All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

An update has emerged on Aston Villa target Matheus Pereira, regarding a bid from Al-Hilal… 

What’s the talk?

According to Turkish journalist Ekrem Konur, Al Hilal have made an initial offer of £5.9m (€7m) to West Brom for Aston Villa target Matheus Pereira. Konur claims Al Hilal are currently locked in talks with the Championship club and have already fired their opening salvo.

Earlier this summer, Aston Villa were linked with interest in the Brazilian playmaker alongside Premier League rivals West Ham.

Forget Smith-Rowe

It is time for Villa to forget about Emile Smith-Rowe. The Arsenal youngster is reportedly set to sign a new deal at The Emirates, putting any speculation over a move to Villa Park to bed following two unsuccessful bids from Dean Smith’s side. With that deal now seemingly dead in the water, it is time to move on and focus on getting Pereira instead.

Smith-Rowe has the potential to improve at the age of 20, but Pereira is the better player in the here and now for Villa. The Arsenal man averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.77 in the Premier League, scoring twice and assisting four goals for the Gunners. Pereira, meanwhile, scored 11 and assisted six as he averaged an impressive score of 6.96 as West Brom were relegated back down to the Championship.

This suggests that the Baggies star would be the superior option for Smith in the short term at least. He has proven that he can score and assist goals on a regular basis in the top-flight, whereas Smith-Rowe is still finding his feet and developing as a player.

Former Premier League forward Noel Whelan recently claimed that the midfielder is a “fantastic” palyer.

He told Football Insider:

“He’s a fantastic player, he’s great on the ball, he can turn people inside out.”

Villa fans would love to see the £39k-per-week wizard at Villa Park as he could hit the ground running and make an instant impact. This is why the club must react to Al-Hilal’s offer for Pereira by tabling one of their own to show that they are serious about a swoop for his services, as it would also prove that they are moving on from Smith-Rowe.

AND in other news, Transfer update emerges on “exceptional” 16 G/A ace, Aston Villa fans will be livid – opinion

An update has emerged on winger Albert Gudmundsson, regarding interest from Glasgow giants Rangers in bringing him to Ibrox.

What’s the talk?

According to The Telegraph, the Gers are eyeing up a pre-contract swoop for the forward, whose deal at AZ Alkmaar expires at the end of the season.

The report claims that Celtic are also interested in signing him and the two Old Firm clubs are set to battle it out for his signature on a free transfer next month.

Bye-bye Kent

Giovanni van Bronckhorst could land a dream replacement for Ryan Kent by securing a deal to sign Gudmundsson in January. The former Liverpool man has been touted with both Aston Villa and Leeds ahead of the January window and that leaves the door open to the possibility of him departing from Ibrox in 2022.

This would leave a huge gap in the Rangers XI out wide as the forward has been a key figure for the club in recent years, with his ability to score and create goals for the club.

Last season, Kent produced ten strikes and nine assists in the Premiership as Rangers won the title, highlighting his influence and quality in the final third as he regularly chipped in with vital contributions. In the current campaign, he has two goals and one assist in 11 matches but his average SofaScore rating of 7.05 suggests that he is still putting in impressive performances on a consistent basis.

Since the start of the 2020/21 season, the Iceland international has produced 11 goals and five assists in the Eredivisie in 37 starts. This is compared to Kent’s 12 goals and ten assists in 47 Premiership starts over the same time period, suggesting that there is little between the two players in terms of end product – although it is difficult to make a direct comparison between the quality of Scottish and Dutch football.

Gudmundsson, who has 86 goals for club and country at youth and senior level, has shown that he can handle playing top-level football in the Netherlands and he may want to test his outstanding qualities in a new league. Outlining his best attributes, Max Huiberts said when he first signed for AZ:

“Albert is a creative, technically skilled and fast player who has proven that he can play in different positions in the attack,” the director said.

If he can carry over his form from his time at AZ Alkmaar then he could be a dream replacement for Kent and be van Bronckhorst’s new wing wizard, all whilst costing absolutely nothing next summer.

This is why the Dutch head coach must ensure that he can beat Celtic to the signing of the 24-year-old, whether that is as part of a pre-contract deal to bring him in for nothing or by offering Alkmaar a cut-price offer to take him off their hands in January.

AND in other news, Gvb heading for his first big disaster at Ibrox, it may be season-defining for Rangers…

Kalvin Phillips won’t be joining one of Leeds United’s biggest rivals this summer – for now…

What’s the word?

That’s according to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, who delivered a 12-word update on his future at Elland Road amid reports linking him with a move away in the off-season.

The England international has been linked to several Premier League teams in recent weeks and months, ranging from Liverpool and Manchester United, to Newcastle United and Aston Villa.

Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News claimed earlier this week that the Red Devils were working on a deal to sign the xx-year-old as a new defensive midfielder would be a priority under likely incoming boss Erik ten Hag.

However, Nixon has thrown cold water on those reports, suggesting that isn’t the case, at the moment.

“Manchester United DON’T have Kalvin Phillips on their wish list for now,” he told followers of his Patreon site.

Good news

Ultimately, this is a huge source of encouragement for anyone associated with Leeds, and not just because it’s the Old Trafford outfit being ruled out of a move.

Phillips is undoubtedly one of the Whites’ most integral players, even post-Marcelo Bielsa, and whilst he is yet to start for manager Jesse Marsch since returning from injury, he will surely play a key role going forward.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-marsch-raphinha-dest-philhay” title=”Read the latest Leeds news!”]

“I said it after the match that both [Phillips and Liam Cooper] will have a big effect on our group both on the pitch and off,” the American told reporters (via the Yorkshire Evening Post) after his comeback cameo against Southampton. He then added:

“And then to have Kalvin on the pitch, I think everybody saw that it brought poise to our group, that he helped settle the game down. I heard him say after the game that he didn’t do much but, just by being on the pitch for us, I think that that presence meant a lot.”

Also dubbed a “wonderful talent” by ex-Leeds man Michael Brown, there isn’t a player in the current squad that possesses the same skillset as Phillips – defensively a rock, averaging 2.1 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game and he often starts many an attack, averaging 3.1 long balls and an 82.6% passing accuracy, via WhoScored.

Losing a player of that calibre, not just to any top-flight team, but an arch-rival rival like the Red Devils would be a bitter blow, following in the footsteps of Eric Cantona and Rio Ferdinand, whose reputation in west Yorkshire plummeted.

Nixon’s update will delight many around Elland Road, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Signed for £5m, now worth 740% more: Leeds struck gold with £42m-rated “rare talent”…

Kjetil Knutsen could be an alternative to Giovanni van Bronckhorst for Rangers after impressing Ross Wilson, according to The Daily Record. 

The lowdown

Giovanni van Bronckhorst is said to be the frontrunner for the managerial vacancy at Ibrox right now.

However, he’ll apparently ‘only take the job if everything is right’, seeking assurances regarding his backroom team and financial backing.

The latter could be a particularly thorny issue after Rangers announced a ‘huge’ £23.5million loss.

53-year-old Knutsen is currently in his first managerial post at Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt.

He’s took charge of 141 matches up to this point, winning 79 of them (56%).

Knutsen led his side to the Norwegian title last year and they’re currently five points clear as they look to retain that crown.

The latest

Knutsen is said to be one of ‘a number of managers’ who have won the personal admiration of Wilson.

If Rangers were to pursue him, it’s possible they could face competition from Norwich City given that he features on their ‘final shortlist’ of Daniel Farke replacements.

The verdict

Knutsen is also delivering in Europe, with Bodo/Glimt sitting top of a Conference League that includes Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma.

In fact, they dealt Mourinho the biggest beating of his managerial career last month with a 6-1 home rout.

It surely won’t be long before he ascends the footballing ladder.

The New York Times’ Rory Smith reckons his 2020 exploits should have had him in the running for FIFA’s manager of the year, while Express journalist Will Lancaster says he’s transformed Bodo/Glimt from the ‘Norwegian resemblance of Burnley’ to a ‘Pep [Guardiola]-inspired’ outfit.

In other news, fans were buzzing over this manager update. 

Football.London reporter Alasdair Gold has provided an update on the future of Tottenham Hotspur winger Steven Bergwijn.

The Lowdown: January exit

The Netherlands international was at the centre of heavy transfer speculation during the January window.

Ajax were extremely keen on bringing the 24-year-old back to the Eredivisie and even had a £15m bid rejected for the player, with Spurs demanding closer to the £27m they paid for Dutchman in 2020.

However, this deal seemed to fall through and Bergwijn has warmed the bench ever since, barring one miraculous cameo in the win against Leicester City.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-copy/” title=”Tottenham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Gold’s update…

In football.london’s latest QnA, Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold received questions over the future of Bergwijn.

In response, Gold claimed:

“I think it’s going to depend on Steven Bergwijn himself and perhaps how hard Ajax push for him this summer. Conte likes him a lot and if it was down to him, he would keep him. The Dutchman is full of confidence right now after his three international goals in two games and the strike against Newcastle but he’s just unfortunate that Spurs’ front three are flying at the moment.

“Opportunities will arise next season and there should be plenty of matches to be played, but for Bergwijn he will obviously want to be a regular starter rather than a bit part player.

“It would be Spurs’ loss if he were to go and Conte will no doubt attempt to convince him to stay, but much depends on where the player’s head is at and just how much Ajax can throw at a transfer they desperately want to make.”

The Verdict: Would be a big loss

Whilst the winger has now dropped to the bench since the arrival of Dejan Kulusevski in N17, Bergwijn would be a big loss to Antonio Conte, given his ability to come on and make an instant impact on a game.

This was illustrated in Spurs’ away clash at the King Power Stadium, when the attacker came off the bench in the dying minutes and scored two emphatic injury time goals to secure the Lilywhites a 3-2 win.

Furthermore, given Conte’s own assessment of Bergwijn being a “quality” player, a move away from Hotspur Way would comes as a big blow to Tottenham’s squad.

In other news: Tottenham Hotspur: Alasdair Gold drops verdict on the futures of Lo Celso and Ndombele

West Ham United will be looking to break into the top-six in the Premier League when they welcome local rivals Tottenham Hotspur to the London Stadium this afternoon.

David Moyes’ side extended their 100% record in the Europa League on Thursday night after defeating Belgian outfit Genk 3-0, so they will head into kickoff buoyed by confidence.

And one of the standout performers from that encounter ought to feature today in Issa Diop.

The 24-year-old centre-back has slipped down the pecking order even more since the arrival of fellow countryman Kurt Zouma in the summer transfer window but he has been given opportunities outside of the Premier League and has pretty much impressed each time.

Diop’s four appearances across the Europa League and Carabao Cup have returned four clean sheets. By comparison, the Hammers have kept just two in their eight league outings so far this campaign.

Therefore, it could be wise to unleash the Frenchman with the likes of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son heading to east London.

As per WhoScored, the £13.5m-rated colossus has been their fourth-best player in Europe, where he is averaging two tackles (second-most) and 2.6 aerials won (third-most) per game.

Neither of Moyes’ first-choice league pairing of Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna are managing more than 0.9 tackles per outing. That will need to improve if they are to stop Kane and Spurs’ top-scorer, Son.

This is why Diop must be considered, perhaps taking the place of the latter, as he and the Champions League winner looked excellent together against Dinamo Zagreb.

Jose Mourinho once dubbed the £22m signing a “monster” in September 2018 for dominating Paul Pogba and co, but performances of that calibre have been far and few between ever since then.

However, that looks to be changing.

“I thought Diop was absolutely magnificent,” claimed Irons assistant manager Stuart Pearce, via The Athletic, after their 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Carabao Cup.

“The longer the game went on the more of a colossus he looked at the back and he’s still in relative terms, a very young man for a central defender so we’re absolutely delighted to have Issa at this club.”

Son has bagged four goals already this campaign, also averaging 2.9 shots and 1.4 dribbles per game, whilst Kane is threatening to add to his solitary strike with an average of 2.4 shots per match, via WhoScored.

Evidently, Moyes needs a rock at the back to put a stop to the pair running riot at the London Stadium, which is why Diop should be selected this afternoon.

AND in other news, Moyes must axe “special” £18m West Ham passenger v Spurs, he’s been abysmal for months…

At the beginning of the summer it looked as though Ruben Neves was a certainty to follow Nuno Santo through the exit door and leave Wolves.

However, current boss Bruno Lage will be thanking his lucky stars that he’s been able to keep the Portuguese ace at Molineux.

Neves initially appeared expendable with a variety of teams interested and Wolves keen to make money on the central midfielder.

Arsenal had been keen on him at one stage while Manchester United are still thought to have him on their radar.

Bruno Lage admitted last week that every player has his price but after Wolves’ 1-0 defeat to Tottenham, he will be doing everything in his power to keep in the Midlands.

Neves didn’t find the net with a long-range thunderbolt that we’ve become accustomed to seeing throughout the years but this was still a virtuoso performance.

Against Champions League regulars Spurs, the 24-year-old was simply outstanding in the middle of the park, glueing things together with an admirable work rate. Going forward he was a constant threat with his vision and when the visitors countered, he was often there to break it up.

It was a display worthy of interest from the Premier League’s elite and this should increase speculation surrounding his future.

Combative in the middle of the park, Neves won a whopping six tackles and was only dribbled past on one occasion. Considering that Nuno wanted his Spurs team to play on the counterattack, this was especially eye-catching.

When he got on the ball, the £58k-per-week earner was outstanding. He strode forward to complete five key passes, one of which Adama Traore really should have found the net with.

Neves found himself in a vacant pocket before threading an inch-perfect ball into Traore who stuck his shot straight at Hugo Lloris.

Their Spanish roadrunner was a constant thorn in the heart of the Spurs backline and did everything but score as the Old Gold somehow spurned 25 attempts at goal.

What specifically caught the eye was the range of passing in Neves’ locker. The Portugal international was successful with 16 of his 19 long balls, ultimately completing 81% of his passes in general.

This was a display that will have Lage delighted. If Wolves can finally start tucking away those balls from Neves then they will become a force to be reckoned with again.

AND in other news, Wolves make enquiry to sign “fearless” 6ft5 colossus, he’s a big upgrade on Saiss…

Liverpool have taken 18 points out of 18 points from their Champions League group, and as of Tuesday evening Jurgen Klopp’s side have set a new record in Champions League history.

The Reds are the only English side to win every single group stage game in the Champions League since it began back in 1992, after beating AC Milan 2-1 at the San Siro, in their final group stage fixture of the tournament.

One player that has been integral to the record breaking success they’ve had in Europe so far is Divock Origi.

Despite being transfer listed by the club this summer, Origi has come back into his own this season and seems to be on a mission to prove everybody wrong.

Liverpool made a number of changes to their side on Tuesday evening, rotating in the likes of Nathaniel Phillips who made his 2021/22 season debut tonight and teenager, Tyler Morton into the side, for a game that meant very little for the travelling team, as they had already qualified in their fourth game of the group over a month ago.

AC Milan did start the game well, with the home side taking the lead early into the first half with Fikayo Tomori netting in the 29th minute of the game at the San Siro, but they could not hold back from the inevitable Mo Salah, who scored his 20th goal of the campaign in 21 games.

Origi went on to kill the game with a 55th-minute winner, proving in 43 touches exactly why he’s still in the squad, securing Liverpool their sixth win in a row and heading back to the North West taking every single point possible.

The goal-scoring gem has been making an impact in all of his performances so far for the club this season, with five goals and two assists in just ten appearances, and cements even further the reason Klopp referred to him as a “legend” in his post-match press conference last weekend.

The German tactician told the media; ‘He’s an incredible striker, for different reasons he did not play that often but I hope one day he finds a manager that plays him more than I do.”

‘He’s one of the best finishers I’ve ever seen in my life.”

With the January transfer window imminent, it will be curious to see if Klopp and FSG are still interested in taking offers for the striker after speculation Newcastle are interested in signing him in the new year, or if they plan to keep the frontman in the squad and continue to utilise his goal-scoring habits in the second half of the season.

Salah has been the club’s go-to man this season but it’s time to forget about him for a moment because there’s another man in town making plenty of headlines himself; a certain Mr Origi.

In other news: Liverpool must secure new deal for Joe Gomez

Southampton are hitting a bad run of form, losing their two games in the Premier League and will be hoping to take maximum points from their home game against Leicester City this evening.

Ralph Hasenhuttl has given an injury update that will leave Saints fans buzzing as two players return to the side, with only one player missing from action for tonight’s game which could give the side a much needed boost.

“As of today I have 21 players on the pitch working with us. It was only Stuey (Stuart Armstrong) who has not part of the squad today,” Hasenhuttl said in his pre-match press conference.

“Also, Jack Stephens is back. The rest of the players were with us today.”

Jack Stephens’ return will be warmly welcomed by the supporters, as he will certainly strengthen the backline after an awful defensive performance from Southampton last weekend at Anfield, resulting in four goals conceded.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-southampton-news” title=”Check out the latest Southampton news!”]

Stephens only has six appearances for Saints this season, after sustaining a knee injury in the goalless draw with Manchester City in September where he was predicted to be out for up to 12 weeks, but is now available to play and could offer the quality in the defensive line that is clearly desperately needed, which we imagine will leave Hasenhuttl thrilled.

Another player set to make their return to the side is Ibrahima Diallo, who was left out of the trip to Anfield after rolling his ankle in the training sessions ahead of the game. The midfielder is confirmed to be back in action and could easily be picked for the starting lineup against Leicester.

The 22-year-old has had a great individual impact on the Southampton side despite being a defensive midfielder. Hasenhuttl has attempted to play him on many occasions as an advanced right-sided 10, which has seen Diallo offer a dimension to Southampton’s attacking prowess scoring one goal and assisting once too in his thirteen appearances so far, as well as still having those key defensive attributes in his locker.

Having both Stephens and Diallo back to full fitness, and only Armstrong side-lined should give the manager a lot of options to build the right tactical plan to secure the three points Saints need. Thus, he will be buzzing with the latest update from the club’s physios.

In other news: Hasenhuttl must unleash Redmond against Leicester

Kevin Campbell has offered his thoughts on what Aston Villa will do next in their pursuit of James Ward-Prowse.

What’s the talk?

Kevin Campbell believes that Aston Villa are preparing a new offer for Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse, after testing the water with an opening salvo that was rejected by the south coast outfit.

He told Football Insider:

“He’s a great player. Aston Villa like to do this, don’t they?

“They tested the water with Smith-Rowe and now they are doing it with Ward-Prowse. They are putting a soft offer in to see if they can get the price before they come back with a new offer, it’s coming.

“Southampton are good at that game though, they have done well with transfers over the years.

“Villa won’t hold back, they know they have money but they want to spend it wisely.”

Smith needs him

NSWE must splash the cash to land Ward-Prowse from Southampton this summer as he could be a sublime addition to Dean Smith’s squad. He is a proven Premier League performer at the perfect age to kick on to the next level and he could help further plug the gap left by Jack Grealish’s departure to Manchester City.

Smith needs players who can come in and provide creativity as Grealish’s exit has left a gigantic hole in that department. The former Villa captain averaged an exceptional 3.1 key passes per game in the Premier League last term, with Ollie Watkins’ 1.2 the next-highest aside from Ross Barkley – who has returned to Chelsea following his loan spell.

This suggests that the ex-Brentford coach would be delighted to add a player to his squad who has proven that he can create chances at Premier League level, which is exactly what Ward-Prowse is. The Saints ace averaged 1.6 key passes per game from central midfield last term, ending the season with seven assists and eight goals to his name in the top-flight.

He was named Southampton’s Player of the Season at the end of the 2020/21 campaign, with manager Ralph Hasenhuttl lauding him as “outstanding”. The Austrian told the Daily Echo: “It’s not surprising for me, a player who played every minute this season is unbelievable.

“His physicality and his performances are outstanding. That’s our captain on the pitch and he is on the way that he is a very important player for this club for the long-term, I think.”

The £75k-per-week dynamo averaged an excellent WhoScored rating of 7.07 and is only 26-years-old. This shows that he already has the ability to perform consistently week-in-week-out in the Premier League, whilst still having his peak years ahead of him to improve and develop as a player – potentially with the help of Smith’s coaching.

Villa fans should hope that Campbell is right and that their club make another effort to get the England star to Villa Park.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Mings: Villa must secure swoop for 26y/o beast who Smith would love…