All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Staying in the Premier League is fundamental for every side taking part in the division, with the financial implications of dropping down to the Championship potentially disastrous for clubs.

The Championship is a hugely competitive league, filled with superb teams but the Premier League is the undisputed holy grail and the battle for survival in 2021/22 is already starting to intensify.

Newly promoted sides often head up the market when it comes to predicting which sides will be relegated each season but in recent times, sides such as Leeds United, Wolves and Aston Villa defied the early season predictions to comfortably avoid the drop.

It has been a tough campaign for the likes of Burnley, Watford, Newcastle United and Norwich City, who have only managed to win 11 games between them this term – with the Clarets standing out with just one Premier League win so far.

Sean Dyche is a manager known for conjuring up the goods when it matters but he hasn’t been able to inspire Burnley to previous heights this term.

The departure of star striker Chris Wood to fellow strugglers Newcastle United in the January Transfer Window is an obvious moot point and the fact that Burnley have played as many as 5 fewer league games this season due to COVID 19 cannot go unnoticed.

However, at the halfway point in the campaign, their points haul of just 12 is concerning and they need to start putting points on the board very quickly.

The Clarets currently have a 4 point gap to Premier League safety above them and at 1.50, the bet365 clearly feel they are a serious relegation contender this season.

Elsewhere, Norwich City have seen results and performances perk up significantly since the arrival of Dean Smith before Christmas, however they are still immersed in relegation trouble.

The Canaries have 16 points from 22 games played, with back to back wins over Everton and Watford in their last two games certainly improving the mood at Carrow Road.

It is a big ask for them to stay up however, with their financial and pulling power incomparable to some of the teams around them and they are the favourites to go down at 1.20.

Watford’s pen champs for changing manager hasn’t notoriously worked out so much in recent seasons but that hasn’t deterred them from employing their third manager this term already.

Their poor early season form saw them decide to sack Xisco Munoz and replace him with former league winner Claudio Ranieri – who also got the boot after Christmas, to be replaced by Roy Hodgson.

It does feel too little, too late for the Hornets however – who are also heavily backed to drop back down into the Championship at 1.33.

Having the financial clout to get out of trouble is often as important as any managerial appointments and Newcastle United’s reported unlimited transfer budget could be a decisive factor.

Eddie Howe’s side have only won 2 games this season but with the likes of Chris Wood and Kieran Trippier coming in, they have been able to strengthen their squad significantly.

At 2.50, it would be somewhat of a shock to see Newcastle drop back into the Championship but with plenty of football to be played, anything can happen in the Premier League.

Image from: unsplash.com

Many Wolves fans have been left fuming as some news emerged involving their plans for the January transfer window.

As per The Express & Star, the Midlands club are now getting a cash injection of £23m by taking a loan secured against transfer funds due after they sold Diogo Jota to Liverpool.

They received part of the transfer fee up front with the rest of the funds coming in instalments, however, the money that they will now receive is not understood to be part of an effort by them to build up a winter war chest.

Bruno Lage has previously complained about having a small squad before, and with injuries at the back, as well as Willy Boly and Romain Saiss set to play in the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Ivory Coast and Morocco respectfully, reinforcements are certainly needed next month.

However, it looks as if none of the £23m coming in will be spent on transfers, much to the anger of the Molineux faithful.

Wolves fans slam transfer news

These WWFC supporters fumed as the transfer news was shared on Twitter, with one Wanderer even going as far as to claim that it was ‘depressing’:

“Depressing that it’s not for signings”

Credit: @aepearson02

“This doesn’t bode well for the January window does it? No wonder we were sponsored by the Money Shop a while back….pay day loans to keep the club ticking over. Open the cheque book Fosun”

Credit: @Retrowolves1

“Why on earth did we let him go on tick…make it make sense?”

Credit: @GladonK

“Bed.”

Credit: @wwfcglover

“What’s the loan for? Club are in a good position financially and it’s not for players in January so what’s the point?”

Credit: @Giddo_90

“Why doesn’t Liverpool cough up the monies instead they have had the asset best part of a year! I’ve never heard of a business taking out a loan in advance of a debtor paying an invoice – what a joke”

Credit: @stuartmblatch

In other news, find out why Wanderers players have now received praise here!

Arsenal are in the race to sign Tariq Lamptey this month, according to reports…

What’s the word?

The Express claim that the Gunners are ready to fight their north London rivals Spurs for the Brighton and Hove Albion wing-back, who has been a target for quite some time.

It’s thought that the Seagulls will want around £50m to let their star man depart the Amex Stadium anytime soon.

The north London outfit signed versatile full-back Takehiro Tomiyasu during the summer but it appears as if Mikel Arteta would still like reinforcements in the role.

Bye-bye Bellerin?

Indeed, the Spanish head coach is awash with options at right-back – aside from the Japanese warrior, he also has Cedric Soares and Callum Chambers, as well as fellow countryman Hector Bellerin, who is currently out on loan to Real Betis.

It would seem plausible that he would be the most likely culprit to go permanently, should Arsenal follow up their interest in Lamptey. This could be Arteta’s time to finally axe Bellerin after injuries and inconsistencies halted his time in north London.

Three assists from 16 appearances suggest he isn’t doing the best away from the Emirates Stadium, so Arteta won’t be missing him one bit.

In Lamptey, the Gunners would be getting an impressive talent capable of contributing at either end of the pitch. Since emerging in 2019, the £16.2m-rated Brighton dynamo has averaged 3.3 dribbles, 2.5 tackles, 1.8 interceptions and 1.1 key passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League, per WhoScored.

This would show his ability to win the ball, carry it forward and then look to create opportunities – perhaps something that makes him a little better than Tomiyasu, who only averages 0.7 key passes per game in the English top-flight.

Standing at 5 foot 4, the diminutive defender also offers rapid pace and acceleration, and that helps him cause havoc up against his opposite number. “He is so fast. He has got the character, the attitude and the attributes that can affect games in the Premier League,” he said his manager Graham Potter (via The Athletic).

Elsewhere, Lamptey has been described as a “terrific prospect” and “phenomenal young talent” by Daily Mirror’s chief football writer John Cross, whilst BBC Sport contributor Premier League Panel dubbed him a “big talent” more recently.

So, on the above evidence, Arsenal could finally wave goodbye to the long-serving Bellerin, especially with him earning around £110k-per-week, if Edu Gaspar sanctions a bold £50m swoop this month.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Aubameyang: Arsenal eye £36m-rated “exceptional talent”, Arteta would love him…

Manchester United managed to perform one of the most unconvincing wins of the Premier League season yesterday against Norwich, and whilst three points will be very much welcomed by the fans, there is clearly so much work to do at Old Trafford.

Cristiano Ronaldo managed to win a penalty in the 75th minute of the game that allowed the Red Devils to walk away from Carrow Road with three points, but the performance, in general, was flat and Jamie Redknapp scathed the team for their lack of effort after the game.

He told Sky Sports, via The Daily Mail:

“From United’s point of view, this is what I expect from them at the moment there’s a few problems with the system, set-up, it will take time for the manager to bed in what he wants and it’s going to be a case of giving him weeks or months to do that as a lot of United players have bad habits.”

One player who stuck out in the game is Bruno Fernandes, with a performance the Portuguese star will want to forget.

Pundit, Paul Merson, suggested Fernandes has become a bit of a problem, commenting:

“He’s lost confidence. When you lose confidence it doesn’t matter who you are – we all lose confidence – it’s a different game.

“He’s not touching the ball in the game now, he’s not touching it 60, 70 or 80 times.

“Everything went through Fernandes, everything. It’s not that case now, everyone’s looking for Ronaldo now. This needs to change.”

The £180k-per-week midfielder has flopped this season when you compare it to the season he had last year where he was the stand out star at Man United that lead to the side finishing second in the Premier League.

In the 2020/21 season, Fernandes scored record-breaking achievement for the midfielder, who was expected to emulate this season in the current one with his Portuguese teammate, Ronaldo, joining the side in the summer. Instead, he’s only registered three assists all campaign so far in the league.

Ralf Rangnick is currently setting up with a 4-2-2-2 and it may be wise to axe Fernandes in the upcoming game on Tuesday against Brentford by trying Donny Van De Beek and Jadon Sancho in the two behind the strike force. It would give the Portuguese midfielder either a rest or a realisation that he needs to start picking up his performances.

Fernandes is struggling to find consistency in his game, although he does have 26 times against Norwich on Saturday.

In other news: Magpies ‘make contact’ with Manchester United over Jesse Lingard

As per reliable club insider ExWHUemployee, via The West Ham Way website, an update has dropped on the club’s links to Fulham star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.

The Lowdown: Newman set for first January window…

Back in October, West Ham confirmed a new era of transfers at the London Stadium with the club appointing former chief Man City scout Rob Newman in their new head of recruitment role (whufc.com).

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The Hammers chief, set for his first transfer window in the capital, is tasked with helping manager David Moyes identify and bring in the perfect transfer targets to bolster his squad.

A striker has been on the agenda for quite some time, while more recently, West Ham have been tipped to swoop for a new centre-half after serious injuries to both Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna.

Sharing the latest on their forward hunt, Ex has some news on who Newman is now targeting ahead of next month.

The Latest: Ex shares Mitrovic update…

According to the insider’s information, West Ham, and by extension Newman, are now eyeing a move for Cottagers forward Mitrovic ahead of the January transfer window as he enjoys another fine season in the Championship.

The Serbia international is apparently back on the Irons’ transfer radar with the club having already watched him for many years.

The Verdict: Ideal candidate?

As West Ham fans eagerly await who could finally end their year-long search for an alternative centre-forward, we believe Mitrovic comes with pros and cons.

The 69-cap ace is currently standing out yet again in England’s second tier with a brilliant 22-goal haul in just 21 appearances so far (Transfermarkt), evidently demonstrating he is a prolific goal scorer.

Former Premier League boss Ian Holloway is certainly an admirer, telling EFL on Quest that Mitrovic can be ‘unplayable’, while ex-Norwich City manager Alex Neil labelled the player a ‘beast’.

His top-flight record is slightly more underwhelming, however, with the 27-year-old scoring just three over his last full season in the big time (WhoScored).

In other news: Insider claims club could sell their ‘top drawer’ mainstay to West Ham, he’s ‘very keen’ to join…find out more here.

West Ham boss David Moyes has big shoes to fill after the international break after Angelo Ogbonna suffered a major injury blow at the weekend.

Ogbonna blow

The 33-year-old centre-back sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury during the Irons’ 3-2 win over Liverpool on Sunday afternoon and he is set to see a specialist this week to find out the extent of the damage.

If it’s serious, he could be ruled out for at least nine months and as explained by The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas, it’s certainly a “huge blow” to David Moyes and the club’s ambitions this season.

He must find a solution.

Opportunity knocks

Luckily, though, he has the perfect replacement already in his ranks in Issa Diop.

Ogbonna has remained a dependable figure for four different managers in east London, having racked up over 200 appearances in over six years at the club.

A runner-up for the ‘Player of the Year’ award in 2019/20, only once has he played fewer than 29 times in any league campaign for the Hammers.

“Losing Ogbonna is a massive blow. He carried on playing, we didn’t think it would be that bad. We’re thinking of next season already. It’s bad news. Tactically, he is brilliant — a typical Italian. He organises, communicates and understands the game well,” an inside source revealed to The Athletic.

He had started all 11 of their top-flight outings thus far, so his absence will certainly be felt but why should it be Diop over Craig Dawson? The veteran was the Italian’s preferred partner before the arrival of Champions League winner Kurt Zouma.

A byproduct of the Frenchman coming in has been the surge in form from his fellow countryman, who was described as a “colossus” by assistant manager Stuart Pearce after their Carabao Cup win over Manchester United.

The 24-year-old beast, now valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, was once dubbed a “monster” by ex-Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho for a similarly dominating display against the Old Trafford giants back in 2018.

Moyes has often opted for the experienced head of Dawson but Zouma and Diop would be a partnership to be feared.

In that win over United, the former Toulouse star recorded a match-high seven clearances and completely nullified Anthony Martial, whilst he has also delivered regularly in the Europa League alongside the Englishman.

Diop’s 2.5 tackles per game in Europe is only bettered by Declan Rice (2.8) and as Ogbonna makes the most tackles of any of his central defensive options, as per WhoScored, it would make sense to go for a like-for-like replacement.

It’s a golden chance for the Manuel Pellegrini signing to shine, even if Ogbonna’s absence presents Moyes with a massively cruel setback.

AND in other news, “On the radar”: ExWHUemployee drops West Ham transfer claim that’ll leave fans buzzing…

After ending Dean Smith’s reign at Aston Villa with a 1-0 win over the Midlands club prior to the international break, Southampton have the chance to get his time at Norwich City off to a bad start when they travel to Carrow Road this weekend for their latest Premier League match.

In terms of which players Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl could pick to face the Canaries on Saturday afternoon, one man who we think deserves to be in the starting XI on this occasion is centre-back Lyanco.

Why Lyanco must start for Saints

Since joining the south coast club back in August on a four-year deal from Torino in Serie A, the Brazilian has only started two games for Southampton, which both came in the Carabao Cup.

the defender, who has been labelled as a “fantastic character” by Hasenhuttl, made his Premier League debut when he came on as a late substitute during their 1-0 win over Watford before playing the last 34 minutes of their 1-0 victory against Villa.

During his time on the pitch against Smith’s former employers, Lyanco showed what a useful defensive unite he can be for the Saints by blocking two shots and making one tackle, one interception and one clearance, whilst winning three of his four duels. He ultimately earned himself a solid overall match rating of 7/10 from SofaScore, despite only playing just over half an hour.

With this in mind, and Hasenhuttl recently revealing that he will be making changes to his team and giving some fringe players the chance to prove themselves in the coming weeks and months, the game against Norwich could be a great opportunity to give Lyanco his first start in the Premier League against a side who have only scored five goals in 11 games.

In terms of who the 24-year-old could replace in the starting XI, he could come in ahead of someone like Jan Bednarek, who played the full 90 minutes in Poland’s recent 2-1 defeat against Hungary earlier in the week and could arguably need a rest. He has also played every minute of league action for Southampton since their 0-0 draw against Manchester City in September.

If Hasenhuttl does start Lyanco against the Canaries and the Brazilian manages to put in another solid performance throughout the full game, he could well cement his place in the team for the time being and prove why the club were right to bring him to St Mary’s.

In other news: Southampton handed huge fitness boost ahead of Norwich clash, fans will be buzzing

Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has suffered a potential setback in his recovery from injury, posing further selection headaches for manager Rafa Benitez.

What’s the word?

The England international hasn’t featured since the 2-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion on 28 August due to a broken toe and thigh problem.

Although the Toffees are yet to name an exact date for Calvert-Lewin’s expected comeback, there are growing concerns over a setback in his recovery.

A recent report in the Liverpool ECHO expressed such worries, claiming the versatile attacker could be on the treatment table for up to three months.

The report states that: “Rafa Benitez had hoped to be in a position to recall Calvert-Lewin to the squad in the coming weeks, but it is believed the 24-year-old may have suffered complications in his rehabilitation.

“Everton were asked about Calvert-Lewin’s fitness by the ECHO, but the club have yet to respond. There are some fears that the No9 could be sidelined for up to 12 weeks, but there is hope his absence will not be as long as that.”

Rafa Benitez surely devastated

News that Calvert-Lewin could face an extended spell on the sidelines will surely leave Benitez feeling absolutely devastated.

He has been their star man for a considerable period of time now, bagging 21 times last season and scoring three goals in his opening three outings this term. That was sandwiched by a place in England’s Euro 2020 squad as he played second fiddle to Harry Kane in the Three Lions side that reached the final a few months ago.

A fast start to the season from Everton is threatening to be unravelled due to a series of injuries to several key players, with midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure the latest to pick up a fresh problem.

The Goodison Park outfit suffered their first home defeat of the campaign last time out against West Ham United, and Benitez must fear more underwhelming results are inevitable as the list of absentees continues to grow.

And, in other news…Everton could be hit with a hammer blow after concerning report, fans surely worried 

Newcastle United have been dealt a blow regarding the fitness of Paul Dummett ahead of their upcoming Premier League clash.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by Sussex Live, Graeme Jones revealed that the Wales international will not be available for selection for the Magpies’ trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday evening, as the left-back has not yet recovered from a calf problem which has kept him sidelined for the entirety of the club’s 2021/22 campaign thus fur.

However, a further report by BBC Sport claimed that the 30-year-old could be in line for a return in the near future, with post-international break appearing to be a realistic timeframe for the defender to return to first team action.

Speaking about the current condition of the Newcastle squad, Jones said: “We’ve managed to get everybody fit apart from Paul Dummett. He’s the only injury at the minute.”

Jones will be gutted

While it is true that Dummett has not featured at all for Newcastle so far this season, the left-back’s continued absence will nevertheless come as a big blow for Jones, as neither Matt Ritchie nor Jamal Lewis – the club’s other two options in that position – have greatly impressed on the left-hand side of the Magpies’ defence this term.

Indeed, over Ritchie’s 10 Premier League appearances in the current campaign, the £2.7m-rated Scot has failed to help his team to keep a single clean sheet, while making just 0.5 interceptions, 1.7 tackles and two clearances and winning 3.4 duels per game. These returns have seen the 32-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 6.75.

Meanwhile, while Lewis has made just one top-flight appearance this season, the £10.8m-rated defender received a rather disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.2 for his efforts in the 4-1 defeat to Manchester United, albeit after only spending nine minutes on the pitch.

As such, it would certainly appear as if the return of Dummett – whose average SofaScore rating of 6.76 last season surpassed those of Ritchie and Lewis so far this term – cannot come soon enough for Newcastle, who will once again have to make do without the Wales international in what is sure to be a challenging fixture against the high-flying Seagulls this evening.

In other news – “Started negotiations”: Guillem Balague drops major NUFC transfer claim which will delight fans

On-loan Leeds United winger Helder Costa’s performances for Valencia have been criticised, following his summer move to the La Liga side.

The Lowdown: Costa unwanted at Leeds

Costa was deemed surplus to requirements by Marcelo Bielsa during the summer, with the likes of Raphinha, Jack Harrison and Dan James all ahead of him in the pecking order.

The Portugal international opted to join Valencia on loan instead, in the hope of enjoying more regular playing time and kickstarting his career again.

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The Latest: Winger struggling in Spain

It hasn’t panned out that way so far, though, with Costa playing just 11 minutes of league action in Spain.

It has led to the 27-year-old receiving plenty of criticism, with Deporte Valenciano [via Sport Witness] claiming he ‘has to wake up, get his act together and start giving the performance all expect’.

The report also states that ‘he hasn’t done particularly well’ overall, as his struggles to catch the eye continue.

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The Verdict: No future at Elland Road

Costa is undoubtedly a talented footballer – he has been described as “immense” by his former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo – but there is no future for him at Leeds.

The Whites have moved on without him, despite his contract not expiring until the summer of 2024, and the sooner they can receive a fee him, the better.

In other news, one Leeds player is expected to return to face Watford. Find out who it is here.