All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

If you focus on Everton’s options in an offensive area, they only really have Dominic Calvert-Lewin of note when it comes to strikers.

The English forward was supreme last term, scoring the highest number of goals in his career to date by beating the goalkeeper on 21 occasions.

Not since Romelu Lukaku have the Toffees had such a ruthless player inside the penalty area.

However, if Everton are to secure a place back in European football, they will need to find more individuals capable of scoring goals.

One attacking player who could be on the move within the Premier League is Tammy Abraham. Everton were interested in the Chelsea star earlier this year but there are a number of team chasing his signature.

Atalanta in Serie A are in the race for Abraham while he’s also attracted Arsenal, Southampton and West Ham.

Described as a “phenomenal” player by Alex McLeish, the tall attacker could bring similar qualities to Merseyside that Calvert-Lewin has shown.

He is quick, hard-working, good in the air and a wonderful finisher. Analysis from Smarterscout reads: “He’s above average in aerial duels in open play and close to average on the dribble. He’s also a very good finisher with both his feet and his head in open play; he’s outperforming his expected goals, but he’s good value for it.”

This sounds similar to a player Rafa Benitez has enjoyed the pleasure of managing in the past; Fernando Morientes.

Benitez brought the Spanish gem to Liverpool back in 2005. He’d played a major hand in getting Monaco to a Champions League final and was ready to take the Premier League by storm.

However, he only managed 12 goals in 61 outings under the new Everton boss.

That said, his style of play is comparable to Abraham in a few ways. Former Real Madrid man Radomir Antic once said of Morientes: “He’s a versatile striker in that he can score goals in the box, but also outside it.

“He can hold up the ball, he’s exceptional in the air “

Meanwhile, the Madrid website has the following review: “At home in the penalty area, and fabulous in aerial play, he became the perfect ‘9’ to finish off his team’s forward thrusts.”

Abraham might not be a master of his craft quite yet like Morientes was but he’s just as clinical in front of goal.

He’s scored 30 times in 82 games for Chelsea and is excellent at holding the ball up, similar to how the bullish Spanish forward was.

It would take a sizeable offer to lure him away from other suitors but there’s no denying he’d be an excellent acquisition.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano delivers exciting Everton transfer update, fans surely buzzing…

Celtic’s transfer window is hotting up with Ange Postecoglou already welcoming two new faces at Parkhead.

Liam Shaw and Osaze Urhoghide have both arrived from south of the border but the Hoops must press on ahead of an important European qualification phase.

What’s the word?

One player on Celtic’s radar at the moment is Sheffield United defender George Baldock.

The wing-back was relegated with the Blades last term and could be on the move early in the window.

Baldock has attracted the interest of the Bhoys since 2019 but they are now stepping up their pursuit.

Sheffield Star reported last week that Celtic were willing to put £8m on the table after the transfer was sanctioned by Postecoglou.

However, in a fresh update from journalist Alan Nixon, he claims that Baldock might not come at a hefty price.

Responding to a supporter who was querying the price tag, he said; “it’s not fortunes.”

Exciting news

This is a double whammy of good news for Celtic supporters. The Hoops desperately need a right back and they need to find a way of saving funds.

Last week, the Star suggested that an £8m bid from the Glaswegian club would fall way short of the evaluation necessary before the Yorkshire club even contemplated doing business.

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However, Nixon’s claim appears to contradict the previous report. Celtic’s record transfer was the arrival of Odsonne Edouard for £9m from PSG back in 2018 and it would be difficult to see a deal usurping that.

Baldock to Celtic would surely surpass that fee and for a defender, it would be surprising if they made that outlay.

Possessing Premier League experience, the thought that he won’t cost a great deal should make fans excited.

At the moment, the club’s only right-backs to choose from would be Lee O’Connor, who spent last term on loan at Tranmere, or Anthony Ralston. He only played once in the entirety of 2020/21, meaning he shouldn’t really be first choice.

Baldock, on the other hand, would surely thrive in the Premiership. During his first campaign in the top-flight of English football, he contributed to five goals which built on an impressive Championship promotion-winning season.

Strong in the tackle, Baldock has completed 1.8 successful tackles per match throughout his career. That tally tops every player at Celtic last season excluding the tough-natured Ismaila Soro.

On that evidence, this should be stirring news for supporters. He is evidently an upgrade on the current options they have at their disposal.

AND in other news, Forget Griffiths: Ange must unleash “powerful” rarely-seen Celtic beast next season…

Glasgow Rangers fans were absolutely delighted with the performance of Glen Kamara during Finland’s 1-0 win over Denmark on Saturday.

Finland kicked off their Euro 2020 campaign, the first major tournament in their history, with a huge win thanks to a solitary Joel Pohjanpalo header. The game will, however, unfortunately, be remembered for the terrible incident involving Christian Eriksen, who collapsed to the floor in the first half and needed to be resuscitated. Fortunately, the Inter Milan playmaker is now recovering well from the ordeal (Sky).

The performance of Kamara, though, was one of the relative positives from the match. The 25-year-old marshalled the midfield fantastically, giving his side the best possible chance of victory. With a number of Premier League sides already interested in his services (The Daily Mail), the rumours are bound to continue after this display.

The Gers fans were absolutely delighted with what they saw from the former Arsenal youngster, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Kamara below

“Glen Kamara £50m player.”

Credit: @tarmstrong98

“Wee bit like a vintage Michael Mols turn”

Credit: @RangersInMyDNA

“He belongs tae us. 50k Glen Kamara. I said back when he was at Dundee, he was a great player. Bargain of the century”

Credit: @Ryan9519

“Buying Glen Kamara will be one of the best bits of business Rangers have ever done. Sadly he plays in Scotland, competing for caramel wafer and second-hand car trophies. This will undoubtedly affect any transfer fee for the boy. People shouting about £50m should be sectioned.”

Credit: @theprizeismine

“Popular opinion. The only player better in his position than Glen Kamara is N’Golo Kante.”

Credit: @Snid1989

“50 grand, 50 grand Glen Kamara. What a player”

Credit: @laingy9

In other news, Rangers fans were livid at this SPFL development.

Tottenham Hotspur remain keen on Marcel Sabitzer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to football.london reporter Rob Guest, who delivered a fresh update to supporters in a recent Q&A session on the website. When asked about interest in the RB Leipzig skipper, he said:

“He’s definitely a player Spurs like a lot. A move away from RB Leipzig could well happen this summer due to his contract status but he will have plenty of clubs to choose from if he can shine for Austria at Euro 2020.

“Spurs could do with bringing in a midfielder who can score and assist regularly but that’s down to Fabio Paratici to decide who they should bring in. He really could be a bargain buy for someone ahead of next season.”

Back in late March, German outlet Sport Bild (via GiveMeSport) claimed that there was a ‘75% chance’ that Sabitzer would join the North London outfit, with him set to cost in the region of €42m (£36m).

The Austrian midfielder was a key target for Jose Mourinho, who is expected to try and bring him to his new club, AS Roma. But reports in Italy have named Spurs as a ‘dangerous competitor’ despite the Portuguese moving on since the initial links.

Imagine him and Son

This would arguably be one of the signings of the summer, and just as Guest claims, Sabitzer is a “bargain buy” for someone out there. Truth be told, the Lilywhites have been crying out for his sort of presence in midfield for at least a year.

Since Christian Eriksen’s departure in January 2020, Spurs have lacked substantial goals and creativity from midfield. The Dane contributed 69 goals and 90 assists across 305 appearances, which is a direct contribution every 151 minutes.

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These are numbers that neither Tanguy Ndombele (a goal or assist every 267 minutes) or Giovani Lo Celso (a goal or assist every 334 minutes) have looked like matching in the time since his exit.

Sabitzer solves this thanks to his electric record, as well as his comparisons to the legendary former playmaker.

Since the start of the 2019/20 season, the Leipzig talisman has bagged 25 goals and provided 18 assists, which is a direct contribution every 151 minutes – exactly like Eriksen, who Get German Football News editor-in-chief Daniel Pinder believes Sabitzer is just like.

He told Football FanCast during an exclusive interview:

“I think he’d bring a lot to Tottenham. He’s very similar to Eriksen, he’s that sort of player that Spurs have been missing in midfield.”

Indeed, it’s why he’s been lauded as a “goal threat” by departing boss Julian Nagelsmann and likened to David Beckham for his set-piece ability.

Dubbed the ‘mentality monster’, it is the sort of signing that would help Spurs bolster their claims to get on track next season and with Harry Kane wanting to leave, Sabitzer could be a very teasing option to stay.

Just imagine the damage he could do with the Austria international and Heung-min Son behind him, having broken Premier League records with just the South Korean last term.

Paratici must look to secure Sabitzer as one of his top priorities this summer.

AND in other news, Spurs set for huge boost as Romano drops exciting update, fans surely buzzing…

Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield does not think Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish is a priority for Manchester United anymore.

United recently confirmed that they had agreed a deal with Borussia Dortmund to sign another attacker in Jadon Sancho.

Meanwhile, their rivals Manchester City continue to be linked with a move for the £58.5m-rated Villa captain, with Sky Sports reporting that a bid could be launched after the Euros.

The Red Devils have registered an interest in Grealish in the past. Last year, The Sun reported that the club were ready to offer the player a big contract as they looked to prize him away from Villa Park.

However, in the end, nothing materialised, and Hatfield is expecting a similar theme this summer.

“I think City are the big one at the moment just because reports have kind of surfaced that they are interested in him,” the Aston Villa journalist told FFC.

“Man United was obviously the big one last season. It looks like they’ve kind of changed their tack a little bit. Jadon Sancho looks to be coming through the door there.

“He plays a similar position, obviously on the wing, normally on the other side for Dortmund.”

Indeed, with Sancho seemingly in the bag, you would expect United to perhaps look at other areas rather than at another wide man or attacking midfielder.

And they look to be doing just that, with reports emerging about interest in Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane.

Serie A expert Conor Clancy has criticised Fabio Paratici ahead of his possible appointment as Sporting Director at Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs are reported to be in talks with the former Juventus supremo, who oversaw the club’s recruitment in recent years, as they look to appoint Antonio Conte as their new manager.

The pair worked together while Conte was at Juve, between 2011 and 2014, and it seems as though negotiations to bring the pair in are ongoing.

Paratici joined Juve in 2010 and spent a total of 11 years at the club, but Clancy, who is the editor-in-chief for Forza Italian Football, has criticised his record when it comes to both bringing players in and moving them out.

Indeed, Joao Cancelo and Miralem Pjanic are two players Juve moved on, to be replaced, relatively unsuccessfully, by Danilo and Arthur respectively.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Clancy said: “It’s unbelievable that they had Joao Cancelo there, they let him go for Danilo. They had Miralem Pjanic who was one of the best midfielders in Italy and Europe.

“They did a weird swap deal with Barcelona that has worked out for neither Juventus nor Barcelona nor either of the players.

“And he [Paratici] has proven himself incapable of selling. He had all of these players on huge wages.”

It remains to be seen what kind of power Paratici is afforded if he does move to Spurs, though reports suggest it will place the job of Steve Hitchen, their current technical performance director, in doubt.

Aston Villa have emerged as contenders to sign Fulham midfielder Zambo Anguissa this summer.

What’s the story?

Following the Cottagers’ relegation from the Premier League last weekend, it would be no surprise to see a few, if not many, of the club’s best players leave the London side over the course of the summer transfer window.

And, according to The Daily Mail, Dean Smith’s Villa side are monitoring developments over Anguissa ahead of a potential move, with Fulham braced for offers for many of their key men.

The report adds that the 25-year-old is likely to be one of those players sold following confirmation of Fulham’s relegation, while Villa are also set to face competition from the likes of Arsenal and Everton.

Upgrade on Douglas Luiz

A combative midfielder who has been one of the shining lights of Fulham’s season, Anguissa’s performances this campaign have been very impressive, and appears tailor-made to be a real upgrade on Douglas Luiz at Villa Park.

Joachim Andersen, his teammate at Fulham, has raved about about the £22.5m-rated powerhouse, saying: “He’s a top player. He’s a machine in the midfield. He’s winning so many balls and driving forward with it.”

And, Toni Conceicao, his coach for Cameroon, said: “He’s a quality player. In football, the collective is the most important, so you have to have players that work for the team. And although Anguissa is not a Messi or Ronaldo, he’s a player that has a lot of capacity to influence the match. He brings a lot of tactical culture and rigour to the team.

“He has got a really good passing ability, long and short, and is one of those players that makes the team tick without necessarily being the standout. As a coach and with all due respect to Fulham, which I know is a great club, Anguissa can reach an even higher level.”

And, when you compare the key stats between Anguissa and Luiz, it’s the former who comes out on top.

As per Whoscored, he is defensively far stronger than his Brazilian counterpart, averaging more tackles and interceptions per game in the Premier League, and also committing far fewer fouls too – something Villa fans will be relieved to know after Luiz’s mindless challenge to give away a penalty against Manchester United at the weekend.

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And, as Andersen said, Anguissa is also adept at driving the ball forward, averaging a whopping 2.7 dribbles per game – far higher than Luiz, and actually only slightly below Jack Grealish with 2.8 in the entire Villa squad.

At 25, Anguissa seems like the dream Luiz upgrade and a player Villa must surely sign this summer.

Meanwhile, Villa have been handed a major boost that will have Dean Smith buzzing…

Speaking to Sky Sports (via Football Daily), David Ornstein of the Athletic has shared a potential ‘glimmer of hope’ for Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane as he allegedly seeks an exit from north London this summer. 

The Lowdown: Kane exit saga dominates the media

Since Sky Sports lifted the lid on Kane’s reiterated desire to leave Tottenham, there have been no shortage of reports linking clubs to the forward.

Indeed, Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are the Premier League sides watching him closely, meanwhile one unnamed club abroad is said to be ‘extremely interested’ and have even ‘been in touch’ (Sky Sports via Football Daily).

Judging by it’s start, it seems as if the Kane saga looks set to be with us all summer long.

The Latest: Ornstein shares ‘glimmer of hope’ for Kane

While there are sides eyeing a move and Kane allegedly wants to quit, all the cards are held by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

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However, Ornstein, speaking to Sky (via Football Daily), has shared a ‘glimmer of hope’ for Kane when it comes to him potentially sealing an exit.

“If he’s going to win major trophies, he’s going to have to leave Tottenham,” explained the journalist.

“But, he’s under contract until 2024, so it’s going to be incredibly difficult – it seems like he’ll keep positioning himself, he’ll keep making some public statements here and there.

“One thing I do think is that’s really upsetting the Tottenham hierarchy.

“They’re not happy with his conduct at all, and perhaps that presents a tiny chink of light, a glimmer of hope if Harry Kane is going to move away.”

The Verdict: Won’t be enough…

As Ornstein went on to explain, Levy will not drop his asking price for anybody, meaning a move away for Kane in 2021 looks far more unlikely than possible.

It is even claimed that Spurs could demand an eye-watering £200 million for the Englishman and any club would surely be priced out of a move (Eurosport).

Even City, who are touted as favourites, would have to more than triple their club-record transfer to sign Kane if around £200m is what Spurs are demanding.

Given Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland will be available for just €75 million (£64.5 million) in June 2022 thanks to a release clause (CBS Sports), the Sky Blues could feasibly bide their time and sign the Norwegian over Kane next year.

This would deal a hammer blow to the 27-year-old’s hopes of leaving Spurs, with the only other likely option remaining arguably Paris-Saint Germain and a reunion with Mauricio Pochettino.

As Levy holds all the aces, Kane could be set for a big battle behind the scenes.

In other news: Spurs could now be offered this £250,000-per-week star who Carrick called ‘unplayable’, find out more here.

Manchester United’s transfer plans have suffered a major blow after it was revealed that Ajax appear to have beaten them to the signing of FC Nordsjælland forward Kamaldeen Sulemana.

What’s the story?

According to De Telegraaf journalist Mike Verweij (as reported by Soccer News), the Eredivisie champions have seen off competition from the Red Devils for Sulemana’s signature.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is attempted to assemble a title-winning squad after finishing second in the Premier League last season, but he’ll have to do so without the 19-year-old sensation.

Solskjaer will be gutted

The Old Trafford outfit made decent progress in the recently concluded campaign, achieving consecutive top-four finishes for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

However, there is still a lot of work left to be done if the 20-time English champions want to return to their former glories.

A big summer is, therefore, expected in the red half of Manchester, with the likes of Harry Kane, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane regularly being linked in recent weeks.

Another name that has reportedly attracted strong interest from the United hierarchy is Sulemana. The Ghana international had an impressive 2020/21 campaign, bagging 10 goals and providing eight assists in just 30 appearances for Flemming Pedersen’s side.

Trusting young players in the starting XI and rewarding them with regular game time is part of United’s identity, and under Solskjaer, that characteristic of the club has come back to the fore.

Several academy graduates such as Mason Greenwood, Brandon Williams and Dean Henderson have made their senior debuts under the Norwegian’s reign, but it seems as though Sulemana has opted for Amsterdam instead.

His decision is likely to leave Solskjaer gutted as the £8.1 million rated prodigy could have added some strength in depth at a very reasonable price.

With the pandemic limiting the club’s transfer kitty, picking up any potential bargains could be crucial to United’s success next season, and they’ve already missed out on the first one of the window.

Bringing in Sancho would more than compensate for this particular disappointment, although it’s possible Sulemana could develop into a superstar with similar status at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

And, in other news…Major revelation emerges over MUFC target with an “amazing future”, Ole will be gutted 

Dean Windass has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that he expects Liverpool to go after a “bigger name” than Ollie Watkins.

Following his impressive first campaign in the Premier League, recent reports believe that the Reds are keen on bringing the former Brentford man to Anfield this summer to bolster their misfiring attack, with Jurgen Klopp describing him as “undefendable” following his team’s 7-2 defeat at Villa Park earlier in the campaign.

Watkins, who is Villa’s only outfield ever-present player this season, is the club’s top scorer having notched 12 goals in his 30 Premier League appearances.

Seven of those goals have come against sides in the traditional top-six, four of which were against Liverpool, including a incredible first-half hat-trick in the 7-2 mauling over the Reds back in October.

Despite his form, Windass has raised concerns over Watkins’ lack of Premier League experience, and doesn’t think Liverpool to pursue a deal for the Villa frontman.

He told The Transfer Tavern:

“I can’t see it happening. He’s done great, he’s done absolutely fantastic.

“First season in the Premier League, you’re a young boy, you’re going to play every week. Is he going to play at Liverpool?

“I’m not saying he’s a bad player, because he’s done unbelievable since he left Brentford. The proof will be in the pudding, can he do it next year? He’s got 12 goals, which is an unbelievable return for a club like that. I can’t see that happening, if Firmino leaves, I think they’ll got for a better player and a bigger name.”