All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

West Brom find themselves second-from-bottom going into this weekend’s crucial Premier League tie against Sheffield United, but might their fortunes have been more favourable had they signed Andre Ayew?

What was the word?

Ahead of the summer domestic deadline, the Baggies were linked with a move for the Ghanian forward by the Daily Mail, who claimed he had emerged as a potential late target for a host of top-flight teams.

Ayew rejoined Swansea City in the summer of 2018 for a club-record £18m having left them two years earlier to link up with Albion boss Slaven Bilic at West Ham.

It’s no wonder the Croatian wanted to work with him again…

One that got away?

The 30-year-old continues to be a crucial cog in Steve Cooper’s attack having scored six goals in 11 starts so far this campaign. He has also provided one assist and is averaging 3.3 shots, 2.3 dribbles and 1.2 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

Ayew has split time between playing as a centre-forward as well as a right-winger, the position he primarily played under Bilic at the Hammers.

This is also a role that Albion are particularly weak in with natural no.10 Matheus Pereira often being deployed there over the likes of Matty Phillips, Kyle Edwards and Kamil Grosicki.

You’d imagine that the veteran, who has bags of experience in the Premier League (89 appearances), would’ve been a shoo-in to start there for West Brom.

Ayew is someone who Bilic rates “very highly” having dubbed him a “game-changer” during their time at the Irons, and that theme has continued into this season after newly-appointed Sheffield Wednesday boss Tony Pulis was left in awe at his impact last week.

Former Baggies starlet Yan Dhanda is also a huge fan, speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “Andre is a goalscorer. He scores goals, and if you put the ball in the box nine times out of 10 Andre is going to be in the right position and he is going to score.”

Experienced, prolific and creative – you can’t help but feel for Albion as they could’ve done with a player of this calibre right now. Sporting director Luke Dowling clearly made a massive mistake in not signing the tricky wide man this summer.

Perhaps they ought to revisit the deal in January to try and salvage their place in the English top-flight.

AND in other news, West Brom can strike a killer blow to their relegation rivals this January…

Many Aston Villa fans have reacted to an image shared by club captain Jack Grealish alongside former striker Tammy Abraham.

22-year-old striker Abraham moved to Villa Park on a season long loan two summers ago and played a big part in the Midlands club’s promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.

Netting an impressive 26 goals in 41 games for Villa, Abraham returned to parent club Chelsea last summer where he has gone on to feature regularly under Frank Lampard.

A good return of 15 Premier League goals for the Blues last season was impressive from the youngster but his future is now under question as the London based club welcome new signing Timo Werner this summer.

With his future under question, Birmingham LIVE reported last month that Abraham had turned down a new contract offer from Chelsea, which would certainly capture the interest of Villa given his previous ties.

On the back of that there have been questions over whether Villa could make a return move for the striker, including on the Claret and Blue podcast. Now, Grealish’s post is likely to spark further rumours as he shared a photo alongside his ex-teammate with the caption: “That’s my brother y’naaa #secretagent.”

Reacting to the image of Grealish and Abraham via Twitter account @villareport, fans shared their excitement…

Do you think Abraham could return to Villa Park? Let us know in the comments section below…

Liverpool cult hero Divock Origi looks like he will remain at Anfield for a little while longer, with the remainder of his contract lasting until 2024.

According to David Lynch (relayed via @AnfieldEdition), the Belgium international looks likely to stay with the Reds. Grabbing a goal against Lincoln City in last night’s Carabao Cup may have been the deciding factor for Jurgen Klopp.

Origi, now valued at £14.4million by Transfermarkt, has been with the Merseyside outfit since 2014 after joining from Lille. He has since been loaned back to the French side and also enjoyed a spell with Wolfsburg back in 2017.

The Liverpool fanbase is divided over the idea of Origi staying with the club, especially with Rhian Brewster seemingly headed for a permanent move away.

One supporter has replied to the news saying ‘please no’, seemingly disheartened by his four goals in 28 league appearances last season. However, another is pleased that Origi will be staying and has described it as ‘wonderful news’. Indeed, he is a cult hero with some fans following his goals against Barcelona and Tottenham which helped the club win the Champions League in 18/19.

Read more replies from the Twitter selection here:

Are you happy to see Divock Origi stay at Liverpool? Join the conversation in the comments below!

Manchester United currently look like one of the most potent attacking forces in England, having become the first team in Premier League history to win four consecutive games by three goals or more after their 3-0 demolition of Aston Villa.

Bruno Fernandes has been arguably the Premier League’s best player during this time, winning back to back Player of the Month awards, while Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood have banged in eight goals between them in their last four league matches.

It’s hard to imagine the Red Devils’ attack getting even better, but that could soon be the case if one reported transfer comes to fruition.

Of course, one of the biggest transfer rumours of the past few months has been Jadon Sancho’s potential move to Old Trafford, but with United looking to pay no more than £50m for the Dortmund winger, that one reportedly may not get over the line.

The Athletic are now reporting that their attention may shift away from Sancho towards Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele, and if they land the Frenchman their attack may become nigh on unstoppable.

It’s not often you find a player who can use both feet with equal effectiveness, but if United sign the 23-year-old they will have two players who are truly two-footed.

Indeed, the Barcelona winger has previously made headlines for saying that he’s left-footed, but shoots better with his right, while Greenwood is a natural lefty who is so comfortable with his supposed weaker foot that he actually takes penalties with his right.

If those two lined up in the same team on opposite wings, defenders across Europe would have a serious headache in trying to defend against them, as they would be able to attack from all angles, shooting, crossing and passing with either foot with equal effectiveness.

It’s not as if the dynamism of being two-footed is all Greenwood and Dembele have to offer either.

Watch Manchester United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Greenwood has netting nine Premier League goals despite only being 18 years old, while the former Rennes winger was deemed to be worth £135.5m by Barcelona just three years ago.

Dembele and Greenwood lining up alongside either Martial or Marcus Rashford is truly a frightening prospect, and it’s hard to imagine how any defence would go about stopping them, especially when you consider the talents of Fernandes and Paul Pogba working in the midfield behind them.

It is no secret that Everton are desperate for midfield additions this summer and they could land themselves a box-to-box dream in Abdoulaye Doucoure.

What’s the word?

According to the Evening Standard, the Toffees have already failed with a bid for the relegated Watford star with the offer falling short of their £25m valuation.

It’s claimed that the Merseysiders have a long-standing interest in the French midfielder and they are expected to return with a new bid in due course.

Doucoure is even open to a move to Goodison Park so personal terms aren’t expected to be an issue.

Pogba-esque midfielder

Everton do appear to be closing in on Napoli enforcer Allan, but their spending shouldn’t stop there as Doucoure could be the perfect compliment in a 4-3-3 system.

The 27-year-old has been likened to Man Utd superstar Paul Pogba by Owen Hargreaves in the past, claiming that “He’s got goals, he’s got assists he’s so athletic. He’s got that frame of Paul Pogba, he’s got a good touch and he can finish.”

Despite being relegated with the Hornets this season, Doucoure was one of the few bright sparks. He provided four goals and two assists and displayed those box-to-box capabilities in averaging 1.7 tackles, 1.6 shots and 1.1 dribbles per appearance, via WhoScored.

These are characteristics that neither Andre Gomes, Gylfi Sigurdsson or Tom Davies possess in the Toffees squad.

In addition, Jamie Redknapp believes that Doucoure is one of the most “underrated” players in the Premier League, and it’s these sort of players that Ancelotti should be targeting.

With Allan sat at the base of a three-man midfield, the 6-foot Frenchman could be deployed next to Gomes in the same way that Pogba has played alongside Nemanja Matic and Fred at Old Trafford.

Whilst £25m is hardly a scratch above the surface in this day and age. Doucoure would be a steal so Marcel Brands must pull out all the stops to convince Farhad Moshiri to stump up the cash this summer.

AND in other news, Toffees could land some much-needed creativity with bargain swoop for World Cup STAR…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

While Wolverhampton Wanderers are enjoying another season at the top, the same can’t be said for one of their contracted players.

The west Midlanders are sitting pretty in sixth place while they have advanced into the knockout stages of the Europa League – they’ve only been back in the Premier League for 18 months.

Despite possessing a small squad, only 19 players have been used domestically, manager Nuno Santo still sent over a handful of players out on loan, including striker Rafa Mir who has been plying his trade across the Midlands at Nottingham Forest.

It would be fair to suggest that it hasn’t gone to plan whatsoever. The Reds do indeed favour the prolific Lewis Grabban, but whenever the 22-year-old has been given a chance, he’s been perpetually wasteful.

Per Transfermarkt, in 13 appearances, four of which are starts, Mir has failed to get on the scoresheet leading to fans blasting him in the past.

According to reports emerging in Spain this week, his time at the City Ground seems ‘certain’ to end in January with the club looking at other targets in the striking department.

El Periodico de Aragon also claim that this has alerted La Liga 2 outfit Real Zaragoza after they failed to clinch him in the summer.

Valued at just £2.7m by Transfermarkt, Mir’s time at Molineux could be fully over before it has even started, he’s played just four times for the senior side and if he can’t cut it in the second tier of English football, then what hope does he have if Wolves are to become a regular presence in Europe.

Instead of shipping him out on loan again, Nuno should look to sell him for the benefit of his career as he’s clearly not going to get ahead of Raul Jimenez or Patrick Cutrone this season let alone in the future.

His disastrous time in England is quite astonishing considering La Liga heavyweights Real Madrid were once in for his services, maybe that alone could garner some interest if he were to be put on the trading block.

No clues: Can you name all of these Premier League icons? Test your knowledge below…

Meanwhile, fans have been discussing the possibility of Raul Jimenez being available for €100m…

Plenty of Newcastle United fans have been lauding a claim about the prospective takeover in the North East from The Shields Gazette following responses on their weekly feature ‘Toon Trending Topic’ from a couple of their writers.

Journalists Liam Kennedy and Jordan Cronin were asked a variety of questions about the proposed deal between Mike Ashley and the Saudi-led consortium and came up with some answers that were lauded by several members of the Toon faithful.

For example, when asked if they believe that the deal will get the ‘green light’, Kennedy claimed: “I have seen or heard absolutely nothing to suggest it will not be given the green light. It is my understanding the piracy issues were ironed out a little while back.”

Indeed, issues with the piracy television channel beoutQ were raised by the World Trade Organization (WTO), who ruled that Saudi Arabia were behind the service, which also provides streaming that offers illegal access to sporting events, including games from the Premier League, as per The Guardian.

However, Kennedy suggests that these issues were dealt with a while ago, leading some NUFC supporters to laud his claim.

One Magpie even said that he is ‘confident it will be announced tomorrow’ after reading the claims, but only time will tell if he is correct.

Check out the rest of the reaction on Twitter:

Geordies, do you think the takeover will be announced soon? Comment below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to FCinternews.it, Liverpool have requested information about Sebastiano Esposito over the past 12 months.

What’s the story?

17-year-old Esposito has broken into the Internazionale first-team squad under Antonio Conte, with him having picked up five appearances already this campaign.

[ad_pod ]

As such, the Serie A side are looking to offer the striker a five-year contract to ward off international interest. PSG, Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund have all been mentioned alongside Liverpool as clubs who have been eyeing the teenager.

What message does it send to Brewster?

Italy U19 international Esposito is clearly a talent. Last season, he bagged 31 times for the club’s various youth teams, and also has two goals in three appearances for the Azzurri at his age level. Although the Italian side would look for a fee larger than his current Transfermarkt value of £4.5m, he would still come as something of a bargain.

Check out footballers’ biggest fashion disasters in the video below…

However, Liverpool already have a youngster at their disposal who is waiting for his chance in the first team. Rhian Brewster was prevented from going out on loan during the summer despite asking Jurgen Klopp as the former Dortmund manager wanted him to be a part of his first-team squad. Up until now, he only has two appearances in all competitions this term, and there has even been talk of him making a loan move in January.

This, in itself, would be a change of tune from the 52-year-old boss. What kind of message would bringing in an unproven yet clearly talented youngster send to the 19-year-old Red? It would unlikely do his confidence, which has potentially already been hit, any good, and there is every chance he could be disillusioned moving forward.

It makes sense for the Anfield outfit to look towards the future, but that should not come at a detriment to those players already at their disposal. Considering Esposito has achieved nothing in the senior game, Liverpool would be best served giving this one a miss.

Meanwhile, Liverpool fans love one man’s performance against Napoli.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Spurs face Wolves this weekend in a game that has taken on huge significance, and one man will have to be stopped.

On the chalkboard

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have risen up the league in recent weeks and months and are currently sixth in the Premier League, one point and one place ahead of Jose Mourinho’s Spurs.

The game at Molineux on Sunday, then, is a big one; Wolves could propel themselves into top-four contention with a victory, while Spurs need to stay in touch with fourth-placed Chelsea, whom they are currently six points behind.

One man who will be key for Santo’s side is Joao Moutinho.

The 33-year-old has played in every single league game for Wolves thus far this season and is their creative hub.

No clues whatsoever: Which seasons do these iconic Spurs images belong to?

Thus far this season, he has scored one goal and provided four assists in the league but, more than that, he is a clever and dynamic presence in the heart of midfield.

Per WhoScored, he averages three tackles per game, 1.7 interceptions and 1.5 fouls, suggesting he is not afraid to break up the play with a tactical concession.

Offensively, he averages 1.9 key passes per game along with 1.8 crosses, 3.8 long balls and a pass completion rate of 85.2%.

If Spurs can stop him getting on the ball, and also find a way to get around him, they will stand a much better chance of picking up an important three points on Sunday.

Ageless

Moutinho’s performances belie his 33 years.

He has, thus far this season, played in every Premier League game, every Europa League game and every Europa League qualification game.

That adds up to 27 games played or over 2,200 minutes of football.

That he remains so key and so metronomic is a testament to his ability to take the game slowly and trust his reading of the game.

Spurs, famously, attempted to sign him in 2012 while Andre Villas-Boas was manager to replace Luka Modric.

The Telegraph reported at the time that Spurs had agreed a £24m fee for the player – which would have been a club-record – but that they missed out “by minutes”.

This weekend, they will have to stop the player they were so keen to sign or risk losing further ground in the race to qualify for the Champions League.

Meanwhile, one Spurs ace’s deficiencies were on full show against Burnley.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Despite their lack of depth at centre-back, Leeds United have been hesitant to open up talks with Gaetano Berardi for a new contract.

This could mean a couple of things, either the Whites have someone lined up who they’re looking to sign, or Marcelo Bielsa trusts one of the young players in their ranks to make the step up to the first-team.

The latter scenario could well be true, and that man could be Oliver Casey.

Casey’s ability

Bielsa hasn’t been shy to get youth players involved in first-team action when he thinks they’re good enough.

Last season Jamie Shackleton and Jack Clarke both appeared over 20 times in the league, and this term we’ve seen Leif Davis make a real impact when he’s appeared in the first team as he’s drawn comparisons to Gareth Bale.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that Casey is the next in line to receive a first-team chance.

The teenager was included in the 19-man squad against QPR this weekend, and Marcelo Bielsa has previously pinpointed him as a youngster to look out for when Liam Cooper was injured.

The Argentine doesn’t just hand out that praise to anybody, so it’s fair to assume that the teenager is a rather talented individual.

Why being the away goalkeeper at Leeds is the toughest job in football in the video below…

Berardi’s new deal

If Casey does emerge before the end of this season and shows signs of being a decent player then Leeds would be justified in their decision to not hand a new contract to Berardi.

Although he’s been a great servant to the club, the Swiss defender can be a bit of a liability – earning seven red cards.

If Bielsa feels that he’s got a man who can adequately replace him already at the club you can understand why he wouldn’t want to offer him a new contract.

Whether or not the 31-year-old is eventually offered new terms remains to be seen, but if Casey bursts onto the scene in the near future that may be even more unlikely.

It really does feel like Berardi is fighting for his future in west Yorkshire.