All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Celtic have been dealt a fresh injury blow ahead of their upcoming Premiership fixture.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by Sky Sports, Ange Postecoglou revealed that, following the midfielder’s first-half substitution in the 3-1 win over Hibernian in midweek, Tom Rogic now looks set to miss the next two to three weeks of first team action after pulling his hamstring, starting with today’s visit of Livingston.

Speaking about the condition of the 28-year-old prior to the clash against the Lions, the Celtic manager said: “He had a scan on his hamstring. It’s going to put him out for at least two to three weeks.

“It’s not a major one but he definitely won’t be involved in these games. Then obviously we have the international window, and if everything goes to plan, he should be available once we get back from that.

“All injuries are frustrating, but the flip side of that is Tommy has probably played more football in the first couple of months of the season than he has for quite a while. He was probably due a spell anyway.

“Him and Dave Turnbull in particular, because Cal [McGregor] had a bit of time out with injury, have been carrying the burden of the midfield. To be honest, even if he had come through, I probably wouldn’t have played him [on Saturday] anyway.

“Hopefully, if nothing else, this freshens him up for another run at it. But he was outstanding, he has been all year, but in the first half against Hibs he was at the centre of all the good stuff we were doing.”

Fans will be gutted

Considering just how impressive Rogic has been for Celtic so far this season, the news that the midfielder looks set to miss up to three weeks of action is sure to have left fans of the club gutted.

Indeed, the 28-year-old has formed an impressive trio alongside David Turnbull and Callum McGregor over his 11 Premiership appearances this term, with the £1.35m-rated man bagging one goal, registering two assists and creating five big chances for his teammates. He has also taken 1.2 shots and made 1.5 key passes per game, with these returns having seen the Australia international average a SofaScore match rating of 6.97.

As such, the news that Rogic will miss not only the Livingston clash, but also the Hoops’ Europa League crunch match against Ferencvaros as well as the trip to Dundee in November, is sure to come as a big blow to Postecoglou, who will undoubtedly be hoping that the £16k-per-week midfielder can pick up where he left off upon his return from injury.

In other news: Ange must unleash Celtic’s “top-class” £2.7m-rated ace on Saturday, he’s being wasted

Aston Villa are tracking Inter Milan defender Stefan de Vrij, who is also wanted by Tottenham, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: De Vrij profiled

De Vrij is represented by Mino Raiola, the same man who looks after another Villa target in Paul Pogba.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/aston-villa-latest-developments/” title=”Aston Villa latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Dutch centre-back turned 30 last month and has been with Inter since 2018, where he has made 155 appearances.

He has been labelled a ‘monster’ by former Lazio defender Mauricio and now seems to be wanted in the Premier League.

The Latest: Source shares De Vrij interest

Football Insider shared a story on Saturday afternoon regarding De Vrij. They were informed by a recruitment source that the defender is on Villa’s radar, with Steven Gerrard seeking the addition of an A-list centre-back in the summer.

De Vrij was valued at £40m in January but will be into the final 12 months of his Inter contract at the end of the season.

The Verdict: Revenge on Spurs?

Villa’s Premier League rivals Tottenham are also after De Vrij’s services this summer, with Antonio Conte keen on a reunion with the Inter Milan centre-back.

Spurs pipped Villa to the signing of midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur late in the January transfer window, so it looks as if the Midlands club could now get their revenge by beating the north Londoners to the chase for the Dutchman.

A new centre-back appears to be high on Gerrard’s wish list, so this could be a transfer link to keep a close eye on over the coming months.

In other news, Villa have also been linked with this audacious free agent swoop

JustJoe Football Show presenter Joe Wainman believes Niall Huggins move to Sunderland from Leeds United is best for both parties. 

The 20-year-old penned at permanent deal at the Stadium of Light this summer, joining the Black Cats on a free transfer but with a sell-on fee has been included in the deal [BBC Sport].

Huggins featured mainly for Leeds United’s U23 side, playing 18 games for them in the 2020/2021 season, scoring two goals and providing one assist.

The full-back did feature for the first-team last season, as he came off the substitutes’ bench for the Whites against Arsenal in the Premier League.

Wainman believes the move suits all parties, telling Transfer Tavern: “They get to a stage where they just need game time and Bielsa’s pretty fair in that respect, you know.

“If he can’t give them what they need and they’ve been in the under-23s for a year and they’re not close to the first team, it’s time to move on. So, I think it’s best for both parties and I hope Niall Huggins does well.”

Huggins became Lee Johnson’s sixth summer signing, with Alex Pritchard, Corry Evans, Callum Doyle, Dennis Cirkin, Frederik Alves, Nathan Broadhead also joining Stadium of Light. The Black Cats have started in good form as they have won three of their opening four matches and currently sit fourth in the League One table.

As West Ham exact revenge on Manchester United for their Premier League defeat at the weekend, coming away from Old Trafford as victors in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, supporters have slammed one of the few negatives of a fine evening’s work in Andriy Yarmolenko’s display.

David Moyes’ men took a difficult 2-1 loss against the Red Devils on Sunday as former favourite Jesse Lingard buried a late winner against them at the London Stadium.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-developments/” title=”West Ham developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Not only this, but club legend Mark Noble also missed the chance to draw level in the dying stages with his missed spot kick.

Alas, putting that result well and truly bed, West Ham ran out 1-0 winners against United in midweek as they edged past Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side and into the Carabao Cup Last 16.

Manuel Lanzini scored the only goal of the game, burying a neat finish past Dean Henderson, with there being many standout performers to choose from.

However, on a night to remember, many Irons supporters were also quick to point out the lacklustre display of Yarmolenko – who earned the lowest SofaScore match rating (6.3) of any West Ham or Man United player.

Indeed, the Ukraine international completed just a single take-on throughout the 90 minutes, won only two of his eight ground duels and missed one gaping chance (SofaScore).

As a result, it’s safe to say supporters weren’t impressed – find all of their verdicts from Twitter down below.

West Ham fans slam Yarmolenko…

“Yarmo you donkeyyyyyy”

Credit: @baphap01

“yarmo is painful”

Credit: @omz_yy

“Yarmo has got to go”

Credit: @EllYouSeeAyeEss

“Watching yarmo is very frustrating”

Credit: @ironworks68

“Get rid of yarmolenko doing my head in!!!!”

Credit: @chrissm36645365

“Nobes did fine imo Yarmolenko is a liability”

Credit: @WHUMatt_

“Nobes and Yarmo were shocking”

Credit: @isaacwt2004

“Yarmo was the only part of that performance that was bad”

Credit: @Con5Sim

In other news: ‘What a bargain’…Sky pundit reacts as West Ham eye ‘great signing’ for Moyes, find out more here.

Paul Robinson would like Mauricio Pochettino to replace Marcelo Bielsa when the latter eventually leaves Leeds United, although he has admitted how difficult it would be to lure the former Tottenham boss to Elland Road.

The Lowdown: Bielsa future always uncertain

This is Bielsa’s fourth season as Leeds boss, and he is of course hugely popular amongst the club’s supporters.

However, his future at the club is constantly up for debate. After all, he is 66 years old and therefore does not have too long left in the game, and his current contract is set to run out at the end of the season (leedsunited.com) as he continues to pen one-year deals.

The Latest: Robinson eyes replacement

Speaking to MOT Leeds News, former Whites star Robinson suggested Pochettino as Bielsa’s successor. He said:

“For me, Pochettino would be great.

“It’s a pipe dream at the moment because Leeds are nowhere near attracting a manager with the calibre of Pochettino to succeed Bielsa.

“If you look at where he is now at PSG and look at where Leeds are in the Premier League table, Leeds have to be higher to attract a manager of that calibre and at the moment, that’s nowhere near happening.

“It’s a pipe dream.”

The Verdict: Aiming too high

Bielsa is a legend of the game, with the likes of Pep Guardiola (Sky Sports) and Pochettino (via Give Me Sport) himself citing the Argentinian as an inspiration. As such, Leeds will need to replace with a top-quality manager when he does depart, but Pochettino is surely unattainable at this point.

As the manager of Paris Saint-Germain, he is in a privileged position as he is able to field a side including the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

Even if the man hailed ‘a football genius’ by former Spurs player Heurelho Gomes were to be sacked by PSG before Bielsa departs, to then move to Leeds would be a substantial step down, with all due respect to the club.

Of course, the Yorkshire outfit would love to have him, but they may have to set their sights lower until they can compete for European competitions.

In other news, one former Premier League ace has made this Kalvin Phillips claim.

Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield believes West Bromwich Albion should bolster their frontline by sealing Dwight Gayle’s return to the Hawthorns.

Following a summer of change which saw Valerien Ismael swap the Barnsley dugout for West Brom, the Baggies are looking to seal an immediate return to the Premier League after suffering relegation last term.

Ismael has been busy in the transfer market and strengthened his attacking options by completing the season-long loan signing of Norwich City striker Jordan Hugill earlier this week.

But, with the window not shutting until next week, Albion could still welcome more arrivals and Hatfield has advised Ismael to sign Newcastle United’s Gayle.

The 31-year-old frontman, who signed a new contract with the Magpies in the summer, scored 24 goals during a season-long loan spell with West Brom in the 2018/19 season.

With Gayle yet to make a Premier League appearance this term, Hatfield thinks the Baggies should pounce.

He told The Transfer Tavern: “Dwight Gayle is a fantastic Championship striker. Albion fans have seen that up close and personal before.

“As an opinion, I think it would be a fantastic signing for Albion. There is an issue with wages, which has always been there for Albion ever since he came on loan. They wanted to sign him on a permanent basis but they didn’t go up that season and wages wouldn’t really work out.

“He’d definitely be the type of striker that would work brilliantly for Albion. He knows where the back of the net is, has a brilliant ability of being in the right place at the right time and connecting with the fanbase, which was something that shone through during his time at Albion.

“For me, he would be a really good signing.”

West Ham are keen on signing Aston Villa defender Kortney Hause this month.

That’s according to reliable Hammers source ExWHUemployee, with the rumours receiving plenty of attention from a number of Villa supporters on social media.

Steven Gerrard has already lost one centre-back this month after Axel Tuanzebe cut short his season-long loan to join Napoli. That has left Tyrone Mings, Hause and Ezri Konsa as their only senior options in that position, with the latter of the three going off injured against Manchester United on Saturday.

According to ExWHUemployee, West Ham are looking at a move for the 26-year-old, who fits the wage structure at the London Stadium.

Described as a player with pace by journalist Pat Rowe, Hause has made eight appearances this season, with talks over a move to West Ham at a ‘primary stage’.

Villa fans react

The AVFC Faithful shared the links regarding Hause and West Ham on Twitter. Here is what these Villa fans had to say in reply, with the majority against the move due to the shortage of centre-back options at Villa Park.

“Lol as if this would happen when we currently only him & Mings fit”

Credit: @Villaste1

“No chance until we’ve signed a couple of replacements, which is unlikely in this window”

Credit: @K_ribensis

“Not happening, Konsa injured, option to extend contract”

Credit: @DeadlyDoug

“£25m”

Credit: @JoshLocke23

“No, we need to buy another centre back let alone go down to just 2 senior options”

Credit: @ajbyrne_avfc

“I like Hause a lot so no thanks”

Credit: @ZM_AVFC

In other news: Shares agent with Gerrard – Villa now after midfield ace ‘like’ Gascoigne.  

Reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has dropped a transfer claim linking Benfica striker Darwin Nunez with a move to a whole host of Premier League clubs, including West Ham United.

The Lowdown: Failed January move

The Uruguay international was at the centre of numerous transfer rumours in the January transfer window, one of the most prominent of which came with West Ham making a move towards the end of the month.

Whilst it was said that the transfer attempt was in the pipeline for weeks, Jack Rosser of the Evening Standard has claimed that the Irons submitted a club-record £60m bid for the 22-year-old on deadline day.

Nunez reportedly said that he preferred a move to a Champions League side, so Benfica rejected the east London club’s bid.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-developments-4/” title=”West Ham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Romano’s news on Nunez…

Fabrizio Romano has now shared the latest news regarding a potential £66.6m summer move for Nunez.

Taking to Twitter, he claimed: “Darwin Núñez will leave Benfica in the summer, fee around €80m. His new agent will now meet with many top clubs to explore opportunities. #transfers

“Man United already discussed his name internally – Arsenal wanted him last January as West Ham but Darwin was not for sale.”

Whilst the Irons aren’t explicitly said to be planning on making an imminent move, it is implied that Nunez’s agents will meet with the club over a potential sale.

The Verdict: Would be a fantastic signing

Former Benfica manager Jorge Jesus has hailed the 22-year-old as one of the brightest prospects in world football, saying: “He was the most expensive player in the history of the Benfica and, with the pandemic I don’t know, but he could also be the most expensive player to leave the Benfica. This boy will be the best in the world and, unfortunately for me, I will lose him in no time.”

With such high praise, and with a return of 31 goals in 36 matches this season (including five in the Champions League), it is no wonder that a whole host of Premier League clubs are interested in the Uruguayan striker.

However, with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United now reportedly interested, a move to West Ham seems far less likely to come to fruition, particularly if they miss out on qualification for Europe next term.

In other news: ExWHUemployee drops triple transfer claim

Leeds United have entered the race to sign Penarol striker Agustin Alvarez as the transfer competition hots up for the Uruguayan starlet.

What’s the story?

According to La República (via Sport Witness), Marcelo Bielsa’s side are battling Russian giants Zenit St Petersburg for the 20-year-old’s signature, although a number of clubs across Europe are also said to be in the running.

The report added that Leeds, as well as Serie A outfit Fiorentina, could make a bid for him during the January transfer window.

Would be an exciting signing for Leeds

With Patrick Bamford remaining Leeds’ only senior centre-forward, the Whites could desperately do with some strength in depth up front.

In a scouting report done by HUDL, they revealed of Alvarez: “El Canario is much more than purely a penalty box poacher. While he is clearly a striker who benefits from getting good service into the area, he can also fashion and finish chances for himself.

“Another of Alvarez’s best qualities is his heading. At 1.80m, he may not be the tallest but has shown himself to have a great aerial ability, timing and a fantastic leap. His strength and physicality also make him very adept with his back to goal, while his time at youth level as a midfielder means he is also good at dropping deep to link the play too.”

Indeed, North American football commentator Maximiliano Bretos even declared that Alvarez “has a little Luiz Suarez about him”.

Despite his youth, he has been in electric form for one of Uruguay’s biggest clubs and has been particularly impressive in the Copa Sudamericana, South American football’s second-most prestigious club competition. In that tournament, he has bagged ten goals and provided another two assists in just 14 games.

That kind of all-action energy makes the 20-year-old a perfect fit for Bielsa and Leeds.

Meanwhile, Marcelo Bielsa should give this academy starlet a chance…

Newcastle United are set to beat Celtic to the capture of Galway United youngster Alex Murphy. 

The lowdown: Celtic eyeing up young talent

Celtic signed Johnny Kenny from Sligo Rovers in January for a nominal fee, clearly looking to build up from the bottom, strengthening the squad of the future.

The Hoops were then linked with 17-year-old defender Murphy in February amidst interest from West Brom and Serie A outfit Torino.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/key-latest-celtic-updates-2/” title=”Key latest Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

At that time, the seriousness of the interest from the Premier League club was apparent as an initial report from the Irish Examiner claimed a €100,000 (£83,000) offer had already been made.

Nowm it appears as though Celtic were ultimately unable to land their target, as another English side have swooped in…

The latest: Money talks

According to a report from RTE, newly mega-rich Newcastle have won the race to sign the talented teenager.

It’s claimed that Murphy will move to St James’ Park in the summer after turning 18 on June 25.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-5/” title=”Newcastle news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Celtic are once again mentioned as being amongst the interest parties to miss out on the twice-capped Republic of Ireland Under 16 starlet as well as Brighton & Hove Albion.

The verdict: Big blow

After signing a first professional contract with Galway in August 2021, manager John Caulfield described the youngster’s career trajectory as ‘very good’ amidst growing speculation around his future.

Despite his tender years, the teenager has made seven senior appearances in the Irish first division already – completing 90 minutes on five occasions.

Whilst it remains to be seen whether Murphy can make the grade in the English top-flight, the Celtic hierarchy will no doubt be disappointed to miss out on a highly-rated youngster, although this type of attempted capture does show where the Hoops’ upcoming transfer targets may lie.

In other news, pundit pinpoints key attribute that has been crucial for Celtic. Find out more here.