All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Fulham have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Harry Wilson to Craven Cottage this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that Brentford have made contact with Liverpool regarding a deal for the 24-year-old, with Thomas Frank’s side expected to submit an offer in the very near future.

It is reported that the Reds would be open to parting with the winger for an offer in the region of £15m, with Fulham also believed to be considering a move for the Wales international in the summer transfer window.

Silva will be furious

Considering just how much potential Wilson appears to possess, the fact that Marco Silva’s side could be gazumped by Brentford in a move for the Liverpool man this summer is sure to have left the Portuguese boss furious.

Indeed, the Welshman has highly impressed over a number of loan spells at Championship sides in recent years, scoring seven goals and providing four assists over 13 appearances for Hull City in 2017/18 and bagging 16 goals and registering four assists over 43 appearances for Frank Lampard’s Derby County in 2018/19.

Most recently, Wilson spent the 2020/21 campaign on loan at Cardiff, where the £41k-per-week forward scored seven goals, registered 11 assists and created 11 big chances for his teammates over 37 Championship appearances.

These metrics saw the £15.3m-rated man – who Marcelo Bielsa dubbed an “exceptional” player – earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.20, ranking him as Mick McCarthy’s second-best player in the second tier of English football, helping his side secure an impressive eighth-place finish in the Championship.

As such, with Silva undoubtedly hoping his side can go on and secure an immediate return to the top flight next season, the signing of Wilson would have very much appeared to provide the 44-year-old with a fantastic opportunity to do so.

However, with Brentford now looking most likely to get a deal over the line for the Liverpool winger this summer, Silva may well have to turn his attention in the transfer market elsewhere, an outcome that will be incredibly frustrating for the new Cottagers boss.

In other news: Fulham set to win race to sign “ambitious” £1.08m-rated beast, Silva will be buzzing

After only a few days since the club announced they had struck a deal for the loan signing of Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona, it seems as though Aston Villa have set their eyes on another incoming transfer target this month which would surely please a lot of fans.

What’s the latest?

After it was recently revealed that Villa were leading the race to sign Everton defender Lucas Digne, in a recent Twitter post from journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, he claimed that “new direct contacts will take place between Aston Villa and Everton to discuss fee on [a] permanent move” this week.

Romano also added that Digne’s “understood to be attracted by Villa” but that it’s not yet fully agreed between the two clubs.

Fans buzzing

Since joining Everton back in the 2018 summer transfer window from Barcelona in a deal worth a reported fee of £18m, the Frenchman has gone on to make 127 appearances for the Toffees across all competitions.

In the process, he’s scored six goals and provided 20 assists along the way, showing how much of an attacking asset he could be for Steven Gerrard’s side if he does make the move to Villa Park this month.

This season, despite not managing to score a goal or provide an assist in the league for Rafa Benitez’s side, his performances in the 13 appearances he’s made have earned him an overall rating of 6.8/10, making him Everton’s fifth-highest rated player to have played in more than four league games according to WhoScored, which would only leave four current Villa players with a higher rating, showing he has the quality to be a standout figure for the Villans.

As a consequence, fans would surely be buzzing knowing that a reliable top-flight performer would be joining their ranks.

Putting aside his quality on the pitch, with reports of an apparent behind-the-scenes falling out with Benitez last month which has presumably been why he has been linked with a move away from Goodison Park, perhaps his attitude may have to be something that Villa take into account when discussing a potential deal for him and make sure the same doesn’t happen with Gerrard.

With all of that said, if Villa can secure Digne’s signature in the coming days and get him to deliver for them on the pitch, this would be another excellent piece of transfer business from the Midlands club and show that they are serious about improving their squad and progressing under Gerrard.

Having already signed Coutinho, this is an incredibly exciting time to be a Villan.

In other news: Aston Villa interested in highly-rated midfielder

Aston Villa will be changing kit supplier next season, according to a report from Footy Headlines.

The three-year deal they signed with Kappa is due to expire at the end of the current campaign, and they will take the opportunity to switch to Castore from the start of the 2022/23 season.

It’s not yet known how long Villa’s contract with the Liverpool-based manufacturer will last, or indeed how much income it will net for the Midlands club.

Castore’s reputation pre-Villa

Castore already have agreements with two Premier League clubs – Newcastle United and Villa’s Midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers. They also manufacture the kits of Steven Gerrard’s former club Rangers and are believed to have struck a deal with Champions League outfit Sevilla.

A number of Newcastle fans were critical of the designs for their 2021/22 strips, while Rangers’ away kit received a ‘largely negative reaction’ from many of the Ibrox faithful.

Fan feed Villa Report relayed the news, and here’s what some supporters had to say about the potentially “dreadful” switch to Castore.

These Villa fans fume over Castore news

“Look at the state of this year’s Toon kit , they’ve messed the lines up which should be simple. Nah man”

Credit: @sean_verdi1

“How do we expect to take ourselves seriously with low tier kit designer brands like Castore? And after the cheap tat Kappa have thrown together for three years. Can’t see myself buying next season’s kit.”

Credit: @_porsalin

“Look, this isn’t good news for Villa fans. Their strips are bang average. Why can’t we have a decent strip maker.”

Credit: @NickA53898967

“We must be losing the plot !! They make AWFUL kits and charge at extortionate prices !! This is a dreadful decision if true”

Credit: @craigy_hilton

“This is trash, everyone should just not buy a kit so they have to sign with New Balance, Nike, Puma or Adidas”

Credit: @wooskman

“Just one good manufacturer for once I beg please”

Credit: @euanavfc

In other news, lots of Villa fans raved over this latest update regarding Gerrard’s appointment

A big Rangers transfer claim has been made regarding Ross Wilson and Gio van Bronckhorst’s efforts to improve the Ibrox playing squad…

What’s the talk?

Transfer insider Dean Jones has revealed that the Glasgow giants are working hard to plot their moves heading into the summer window.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “From what I’m told, Rangers are actually getting quite far ahead in terms of deciding the exact positions and the personnel they want to fill certain roles.

“So, I think it’s going to be really interesting what happens over the next few months.”

Delight at Ibrox

This will surely leave everyone at Ibrox delighted for multiple reasons.

Firstly, it shows that the club are being proactive rather than reactive. They are not waiting for other clubs to force them into making decisions on players they may sign or sell and are looking to plot out a roadmap for their business over the coming months.

Supporters will be buzzing with this, as it shows that Wilson will likely have a clear plan of action over what he wants to do, which suggests that he will not be scrambling around at the end of August to strike crucial deals. Having targets in place as quickly as possible means that they can start working on reaching agreements with clubs and players sooner than they otherwise would, which gives them more time to secure the best possible deal.

Fans will also be delighted because the squad seemingly needs improving based on the performances on the pitch this season. The Gers have lost their last two Premiership matches to Celtic and are currently six points behind the Hoops in the table, as Van Bronckhorst looks set to miss out on the title in his first campaign in charge.

This suggests that the Rangers squad is in need of reinforcements to win back control of the Scottish top flight next season, assuming there is not a stunning turnaround in the final weeks of the current campaign. Therefore, Wilson being hard at work at plotting deals for signings will please supporters who want the club to overtake the Hoops and establish themselves as the best team in Scotland.

Of course, it will now be down to the sporting director and Van Bronckhorst to ensure that they bring in the right players to develop the squad and raise the standards within the starting XI.

AND in other news, Insider drops worrying behind-the-scenes Ibrox claim, it’s very bad news for Rangers…

Ryan Jack and Leon Balogun are ‘likely’ to start for Rangers against Hearts on Sunday afternoon, The Scotsman’s Stephen Halliday writes. 

The lowdown

Jack and Balogun were half-time substitutes in the 3-0 defeat against Celtic in midweek, replacing Glen Kamara and Borna Barisic respectively.

The Scotsman, who earns £12,000 per week, hasn’t started a game for Rangers since last February, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst intent on managing his minutes.

Balogun (£14,000-p/w), meanwhile, missed nearly all of November and December, having started 18 of The Gers’ first 21 Premiership matches.

The latest

Halliday expects Jack and Balogun to feature in Van Bronckhorst’s XI after they ‘improved Rangers’ performance level’ against The Hoops.

Elsewhere, Aaron Ramsey is set to make his debut following his Deadline Day move from Juventus, and Alfredo Morelos is available again after missing the Old Firm because of international commitments.

So, there could be four changes to Gio’s selection from Wednesday, with both Ramsey and Jack making their full season debuts in the middle of the park.

The verdict

A starting place would be just reward for the duo, who were arguably Rangers’ best players in midweek despite only playing the second 45.

Indeed, only Ryan Kent could match their SofaScore ratings of 7.1/10.

Balogun won three of his four duels, came up with two interceptions and picked out three accurate long balls from four attempts.

The £3.15million-rated Jack, meanwhile, struck the woodwork and created two chances, the joint-most in the team.

Journalist Josh Bunting said he was one of few players who could ‘leave the pitch with pride’ and called for him to be given a chance from the off.

In other news, Rangers have been gifted a contract boost.

Bruno Lage’s Wolverhampton Wanderers side went into Saturday afternoon’s West Midlands derby in much-improved form, as after losing their first three league games of the 2021/22 campaign, the 45-year-old’s Wolves side had picked up nine points from a possible 12 over their last four fixtures.

However, after Danny Ings opened the scoring for Aston Villa shortly after half-time and John McGinn doubled the home side’s lead on the 68-minute mark, it appeared as if Wolves’ fine run of form would be coming to an end at Villa Park.

The latter of these goals led to Lage making a double substitution with around 15 minutes to go, bringing on both Fabio Silva and Daniel Podence for Joao Moutinho and Fernando Marcal respectively – a decision which would change the game completely.

Just five passes made

With Francisco Trincao being ruled out of the game after falling ill while on international duty with Portugal, there was something of a pre-match debate as to who should come in to replace the Barcelona loanee in the Wolves starting XI – Adama Traore or Podence.

While Traore did light up the fixture on occasion due to his remarkable strength on the ball and dizzying dribbles – of which he completed six – it was undoubtedly the Portuguese’s introduction to the game which began to turn the tide for Wolves.

Indeed, despite the £22.5m-rated forward featuring for just 16 minutes, as well as making only five passes and touching the ball just 14 times, the 25-year-old nevertheless ended the game with one assist and one key pass to his name. He played an influential role in his side’s thrilling comeback, with late goals from Romain Saiss, Conor Coady and Ruben Neves securing a famous 3-2 win over Wolves’ West Midlands rivals.

As a result of his efforts, Podence earned a SofaScore match rating of 7.3 – with only Saiss and Neves receiving a higher score for Wolves on the day – while The Athletic journalist Tim Spiers claimed that the Portugal international’s introduction to the game finally saw Lage’s side showing signs of “intent” in the match.

While it is impossible to know whether or not Podence would have had the same impact if he had started ahead of Traore, it seems certain that the £60k-per-week winger will ultimately believe that his performance proved his manager wrong – a sentiment that we wouldn’t argue against.

In other news: “Huge” £51k-p/w Wolves target “able to leave” in January, he’d be a major coup for Shi

Dean Windass is confident that West Ham will sign Jesse Lingard before the transfer window closes later this month.

Lingard has been linked with a return to the London Stadium following his memorable loan spell during the second half of last season, with The Athletic claiming last month that he would cost £30m.

However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has previously said that Lingard is part of his plans for the current season despite the array of attacking players at his disposal.

Lingard featured heavily in pre-season, but a positive COVID-19 test saw him miss out on being involved in United’s opening-day victory over Leeds.

He was back in the frame at Southampton on Sunday – and made his first Premier League appearance for the Red Devils since the final day of the 2019-2020 campaign.

But Lingard played only the final five minutes, which suggests he’s some way down the pecking order, with both Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford to come back into the fold.

West Ham first-team coach Stuart Pearce recently told talkSPORT that West Ham are still interested in signing him, and Windass exclusively told FFC that he will return to east London:

“I think West Ham will do that. I just can’t see him being at Manchester United with Sancho coming in now, and you’ve still got Martial and Dan James.”

With just one Premier League win under their belt so far this season, there’s a big chance that Newcastle United’s new owners could dip into the January transfer market to try and give Toon manager Eddie Howe a boost to his squad by bringing some new faces in to turn their season around.

Looking ahead to next month, it seems as though PIF have their eye on bringing someone to St. James’ Park who a lot of Toon fans would recognise.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from AS, former Magpies midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum apparently wants to leave Paris Saint-Germain after just a few months at the club with a potential return to the Premier League on his mind.

The report also claims that Newcastle are the first team to show an interest in signing him from the French club.

Cabaye 2.0

During his time at the Tyneside club before moving to Liverpool, Wijnaldum made 40 appearances across all competitions, scoring 11 goals and providing five assists in the process.

Labelled as a “complete” player that is “unbeatable” on the pitch by Ryan Babel, Wijnaldum has started ten of the 20 games he’s appeared in for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, scoring three goals and providing one assist.

In terms of a potential return to Newcastle in January, this could be just what they need to get their season fully on track after only recently managing to secure their first league win of the season by bringing an experienced Premier League player with a knack for scoring goals into Howe’ side.

Even though he’s already played for Newcastle before, signing him again in January could see Wijnaldum become their next version of Yohan Cabaye, who they also signed from Ligue 1. Like the Dutchman, he also had a knack for scoring and providing goals from midfield by racking up 18 strikes and 14 assists in 93 appearances during his time with the Magpies.

With Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin scoring nine out of Newcastle’s 16 league goals between them this season, it would be good for Howe to have someone like Wijnaldum, who is currently valued at £27m according to Transfermarkt, in his squad that has the ability to carry the load in terms of goalscoring for the team.

Looking ahead to January, if PSG are willing to negotiate for a potential deal that would see Wijnaldum leave the club, then Newcastle and PIF should be doing everything they can to bring him back to St. James’ Park. He could just be their next Cabaye.

In other news: “We understand”: Craig Hope drops big NUFC transfer update that’ll delight fans…

Many Glasgow Rangers slammed the performance of Alfredo Morelos despite scoring in their 3-0 win at home to Dundee on Saturday afternoon.

In fairness, the Colombia international took his goal well, bulldozing his way through the visitors’ defence before slotting the ball into the net with his left foot.

However, some home fans were still frustrated by his overall performance, as he lost out on six of his duels and only scored once from his eight shots on goal in total (SofaScore).

He was also guilty of giving the ball away 13 times in the match, the joint-fifth most out of any of his teammates on the pitch (SofaScore), and hopefully the goal will give him confidence to perform better in their next fixture.

Rangers fans slam Morelos

These Gers fans slammed Morelos’ performance on Twitter, with one Light Blues supporter going as far as to claim that he was ‘awful’ today despite scoring:

“Morelos has had an absolute stinker here today!!! Awful”

Credit: @alston2_kev

“Morelos only tries in Europe, time for Alegria to step up to the 1st team”

Credit: @Giovani2021Ward

“No celebration when Rangers score from Morelos, body language is terrible. Still like a huffy child sometimes. His best has come and gone”

Credit: @AlanWyseDJ

“Morelos’ finishing is depressing.”

Credit: @Greg_1872

“Morelos’ body language is very lazy right now. Would hook him for Roofe at HT”

Credit: @rosscofaz

“Morelos is dreadful man”

Credit: @wullieboy78

In other news, find out whose display against Hibernian was slammed by some Gers fans

Leicester City are set to take on Premier League champions Manchester City at Wembley Stadium this evening in English football’s traditional curtain-raiser.

The Foxes will be aiming to secure just the second Community Shield crown in the club’s history, adding to their FA Cup success last season.

However, Brendan Rodgers will be without several key players for the trip to the capital, with the Northern Irishman ruling the likes of Nampalys Mendy, Jonny Evans, James Justin and Timothy Castagne out of action.

“Just the guys who haven’t been involved, the likes of Papy, Jonny, James Justin,” revealed the Leicester boss in yesterday’s press conference when asked about injury concerns.

“He’s come along well but is still a few months away. Timothy Castagne trained today. He was in his mask. He won’t be available, but he shouldn’t be too far away.”

They will join Wesley Fofana on the treatment table after the youngster suffered a suspected fractured fibula in a pre-season game against Villarreal.

With that in mind, this is how Football Fan Cast expects Rodgers to line his team up at Wembley, with two summer signings making their club debuts…

Leicester have made many changes to their first team squad in recent years, but one virtual ever-present has been Kasper Schmeichel between the sticks, and the dependable Dane is set to start for the Foxes once again against the Cityzens.

Ahead of Schmeichel, though, Rodgers will be forced to field a less familiar back four. Ryan Bertrand should make his debut at left-back, while Wilfried Ndidi could partner Caglar Soyuncu in the heart of defence due to an injury crisis.

Injuries to Justin and Castagne leave Ricardo Pereira as the club’s only natural right-back currently available, so the Portugal international is a guaranteed starter.

Ndidi’s possible move into the backline should open the door for Boubakary Soumare to make his first competitive start for the Midlands outfit following a £17m move from Lille.

The usually dependable duo of James Maddison and Youri Tielemans will make up the rest of the Leicester engine room, despite the pair being linked with moves away from the King Power Stadium in recent weeks.

In attack, the £18m-rated Kelechi Iheanacho may drop to the bench after starting Leicester’s last Premier League game of 2020/21, making room for the returning Harvey Barnes, Ayoze Perez and talisman Jamie Vardy to form a dynamic front three.

In other news… Rodgers must unleash “powerful” £17m gem vs Man City, he could be LCFC’s game-changer