All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Leeds United have confirmed that Tyler Roberts has signed a new three-year contract to stay at Elland Road.

What’s the story?

The Wales international, who was named as a member of his country’s EUROs squad, played 28 times for Marcelo Bielsa’s side in all competitions last season, including featuring in the final 16 Premier League games.

And, speaking after confirmation of his new contract, Roberts himself said: “To be rewarded and go into the future with this club is definitely a proud moment for me and a great feeling.

“It was great to be a part of it, playing in the big games and battling with the best, was a great experience. I want to get more goals and become an even more important part of the team. I’m excited to see the fans back in the stadium next season, I’ll be working hard to make sure I’m at my best and to show them even more than I have.”

Bielsa will be buzzing

While Roberts hardly set the world alight at Elland Road last season – he managed just one goal and provided two assists – there’s no questioning that the Welshman became someone who Bielsa came to rely upon, particularly in the latter stages of the campaign.

From mid-February to early May, the 22-year-old started 12 consecutive games in the Premier League, and Bielsa himself was very open in his praise of the forward.

He said: “He has played many games in a row and has shown he has the resources to justify his starting position in the team. He has virtues that are very difficult to find in football at the moment. He has all the resources necessary to unbalance offensively and still has a lot to grow to make these attempts useful and efficient.”

The hope will be that now that he has signed a new long-term contract and his future at Elland Road is all settled, Roberts will be able to kick on and really realise his full potential next season.

But having made him an integral part of his first-team squad, Bielsa will be absolutely buzzing to see the Welshman commit his future to the club.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/leeds-united-marcelo-bielsa-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-elland-road-rodrigo-de-paul” title=”Read the latest Leeds transfer rumours and news!”]

This news emerging from Thorp Arch is very exciting for Bielsa.

Meanwhile, Marcelo Bielsa must unleash this starlet next season…

Aston Villa transfer target Geoffrey Kondogbia looks likely to stay at Atletico Madrid this summer, according to journalist Jacque Talbot.  

The Lowdown: Gerrard scouting trip

Steven Gerrard is making preparations ahead of his first full season in charge in the Midlands, with midfield reinforcements seemingly high on his wish list.

The Villa manager personally made the trip to the Wanda Metropolitano earlier this month to watch Kondogbia in action against Manchester City.

Villa view the 29-year-old as a serious target and the club are thought to be confident of getting a deal over the line, but a worrying update has now emerged.

The Latest: Talbot’s post on Kondogbia

Talbot took to Twitter on Monday to share an update on Kondogbia for TEAMtalk, revealing that it seems probable that the midfielder will stay in Spain unless Villa were to come forward with ‘a massive offer’.

The reporter tweeted: “Have been told Geoffrey Kondogbia will likely remain at Atletico Madrid unless Aston Villa come in with a massive offer.”

The Verdict: Kamara is an alternative

Kondogbia isn’t the only midfielder Gerrard has recently watched live, with the Villa manager, Johan Lange and Christian Purslow all looking at Marseille’s Boubacar Kamara.

The 22-year-old is out of contract at the end of June, so Villa may well look to secure his services on a pre-contract agreement after this update on Kondogbia.

Kamara is primarily a defensive midfielder who can also line out at centre-back and is valued at £22.5m, so a free transfer to Villa Park could be a shrewd move given the concerning update from Talbot on Kondogbia.

In other news: Gerrard and Villa chiefs eyeing move for new defender with same agent as four AVFC players

Football FanCast broke the news exclusively on Wednesday evening that Everton’s priority in the upcoming transfer window was to sign a right midfielder.

With Theo Walcott and Bernard linked with the exit door, it would leave the Toffees a little short in wide areas.

With that in mind, we’ve focused upon viable solutions to Everton’s problem this summer.

Amazing Antony

One player who Everton should look to sign is dazzling Ajax winger Antony. The Brazilian became the most expensive signing in Eredivise history last year when he penned terms on a deal from Sao Paulo that was worth in the region of €28.8m (£24.9m).

South American’s sometimes struggle to make an immediate impact on European shores but he has been electric for the Dutch giants since arriving. Antony has nine goals and ten assists this season, proving to be a superb replacement for Hakim Ziyech who left for Chelsea.

There is a lot to like about the 21-year-old’s game, and if Everton does sign him, he could be game-changing for a certain Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The striker has been imperious throughout the current campaign and now has 20 goals in all competitions. A tremendous header of the ball, he could prosper from the rate at which Antony creates opportunities to score.

The Brazil youth international is a classic inside forward. Playing on the right-hand side, he takes the ball inside with his left foot before playing a deep cross towards the back post. Throughout 2020/21, Antony has completed 5.21 crosses per 90 minutes.

That ranks him as one of the best crossers in the whole of Dutch football, ranking at just over 96% out of 100. This could be an absolute dream for Calvert-Lewin, an attacker who has scored seven of his 15 league goals this season with his head.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-everton-transfer-news-coutinho-ancelotti-hawng-sarr” title=”Read the latest Everton transfer news!”]

When it comes to chance creation, there are few inside forwards better than Antony in the Netherlands. The youngster is ranked over 96% again for key passes; 1.21 per 90 minutes.

Hailing from Brazil, you’d expect him to be a tricky winger and that’s exactly the danger with which he’d provide Carlo Ancelotti at Everton. Blessed with captivating energy and speed, he completes 4.77 dribbles per 90 minutes, which puts his percentage rank at 93.6%.

This type of attribute is duly backed up by analysis on Dutch television show Veronica Insider. Wim Kieft commented: “I think this boy is so good. He’s also very young. What I like to see about him is that he uses his speed. He often comes in where he has doubts, but if there is room and he leaves, then he cannot be stopped. It also has a time control over the speed. In addition to being talented, he also has power in his game.”

His colleague Johan Derksen added. “As a left-back you have sleepless nights if you have to play against him the next day. If he has any space, he’ll wipe you out of the game altogether. These other Ajax players only offered themselves so close to him that there really was no way to go.”

Antony is a captivating individual, someone whose key attacking attributes are some of the most impressive around. He is ranked at 95.2% out of 100 for assists per 90 and 92% for goals per 90 minutes.

He’d be perfect for Calvert-Lewin and the entire Toffees squad, and they must consider him in a few months’ time.

AND in other news, Everton must swoop for £250k-p/w gem Ancelotti dubbed “dangerous”…

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…

An update has emerged regarding Sheffield Wednesday’s future plans for Dominic Iorfa.

What’s the talk?

According to Sheffield Star reporter Joe Crann, the club are preparing to offer a new contract to the centre-back.

The former Wolves man is out of contract at the end of the season and the Owls are now attempting to secure his future with a fresh agreement.

Fans will be buzzing

Wednesday fans will be buzzing with this update as it shows ambition from the club to tie down their better players to new contracts instead of losing key assets for nothing. This follows on from Josh Windass putting pen to paper on an extension at Hillsborough earlier this week, showing that the Owls are serious about retaining their top talents in the long-term and short-term.

Iorfa missed the majority of Wednesday’s relegation campaign last term as he was restricted to just 10 appearances and nine starts in the Championship. He showed fans exactly what they were missing in his return to the team on the opening day of this season, as he put in a superb performance against Charlton in League One last weekend.

Darren Moore’s side were held to a 0-0 draw by the Addicks, with Iorfa receiving a WhoScored rating of 7.28 for his display at the back. He made three tackles, one interception and seven clearances, whilst also winning six aerial battles. This was a glimpse of what he is capable of in the third tier, which is why securing his future could be crucial for the club.

Last season, Moore hailed Iorfa as a big player for the Owls upon his return from injury. He told the club’s official website: “To see Dominic Iorfa back today is wonderful.

“We wanted to give him 20 minutes today and that’s him off and running now. He’s back in full contact training, he’s been itching to get out there.

“Really it’s been us holding back the reins on him but it’s wonderful to have him back, he’s a big player for us.”

This emphasises the £8.4k-per-week enforcer’s importance to Wednesday and shows why keeping him beyond the end of the 2021/22 season could be crucial. If he can continue to produce exceptional performances at centre-back, as he did against Charlton, then he could help the club to return to the Championship at the first time of asking, as it would give Moore a solid defensive base upon which to build his team.

AND in other news, Ominous update emerges on “improving” 24y/o that could leave SWFC fans anxious…

Tottenham Hotspur are still looking to formally select their next managerial appointment and it’s believed that Erik ten Hag is still in the running…

What’s the word?

That’s according to The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke, who claims the 51-year-old is ‘a leading contender’ for the Spurs job despite signing a new two-year contract at his current club, Ajax.

This ties in with information from Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

He suggested that the Dutchman did not reject an approach from the North London outfit after their attentions turned to him following setbacks over Julian Nagelsmann and Brendan Rodgers.

Dream appointment?

Pitt-Brooke also states that the other names in the running are former RB Leipzig man Ralf Rangnick, current Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez and Graham Potter of Brighton.

Of all these candidates, it is easy to see why ten Hag would be a front-runner. He’s certainly a mouth-watering prospect for what Levy is looking for – he could even be his dream hire.

The Guardian believe the Lilywhites chairman is on the lookout for an ‘attack-minded’ coach that has ‘strong credentials in the development of young players.’

Almost as if they were looking for Mauricio Pochettino, mark two.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-managerial-latest-update-transfer-rumours-gossip” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, managerial gossip, transfer rumours and more!”]

Ten Hag has just clinched his second Eredivisie title in Amsterdam, where he holds a mightily impressive 73.6% win rate since being appointed in December 2017.

His playing style has been described as ‘Total Football 2.0’ and takes inspiration from two huge influences on his coaching career, Pep Guardiola and Johan Cruyff.

That would certainly tick one box for Levy.

The 51-year-old has also seen the progression of many a young player, and eventually raking in huge profits for Ajax, as a result.

Frenkie de Jong (£65m to Barcelona), Matthijs de Ligt (£67.7m to Juventus) and Donny van de Beek (£35.7m to Man Utd) are just three prime examples, so it would be another tick next to ten Hag’s name.

Furthermore, he has received glowing praise from Liverpool’s title-winning boss Jurgen Klopp, who described the Dutchman as “one of the most exciting coaching talents in world football.”

All in all, on the above evidence, it’s no wonder that Spurs see the Ajax chief as their best candidate now.

He matches so many of Levy’s requirements.

So if he can tempt ten Hag to swap the comforts of the Champions League-bound Dutch side for the faltering North Londoners, then he could well be onto a winner.

AND in other news, Forget Reguilon: £26m-rated Spurs lightweight who lost possession 21x betrayed Mason vs Villa…

Sunderland have little hope of truly competing with local rivals Newcastle United for the signing of Dion Sanderson, Black Cats great Kevin Phillips has admitted.

The lowdown

According to The Athletic, Newcastle have already seen a £1million bid turned down for the Wolves centre-back, who spent last season on loan at the Stadium of Light.

The Magpies’ bid was described as ‘speculative’ and is thought to be well below Wolves’ valuation.

The Midlands outfit are hopeful of extending his contract, but Sanderson has turned down their most recent offer.

Sanderson was Sunderland’s young player of the season in 2020/21 despite only starting 19 League One games.

He averaged 2.3 successful aerial duels, 2.7 clearances, one tackle and 0.9 interceptions per 90 minutes (via WhoScored).

Football Insider claim Sunderland, losing play-off semifinalists, also failed with a £1million attempt to sign Sanderson permanently last month.

The latest

With the two clubs battling for his signature, Phillips fears that the allure of the Premier League will inevitably sway Sanderson towards the Magpies.

That, he says, would be particularly tough for supporters to take.

But he did note that Sunderland could offer the 21-year-old a guaranteed starting place and added incentives such as tshe captaincy.

“It would be a big, big blow to lose him to Newcastle,” Phillips told Football Insider.

“If Newcastle make a concrete move there is not much competition, as much as I hate to say it.

“They are in the Premier League and it is as simple as that. Any young kid wants to play in the Premier League.

“It would take a huge effort to persuade Sanderson to join if Newcastle matched their offer.

“The only guarantee Lee Johnson can give him is that he is going to play week in, week out.

“Perhaps they could offer him the captain’s armband next season, who knows. Something like that could stop him joining Newcastle.”

The verdict

The Athletic’s report reveals that Newcastle view Sanderson as very much a long-term option, and that he could be sent straight out on loan if he does sign.

You’d think that any loan move would be to the Championship, the natural step-up after his dominant performances in League One.

Sunderland’s only hope, then, would appear to be sentimentality – Sanderson rejecting Newcastle out of gratitude to Sunderland.

But surely supporters could forgive him for instead doing what’s best for his own career.

In other news, Liam Kennedy has dropped fresh insight from those involved in the potential takeover.  

Ajax manager Erik ten Hag has been urged to turn down any advances from Newcastle and only consider offers from ‘clubs like Manchester City or Manchester United’. 

The lowdown

The Northern Echo’s Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson reported over the weekend that the Magpies had sounded out the possibility of appointing the 51-year-old, as well as his sporting director Marc Overmars.

Ten Hag, who has previously turned down Tottenham Hotspur, is still under contract at the Johann Cruyff ArenA for another two years, so Newcastle would need to pay a compensation package if they are to entice him to Tyneside.

The 51-year-old led Ajax to the semi-finals of the 2018/19 Champions League, claiming the scalps of Juventus and Real Madrid along the way. He has also steered the team to two Eredivisie titles and twice been named the Dutch league’s manager of the year (via Transfermarkt).

The latest

Speaking on Studio Voetbal, Dutch journalist Arno Vermeulen admitted that he was baffled by the links and feels that the ‘much smarter’ move for Ten Had would be to wait for an offer from a club which has already ‘established’ itself at the top level.

“Why in God’s name would he go to Newcastle, I wonder?” he said, as quoted by Ajax Showtime. “He’s really smart. He started working at Ajax in the top of the Netherlands.”

Vermeulen later added: “Wouldn’t it be much smarter to wait for clubs like Manchester City or Manchester United? Clubs that are established. If you win prizes with that for a few years, that is very valuable.”

The verdict

The attraction of Newcastle is clear. It’s a transformative project being bankrolled by immensely wealthy owners, and while they may not be ‘established’ now, they may well have the means to be challenging for the top prizes by the end of the decade.

Will Ten Hag be interested in the job? It’s almost surprising that he’s still at Ajax more than two years on from that incredible Champions League run, but this might be the opportunity which tempts him away from Amsterdam. His CV certainly makes for good reading.

In other news, read this major update on an another managerial candidate

Southampton secured a vital victory on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Watford thanks to a goal from Che Adams that secured all three points for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, taking them up to 14th place in the Premier League table with 11 points prior to Sunday’s fixtures.

Despite the positive result, one player that we feel didn’t have a good game against the Hornets was Saints winger Mohamed Elyounoussi.

The winger, who started the match at Vicarage Road but was taken off after 70 minutes to be replaced by Stuart Armstrong, managed to have just 30 touches of the ball and completed 11 out of the 20 passes at a success rate of just 55%.

He didn’t attempt one cross, failed to accurately complete any of his five long balls and then didn’t even manage a shot at goal.

On top of that, he lost possession ten times which ultimately earned him an overall match rating of 6.7/10, making him the lowest-rated Saints player that started the match according to SofaScore.

Taking this into account, it’s safe to say Elyounoussi was not at the same level as his teammates on the day and let Hasenhuttl down with his performance.

So far this season, the 27-year-old, who is currently valued at £10.8m according to Transfermarkt, has started all but one of Southampton’s eight previous Premier League games, in which he has managed to score just one goal which came during the club’s 2-2 draw against Newcastle United in Elyounoussi’s first league appearance of the season.

Since joining the Saints back in the 2018 summer transfer window from FC Basel for a reported fee of £16m, the winger has gone on to make 28 appearances for the club, scoring four goals and providing two assists across all competitions.

Moving forward, we feel that it could be beneficial for the team if Hasenhuttl wielded the axe and took Elyounoussi out of the team for their next few fixtures to give Armstrong a shot from the start after recovering from a calf injury to see if he can have more of a significant impact on the team.

In other news: Hasenhuttl could unearth Saints’ next Redmond in ‘talented’ 18 y/o four-goal starlet – opinion

Ellis Simms might not have joined Blackpool until the middle of the January window, but ended as the club’s second top goalscorer following some excellent form in their promotion winning campaign in 2020-21.

The 20-year-old striker, who spent the second half of the season on loan from Everton, struck 10 times in just 21 outings for the Seasiders, including two of the three goals in their crucial first leg win at Oxford in the play-offs.

Simms, who ended up missing the play-off final victory over Lincoln through injury, is back at Everton preparing for the new Premier League season under Rafa Benitez.

However, with the Spaniard boasting a host of attacking talent, another EFL loan move could be a likely option for the 20-year-old, who is yet to get a taste of senior action for the Toffees.

Blackpool are already keen on re-signing the highly-rated striker, but the EFL spy exclusively told Football FanCast that the youngster could suit their Lancashire rivals, Bolton:

“He did very well at Blackpool but still needs games and goals to kick on, and a big club like Bolton could benefit from his pace and size.”