All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Liverpool managed to keep their Premier League unbeaten streak intact following their 2-2 draw against reigning champions Manchester City over the weekend.

Goals from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah were cancelled out thanks to goals from Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne, resulting in the Reds dropping the lead twice and two points in the process in their latest league match ahead of the international break.

One player, in particular, that stood out for Liverpool on the day, but for all the wrong reasons, in our view, was Fabinho who played the full 90 minutes of the match in midfield alongside Curtis Jones and club captain Jordan Henderson.

From a defensive point of view, the Brazilian won just 25% of his ground duels (two out of eight), only made one tackle, lost possession on six occasions and was dribbled past five times. That ultimately earned himself a rather disappointing overall match rating of 5.9/10, the lowest rating of any Liverpool player on the day according to SofaScore.

What didn’t help was a glaring miss towards the end of the match too. With the goal at his mercy, the holding player had a chance to find the net but was tackled spectacularly well by Rodri.

Since joining the Merseyside club back in the 2018 summer transfer window from French club AS Monaco for a fee of £40.5m, the 27-year-old has been a reliable figure, however.

Currently earning a weekly wage of £180k-per-week according to Spotrac, he’s made a total of 130 appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side across all competitions. During that time he has managed to score four goals and provide eight assists along the way.

So far this season, Fabinho has made eight appearances for the Reds in all tournaments, scoring one goal and providing one assist in the process.

Despite his poor showing against Pep Guardiola’s side, we feel as if Klopp should continue selecting Fabinho in his starting XI for the remainder of the season wherever possible and just hope his underwhelming display against City was just a bad day at the office.

However, with Fabinho currently being the only Liverpool player that predominantly plays in the defensive-midfield position, we feel as though his place in the team would be safe enough anyway.

In other news: £7.5k-p/w Liverpool gem has seen his value soar by £25.2m in 2 years, he’s exceptional – opinion

Many Manchester United fans have been left buzzing as some early team news has emerged ahead of their Premier League meeting with Newcastle this weekend.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match at home to the Magpies on Saturday afternoon, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has now said that they are preparing for the clash without the central midfield player.

This is because the Brazil FA have triggered a FIFA rule, meaning that they can ban players for five days if teams do not release them for international duty, and Fred would miss out as a result.

However, this may not necessarily be a bad thing for the Red Devils, given his poor display in the 1-0 away win at Wolves last time out, which was heavily criticised by supporters.

Manchester United fans on Fred display

These Man Utd fans buzzed as the news on Fred was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it is ‘boss’:

“We are all happy he won’t play”

Credit: @veco7vic

“It’s a win for us!”

Credit: @IrfanHernandez_

“No Fred let’s gooooooo”

Credit: @UTDSiddhesh

“Yesss”

Credit: @MUFCfame

“BOSS”

Credit: @erick_luwole

“Siuuuuuuuuuu”

Credit: @joongDEGEA

“NO FREDDDDDD!!!!!!!”

Credit: @michaelrenwick_

In other news, find out what pre-NUFC news has MUFC supporters fuming here!

Aston Villa fans will no doubt be heading into work today with a massive spring in their step following their superb 1-0 triumph over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.

Dean Smith’s side clinched a deserved three points when Kortney Hause rose highest from a late corner to thump a header past David de Gea at the near post.

And, writing in his post-match player ratings for The Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece gave him a nine, saying: “Strong and powerful as he won key battles up against Ronaldo. Hause played centrally with Konsa and Mings either side of him. Hause was excellent and his bullet header won it. He loved it out there.”

Haue’s performance proved exactly why Villa struck absolute gold when they signed him from Wolves back in the summer of 2019 after an initial season-long loan spell at Villa Park.

The centre-back has since found game-time far more difficult to come by following the subsequent signings of both Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa, but the fact Smith has him as a potential rotation option, or now as someone who he can trust as the centre-most piece of a back-three, speaks volumes of his quality.

The 26-year-old has proven over the years that he is generally a reliable performer, with the pace and strength to mix it with some of the more athletic and quick strikers in the league.

As per Whoscored, he has an impressive average of only being dribbled past 0.3 times per game, which is actually the same as Mings, and only slightly worse than Konsa (0.2 times per match).

Writing on Twitter before the game against United, The Telegraph’s Matt Law lauded: “Just one of a number of players to have improved immeasurably under Dean Smith. Not enough gets spoken about how Smith improves players, or the fact Hause only cost #avfc £3m – a ridiculous bargain even for a defender who has often been a squad player. Hope he stars tomorrow.”

Even Law however could surely not have imagined just how much Hause would “star” at Old Trafford.

The now £4.5m-rated ace has etched himself into folklore with his winner at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, Gregg Evans has dropped a transfer update on Aston Villa…

Steve Howey has alleged Ross Barkley will only be able to secure a loan switch to Newcastle United if Chelsea agree to continue paying a large chunk of his wages.

Barkley was left out of the Blues’ matchday squad for their Premier League win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Instead, the former Everton midfielder was left to settle for featuring in a behind-closed-doors friendly with non-league side Weymouth.

Barkley’s Chelsea career has not gone to plan since joining in a £15million deal three-and-a-half years ago, with the England international making just 86 appearances.

The 27-year-old suffered another blow ahead of the Premier League curtain-raiser after being left without a squad number.

Barkley – who has two years remaining on his £96,154-per-week contract at Stamford Bridge – has been linked with a host of Premier League clubs throughout the transfer window, with Newcastle, West Ham United and Everton among his suitors.

But Howey believes Newcastle do not have the funds needed to secure Barkley’s services and thinks he will only be heading to St James’ Park if Chelsea offer support.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Magpies defender Howey said: “I think he would be on big money and I don’t think Newcastle would be prepared to pay that amount of money.

“On his day, he is a very good player but he has kind of lost his way a little bit. He was excellent at Everton and got a big-money move but it didn’t quite work and he never forced his way in.

“Unless Chelsea would pay half of his wages, I don’t think Newcastle would touch him.”

According to Italian journalist Nicola Balice, Tottenham are interested in signing Weston McKennie this summer.

The Lowdown: Not much time left

With Pierluigi Gollini (tottenhamhotspur.com), Bryan Gil and Cristian Romero making the move to Spurs, it has been a relatively successful transfer window in north London.

However, Nuno Espirito Santo may still be looking for some new arrivals after such a positive start to the campaign, and there is now just a week left before the end of the transfer window.

The Latest: Spurs eye McKennie

Of course, managing director Fabio Paratici knows Serie A like the back of his hand, and he now appears keen to add a third addition from that league after Romero and Gollini.

As per the Corriere dello Sport journalist, Spurs are interested in £22.5m-valued McKennie (Transfermarkt).

New Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri is not convinced by the USA international, and he could therefore move on from Turin. Aston Villa are the ‘most interested’ in the 22-year-old, but ‘there is also Tottenham’.

The Verdict: On the up

McKennie made the switch to Juve from Schalke in 2020, initially on loan, before making the transfer permanent this summer. He made 46 appearances in all competitions last term for the Italian giants, scoring six goals and providing three assists (Transfermarkt).

Former Schalke boss David Wagner called him an “outstanding talent” (AS), while he has even been compared to 123-time Chile international Arturo Vidal (The Daily Mail).

It is surprising he is not fancied at all by Allegri despite him playing such a big role in an albeit underwhelming campaign for Juventus last time out. Andrea Pirlo was the boss last season, and he knows a thing or two about what it takes to be a top midfielder.

Depending on how much he would cost, he could be a good signing for Nuno and co.

In other news, Tottenham are interested in signing this AC Milan ace for free.

Many Everton fans have been slamming the performance of Alex Iwobi in their 4-0 pre-season defeat at Manchester United on Saturday afternoon.

The Nigeria international missed a good chance to bring the Toffees back into the game midway through the first half, as they were already 2-0 down at that point to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men.

Iwobi did not have a great game in general as Twitter fan page The Everton End voiced their frustrations with the winger during the match, which prompted a lot of negative reaction.

With the new Premier League season starting on Friday night, Rafa Benitez would have not been convinced by the Nigerian’s performance, and so the 25-year-old could well face being dropped to the bench for their opener.

He has played 65 times for Everton competitively but scored a paltry four goals in that time and has set up just four more (Transfermarkt) – centre-back Michael Keane netted three league goals last season alone – while he has drawn the ire of some Toffees fans in the past.

Everton fans hammer Iwobi

These Everton supporters slammed Iwobi’s performance on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that he was a ‘disgrace’:

“I’m really struggling with having to watch him this season”

Credit: @BrunsypPB

“Got to be the worst ever buy”

Credit: @kevdano

“Worst £40 mill we’ve spent!”

Credit: @_Sumz

“I mean this literally. He is the worst signing Everton have ever made. There has not been a worse signing, I won’t be convinced otherwise”

Credit: @BradleyHilditch

“Iwobi you are a disgrace”

Credit: @RobertS91163055

“Niasse was genuinely a better signing than Iwobi”

Credit: @efcdylan_

In other news, find out what confirmed news has had these Toffees buzzing!

Michael Ball reckons Everton fans would prefer to see Jesse Lingard head to Goodison Park than Ross Barkley seal a return.

Rafa Benitez is looking to bolster his squad after replacing Carlo Ancelotti in the Everton hotseat.

The Toffees have welcomed Andros Townsend, Asmir Begovic and Demarai Gray to the club during the transfer window, but Benitez has been linked with a host of creative midfielders.

Manchester United’s Lingard is thought to be on Benitez’s wishlist after impressing during a loan spell with West Ham United last season.

The 28-year-old scored nine goals and registered five assists in 16 appearances for the Hammers.

Everton – along with West Ham and Newcastle United – are also keeping tabs on Barkley.

The central midfielder left Goodison Park for Chelsea three-and-a-half years ago, with the £15million deal being completed after Barkley confirmed he wanted to leave Everton.

Ex-Toffees left-back Ball believes Everton fans would rather see Benitez target Lingard instead of Barkley.

He exclusively told The Transfer Tavern: “I think the fans would probably push more towards Jesse Lingard considering what he did last season.

“He seemed to be the guy in form and nearly broke into the England squad for Euro 2020.

“They’re the type of players that we want to bring to the club because Everton want to try to close that gap. Those types of players can do that.”

Chelsea youngster Conor Gallagher is reportedly set to join Crystal Palace instead of Leeds United this summer, acting as a blow to the Whites.

The Lowdown: Gallagher wanted by Leeds

Marcelo Bielsa continues to be on the lookout for new signings and one player he has been linked with bringing in is Gallagher.

James Marshment, editor at TEAMtalk, confirmed on Thursday morning that the midfielder is “on Leeds’ list of midfield targets this summer”.

The youngster shone on loan at West Brom last season, scoring and assisting twice apiece in the Premier League, and another temporary move from Chelsea is on the cards.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359346″]

The Latest: Youngster set to choose Palace

Unfortunately, it looks as though Palace have beaten Leeds to Gallagher’s signature, with TEAMtalk revealing the latest developments on Thursday morning.

It is claimed that personal terms were agreed with the Whites, following a trip to the training ground, but the Eagles have emerged as a better option.

The lure of staying in London is seen as a possible reason behind the decision.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-11/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Verdict: Blow for Bielsa

Gallagher is an excellent young footballer with both technical ability and a strong work ethic – Slaven Bilic said that he ‘has everything’ at the beginning of last season, even comparing him to Frank Lampard, so Bielsa will be disappointed to miss out on him.

The Englishman could have been an ideal player to add depth and quality in attacking midfield areas, blossoming alongside superior teammates to those at relegated West Brom.

The Whites will now have to move on to other targets, and with Nahitan Nandez looking more and more likely to join Inter, time is running out to get another midfielder through the door at Thorp Arch before the new season begins.

In other news, Leeds have suffered an injury blow ahead of the new season – read more here.

Lots of Everton fans have been giving their thoughts on Twitter as a transfer update emerged on Richarlison.

As per ESPN journalist Joao Castelo-Branco, Carlo Ancelotti has asked to sign the Brazil international for Real Madrid in the summer window, with him firmly on their radar.

Richarlison did not have his best season in 2020/21, scoring just seven goals in the Premier League, and was often criticised by some members of the Goodison Park faithful for his performances.

However, he has been a key player for the Toffees over the years, scoring 42 times and supplying a further 10 assists in 119 games in all competitions across the last three campaigns (Transfermarkt).

Therefore, Rafa Benitez’s side should only consider selling the 24-year-old if a big offer came in which would be hard to turn down.

Everton fans on Richarlison transfer update

These Toffees supporters seemed split as the transfer update was shared across Twitter, with one fan describing it as ‘amazing news’ that Ancelotti wants a swift reunion with the Brazil international:

“If we sell him I’m buying a banner”

Credit: @James50581391

“Carlo, I’ll never forgive you if..”

Credit: @markowenf24

“GET OUT!!!”

Credit: @CathyMcAlle

“£80m and I’ll drive him there myself. Maybe he’ll then show up more than one game in three.”

Credit: @DougalPaver

“This is amazing news, the lad is absolutely bang average. Get the biggest fee possible and run”

Credit: @andyb4ker

“I’d snap their hand off, too inconsistent”

Credit: @neilbretherton

In other news, Everton are in a Premier League race to sign this ‘giant’

Jannik Vestergaard is on Tottenham Hotspur’s shortlist as they search for a new centre-back this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare, who claims that Spurs’ top target Jules Kounde is likely to be out of reach due to his desire to play in the Champions League.

And the Southampton star features amongst the list of alternative candidates as they close in on their first signing, Bologna’s versatile defender Takehiro Tomiyasu.

It’s thought that Vestergaard would be a cheap option compared to Inter’s Milan Skriniar and certainly Kounde, too.

Only a week ago, The Times reported that Spurs had opened talks with the Denmark international and that the Saints value him at more than the £18m they paid Borussia Monchengladbach for his signature in 2018.

A viable alternative?

Vestergaard, unlike the other names mentioned in the report, has one major advantage in that he’s a proven talent in the Premier League, having emerged as a standout on the South Coast in recent seasons.

For example, he rated out as their third-best player last season behind James Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu, as per WhoScored figures and unsurprisingly given his 6 foot 6 stature, he won the most aerial duels in the squad (3.3 per game).

It’s no secret that Spurs’ biggest problems were attributed largely to their defence last season, as perfectly put by The Athletic, individual mistakes at the back were the Achilles’ heel of their troubled campaign, in which they leaked more goals than any other of the traditional ‘big six.’

They lacked leadership following the departure of Jan Vertonghen and with Toby Alderweireld reportedly wanting to leave too, it’s another factor that Vestergaard could help remedy.

As per his Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl, the great Dane has been lauded a “real leader”, whilst also drawing comparisons to Virgil van Dijk, too.

The £16m-rated colossus also excelled at Euro 2020 this summer, where he played an integral role in guiding Denmark into the semi-finals, where they were knocked out by England.

Despite being defeated in extra time, Vestergaard still had a big say in the game, helping keep Spurs talisman Harry Kane quiet up until his late spot-kick.

Only two other starters for the Scandinavian side managed a better match rating, via SofaScore, whilst the England striker only won 33% of his battles and lost possession 14 times up against a defence led by Vestergaard, who himself did not lose a single aerial duel, made seven clearances and put in five tackles.

If Alderweireld does get his wish this summer, then Spurs could do no wrong by replacing him with the experienced Vestergaard.

AND in other news, Paratici masterclass: Spurs could sign “pretty special” £54m-rated beast in bold swoop…