there is upset in the dressing room at Old Trafford, it will be important for Rangnick to use any opportunity to minimise that by axing fringe players who have vocalised that they want to leave, which Martial has done through his agent. Therefore, accepting an offer in January for the 26-year-old would seem a wise decision from the interim boss.

In other news: Rangnick could be heading for a nightmare over this Old Trafford star

Everton could form a formidable attacking duo after they were linked with a move for Real Madrid forward Eden Hazard as the January transfer window fast approaches.

What’s the story?

According to The Express (who cite The Mirror), Los Blancos have given up hope of extracting the 30-year-old’s best form and now prepared to part ways with their £88 million signing.

The report states that Madrid have slapped a mere £21m price tag on Hazard, attracting interest from the Toffees and fellow Premier League outfit West Ham United as a result.

Imagine him & Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Enticing Hazard back to English football would be a significant coup for Everton, and the diminutive dynamo could create a deadly partnership with star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

During his time at former club Chelsea and for his national team, the Belgium international has often prospered when playing alongside a more traditional centre-forward.

The likes of Diego Costa, Romelu Lukaku and Olivier Giroud have all enjoyed lining up in the same side as Hazard, and the creative talent could certainly have a similar fruitful time with Calvert-Lewin.

Over the last two-and-a-half years, the 6 foot 2 gem has elevated his game to new heights, scoring 39 goals in 83 appearances for the Merseyside outfit, highlighting his potential to become an elite-level striker.

And Calvert-Lewin would also complement Hazard’s more relaxed approach to the game. While the Englishman is renowned for his hard work, the Madrid ace is known for a more laissez-faire attitude, as John Obi Mikel pointed out.

“He didn’t like to train hard. While we were working he was waiting for us to finish training just standing there. But on Sundays, he was always Man of the Match, it was unbelievable,” the retired midfielder revealed to BeIN Sport.

“Hazard has an incredible talent, maybe not as good as (Lionel) Messi, but he can do whatever he wants with the ball at his feet.”

Therefore, Everton’s hierarchy must swoop for Hazard over the coming months, putting him out of his Santiago Bernabeu nightmare and potentially reviving his career.

And, in other news…Journalist provides big Lucas Digne update after Everton absence, fans surely fuming 

Wolverhampton Wanderers centre-forward Fabio Silva could be on his way out of Molineux in January.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Tim Spiers, with The Athletic journalist revealing in a recent Q&A that, as long as Jeff Shi can bring in a replacement during the January transfer window, the 19-year-old striker will leave the Premier League club on a temporary basis.

Speaking about the short-term future of the Portugal U21 international, Spiers said: “Heading for a loan in January if they can bring in a replacement.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how much potential Fabio Silva quite clearly possesses, the news that Wolves are looking to loan the centre-forward out this winter, in addition to bringing a new striker into the club, is sure to have left fans buzzing.

Indeed, Wolves broke their transfer record to secure the £35.6m signing of the teenager in the summer of 2020, with Shi appearing to be incredibly excited by his side’s acquisition of the youngster, stating upon his arrival: “Our recruitment team have been watching Fabio since he played for Portugal U16s.

“They feel he has always been the best number nine coming through his age group anywhere in Europe. Fabio is a young player who shows not only incredible technical ability but also his game intelligence for a player of his age is top class.”

However, despite the club’s high hopes for the £22.5m-rated man’s development, Fabio Silva has so far started just 11 Premier League games in his Wolves career – making a further 33 appearances from the bench – scoring four goals and registering three assists along the way.

As such, in order to further the 19-year-old’s development in the professional game, a loan away from Molineux would indeed appear to be an extremely wise move by the club – allowing the youngster to enjoy a great deal more first-team minutes, while simultaneously bringing a new forward into the club who is perhaps more Premier League ready than the Portuguese starlet currently is.

In other news: Forget MGW: Fosun could solve huge Wolves’ problem with £27m-rated “freak of a talent”

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse had dropped out of international duty with England due to illness.

Even though there is still a week to go until Southampton are back in Premier League action with an away clash against league strugglers Norwich City, there’s every chance that the skipper may not be fit enough to play at Carrow Road next week depending on the nature and severity of the condition currently afflicting him.

With this possibility in mind, this could provide one other Southampton midfielder with a great chance of showing Ralph Hasenhuttl what he can bring to the party.

Opportunity knocks

Despite appearing in nine of the 11 Premier League games Southampton have played so far this season, 22-year-old midfielder Ibrahima Diallo has only started two of them, the first being their 1-0 win over Leeds United followed by their 2-2 draw against Burnley, completing the full 90 minutes on both occasions.

These two games were the two that Ward-Prowse missed as a result of the red card he picked up during their 3-1 defeat against Chelsea last month, proving that Hasenhuttl has made no issue in turning to Diallo in Ward-Prowse’s absence, which he could well do again if the Englishman is not fit enough to play against Norwich.

After earning himself a decent overall match rating of 7/10 for his performance in the Leeds match according to SofaScore, Diallo then followed that put by providing an assist in the draw against Burnley, proving that he can be a useful figure for the Saints when called upon.

With Hasenhuttl recently describing Diallo, who is currently valued at £13.5m according to Transfermarkt, as a “very physical player” who has a “very good amount of ability with the ball”, the Austrian should have no issues with including the midfielder in his starting XI against Norwich if Ward-Prowse isn’t able to play.

Looking beyond that, given Diallo’s young age and the fact that fellow Saints midfielder Oriol Romeu has now hit the age of 30 and has his current contract at St. Mary’s set to expire in the summer of 2023, there’s every possibility that Diallo could go on to become Romeu’s long-term heir at the club if the Spaniard leaves at the end of his deal and if Diallo can continue to make the most out of any opportunities he gets to start for the Saints.

In other news: “Intelligent” £30k-p/w Saints dynamo proved that he can be Ralph’s main man

Taking to Twitter, Portuguese transfer journalist Pedro Almeida has now dropped an exciting transfer claim as Celtic eye a permanent deal for Jota.

The Lowdown: Jota shines at Parkhead…

Since signing on loan from Benfica in the summer, the 22-year-old has gone on to dazzle at Parkhead under Ange Postecoglou, and there have been reports speculating whether Celtic will trigger his €7.5m (£6.2m) option-to-buy clause in the deal.

Indeed, rumours from Portugal indicate that Postecoglou and the Hoops are eager to do so, as they have until the end of this season to decide whether to take him on permanently.

A Bola believe that Celtic are ‘willing to do so’ given they are ‘satisfied’ with the performance of Jota, with reporter Almeida now backing this claim as he drops an exciting Twitter transfer message.

The Latest: Almeida drops exciting Jota claim…

Taking to social media, the reporter believes that Postecoglou and co will now ‘advance’ to Jota’s ‘definitive’ signing from Benfica on a permanent move as he explained:

“Celtic will advance to the definitive signing of Jota from Benfica for €7.5M”

The Verdict: No-brainer…

It is no secret that the 22-year-old has been a revelation for Celtic in Scotland and we believe that the club would be remiss not to try and make his stay in Glasgow permanent.

A real statement of intent for £6.2m, a deal which would place Jota in the club’s top ten most expensive signings of all time (Transfermarkt), he is arguably worth every penny.

From a performance perspective, the Portugal under-21 international is currently Celtic’s joint-second top scorer in the Scottish top flight, while only David Turnbull has averaged a higher rate of attempts on goal per 90, marking Jota out as a true threat in the final third (WhoScored).

The attacker has also received garlands galore from Scottish pundits, including Celtic legend John Hartson, who branded him ‘dynamite’ and a ‘very special’ player (Daily Record).

It seems likely that Jota is only going to get better and better judging by his young age, not to mention the potential for a seismic sell-on value if he continues to impress in Scotland.

Taking all this into account, securing his signature indefinitely must surely be a priority for Postecoglou and Celtic.

In other news: Source reveals Celtic plan to cash in on record-breaker in January; replacement ready

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has revealed a major injury boost for Aston Villa ahead of their Premier League game against Arsenal on Friday night.

What’s the story?

Dean Smith’s side slipped to an agonising late defeat against Wolves in the top-flight at the weekend, with Matty Cash one of the absentees from the match-day squad.

But now, during a Q&A for The Birmingham Mail, Preece has confirmed that the full-back should be all fine for the clash away at the Emirates later this week.

He said: “As someone has mentioned, expect Matty Cash to shake off a dead leg for Arsenal on Friday. Sanson back on the bench vs Wolves was a positive. It’s just Leon Bailey now with an update expected on Thursday via Smith’s presser.”

Dean Smith will be delighted

Speaking last season, former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips dubbed Cash as “sensational”, while adding: “Cash has come in and he has been flawless. He has taken to the club like a duck to water. You have to give credit to the player and the recruitment department. They have obviously done their homework. He has been one of their shining lights this season.”

Just a couple of weeks ago against Everton, the right-back finally got his first goal for the club, netting a thunderous strike off his weaker left foot in the 3-0 victory the Toffees at Villa Park.

The fact that he’s now being touted with an international call-up with Poland ahead of next year’s World Cup is a real statement on just how high his stock has risen, and full credit must be given to both him and Smith.

With Villa slipping to a disappointing defeat against Wolves, bouncing back with a positive result against Arsenal will be key, and Cash’s return is sure to have Smith buzzing.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa could have their own Raheem Sterling in this academy starlet…

Celtic should make Jota’s temporary move to the club a permanent one as soon as possible, according to former Scotland international James McFadden.

The Lowdown: Jota shines on loan

The 22-year-old joined the Hoops on loan from Benfica in the summer transfer window and he has made an immediate impact this season.

Jota has registered four goals and assists apiece in nine Premiership appearances and has contributed to 12 goals in 14 games across all competitions, quickly proving to be a key player for Ange Postecoglou’s side. As per WhoScored, he is the third-best performer currently in the Hoops’ squad for the 2021/22 season.

The hope is that the Portuguese’s loan move could become permanent eventually, but nothing is confirmed on that matter currently.

The Latest: McFadden wants permanent deal

Speaking on Sky Sports [via The Daily Record], McFadden was in no doubt that Jota would be a huge asset for Celtic if they seal a long-term deal for him. The pundit said:

“I’ve watched him a number of times and the first thing is his work-rate, he works so hard for the team.

“He’s got so much quality on the ball, he can go either side. He doesn’t mind when the ball is down the left hand side just putting it into an area with his left foot.

“He’ll cut inside, he’s got a trick, he’ll take people on. He gets two goals and an assist and he just looks a real, real good player for Celtic. They have the option to buy him – I’d be taking it right now.

“When you look at his performances domestically, he transfers that to European games. He’s been excellent in Europe.

“I know that against Betis and Leverkusen they didn’t get the results they were looking for but at times the performances were there and Jota was magnificent.

“For me, the performances he’s put in, I would pay it.”

The Verdict: No-brainer for Celtic

Signing Jota permanently makes complete sense for the Hoops, with his immediate impact showing perfect proof that he is worth keeping beyond a loan deal.

There is a £6.5m option to buy the attacking midfielder, which on current form looks like it would be a steal, especially given his age.

Other successful loanees like Fraser Forster have come and gone, but judging by Jota’s performances so far in Glasgow, it’s easy to see why McFadden is imploring Celtic not to drop the ball on the 22-year-old when it is firmly in their court.

In other news, two players could reportedly leave Celtic in January. Find out who they are here.

Steven Gerrard has proven to have been an inspired appointment at Rangers since his arrival in Scotland back in 2018, taking the team to their first top-flight title since 2011.

In 183 matches in charge, Gerrard has averaged 2.16 points per game for the Gers as head coach. This shows that he has been able to maintain consistency over a sustained period of time, with an outstanding points return.

He led the Gers to an unbeaten Scottish Premiership title in the 2020/21 campaign. Rangers picked up 102 points and only conceded 13 goals in their 38 matches, avoiding defeat for the entire season.

Gerrard has also been able to coach and develop the players he has been given at Ibrox, along with the ones he inherited in 2018. One of the players who has thrived since his arrival is central defender Connor Goldson.

The centre-back was one of the first signings made by Gerrard at Rangers, joining from Brighton in July 2018. He was valued at £900k at the time by Transfermarkt,

In the time since he joined, Goldson has played 175 matches for Rangers in all competitions and become a crucial member of the squad. Gerrard has made him one of his most trusted players, as shown by how many appearances he has made in just over three years at the club.

Goldson had a particularly impressive year last term as Rangers won the Scottish Premiership, as he produced consistent, top-class, displays to help the Gers to the title. He averaged a phenomenal SofaScore rating of 7.39 as Rangers kept 26 clean sheets in his 38 appearances, with him winning an eye-catching 71% of his duels over the course of the campaign.

The 6ft 2 colossus is now valued by Transfermarkt at £6.75m. This is a sensational 650% increase in three years since he joined Rangers from Brighton, highlighting the incredible job Gerrard has done at Ibrox.

Gerrard has pulled off a masterstroke by bringing Goldson to the club and helping him develop as a player over the last few seasons. He has been able to mould him into a mountain of a defender and that is shown in both his statistics from last term and his stunning increase in value.

Hopefully, Goldson will continue to develop and take his game on to new levels as Rangers continue to compete for more trophies and Gerrard keeps improving his reputation as a manager and as a coach.

AND in other news, “He will”: Transfer claim made about “non-stop” Rangers gem that’ll frustrate fans…