All posts by rastrear-estafeta.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!

Despite holding talks with Nuno Espirito Santo, Tottenham Hotspur are said to also admire three other options as the search for their next manager rumbles on…

What’s the word?

According to The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, Spurs have spoken to the former Wolves boss about their managerial vacancy, discussing his style of play, Harry Kane’s future and Heung-min Son’s new contract.

However, it has been revealed that he isn’t the only man under consideration, as other targets include Rangers’ Steven Gerrard, Italy head coach Roberto Mancini and Brighton boss Graham Potter.

The 47-year-old left Molineux by mutual consent after four years following the end of the 2020/21 season and many supporters have been opposed to his potential arrival.

Fresh twist in the tale?

Therefore, they will be very happy to learn that Nuno isn’t the only candidate being considered by the north London club’s hierarchy.

It’s been a long nine weeks since Jose Mourinho was sacked by chairman Daniel Levy but, with pre-season only ten days away, a decision must be made soon, and it’s one which has a lot of pressure riding on it after protests from supporters in recent months.

The need to get the appointment absolutely correct has been ramped up tenfold as, with each passing week, it seems as if a new name has rejected the job, so perhaps it’s a good thing that all their eggs aren’t in Nuno’s basket – yet.

Initial targets Julian Nagelsmann, who opted to join Bayern Munich, and Brendan Rodgers, who wants to remain at Leicester City, were quickly ruled out of the running.

Spurs even held talks with their former boss Mauricio Pochettino over a sensational return before they appeared to be close to sealing Chelsea’s title-winning head coach Antonio Conte. Neither were appointed.

Then there was former Serie A duo Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso, who were thought to be pursued by new sporting director Fabio Paratici, but once again moves for both collapsed at the 11th hour.

Nuno is the latest name to be considered the ‘leading candidate’ for the Spurs job, but given what’s happened in this process so far, you’d have to take it with a pinch of salt.

What is clear, however, is that much of the Lilywhites faithful do not want him in charge next season, so reports that the likes of Gerrard and Mancini have emerged as new contenders should come as hugely encouraging news.

AND in other news, Predicting Spurs’ XI in 2021/22 under Graham Potter: Kane stays, Alli starts and Brighton star one of three signings…

Leeds United would ‘100 percent’ be interested in signing World Cup winner and Paris Saint-Germain star Julian Draxler this summer, according to Kevin Campbell.

New faces are expected to arrive at Elland Road before the start of next season, as Marcelo Bielsa continues to perfect his squad.

One player who has been linked with an exciting move to Leeds is Draxler, with the Germany international falling out of favour at PSG and reports as far back as last summer suggesting the Whites are eyeing a ‘shock’ move.

The 27-year-old’s current deal at the Ligue 1 champions expires in the summer and he is expected to be plying his trade elsewhere in 2021/22.

[freshpress-quiz id=“351040″]

Campbell talks up Leeds’ move for Draxler

Speaking to Football Insider, former Arsenal and Everton striker Campbell claimed Leeds would be foolish not to at least attempt to sign Draxler in the coming months:

“You could say it is a no brainer for Leeds but there will be quite a few clubs interested in a player like him on a free transfer.

“I am sure there are clubs interested who could pay him more. They would have to fork out on wages if they really wanted him.

“If they can get him they would take him, 100 percent. I’m sure of that because he would add something to that Leeds team. He’s a great player.”

Transfer Tavern take

It could be that Leeds end up being blown out of the water by another club, but trying to snap up Draxler can’t do any harm.

He is arguably a world-class (ESPN) player when on top form, and while he may have lost his way a little at PSG – he has only made nine league starts this season – a fresh challenge could revitalise him, while still at a good age in his career.

It would be a sensational signing – he has won the World Cup, multiple domestic cups and three Ligue 1 titles (Transfermarkt) – and Draxler could be that sprinkling of stardust that Leeds’ squad needs, taking the team to another level in the process, as they perhaps look to push towards the European places next season.

In other news, Leeds have reportedly received a boost in their quest to sign a centre-back this summer. Read more here.

Alasdair Gold has dropped an update on the future of Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte.

What’s the latest?

In a recent video posted on his YouTube channel, the football.london journalist revealed that, despite a number of reports claiming that the 52-year-old Spurs manager would be tempted by a move back to Juventus should Massimiliano Allegri be relieved of his duties, the Italian is currently happy in north London – suggesting that an imminent departure is not on the cards.

Gold went on to state that, even if the Serie A side were to make an approach for their former manager, Daniel Levy and Fabio Paratici hold an option to extend Conte’s current contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – which is set to expire at the end of the current campaign – for a further year – something that provides the club with an extra layer of protection regarding the coach.

Regarding the future of the former Chelsea, Inter Milan and Italy manager, the journalist said: “Digging around, I’ve got confirmation today that it’s Tottenham that hold this option. So Tottenham are the ones who can decide to extend, and they can do so whenever they choose to do it before the end of the contract.

“So that gives Conte a little bit more protection, and if a side like Juventus do come in, they’d have to pay a lot more money. But from what I understand, Conte seems to be quite happy at the moment. He seems to be quite settled.”

Great news for Spurs

Considering the rather remarkable job Conte has done at Tottenham since his appointment in November of 2021, Gold’s claim that the Premier League side hold an option to extend the 52-year-old’s current deal for a further year, in addition to his suggestion that the Italian appears to be happy in north London, is undoubtedly great news for Spurs.

Indeed, following his arrival at the club, the tactician achieved an astonishing turnaround in form, with Tottenham winning 17, drawing five and losing just six of their 28 Premier League fixtures under his management, despite having won five and lost five of their opening 10 games of the season while Nuno Espírito Santo was at the helm.

These results saw Spurs climb from ninth in the table prior to the 52-year-old’s appointment to fourth by the end of the 2022/23 campaign, with the Italian ensuring that Tottenham would be playing Champions League football for the first time since 2020 – beating north London rivals Arsenal to fourth with a 5-0 win over Norwich City on the final day of the season.

Furthermore, Conte has also overseen a sensational start to Tottenham’s 2022/23 Premier League campaign, with the Lilywhites currently sitting third in the top flight standings – having won five, drawn two and lost none of their seven league fixtures so far this season – just one point behind the Gunners in first and level on points with reigning champions Manchester City in second.

However, the 52-year-old’s impact is even more impressive when looking at the bigger picture as, since the beginning of 2022, only Liverpool and Manchester City (60) have picked up more Premier League points than the Italian’s side, with Tottenham currently sitting in third on 58 points – while City (71) are the also only team to have outscored Spurs (65) this year.

As such, considering the fact that Conte has achieved these results despite having only been at the club for a little under 11 months, the prospect of the 52-year-old staying on for a further year and a half is sure to be an incredibly exciting one for everyone involved with Spurs – proving why Gold’s latest update is undoubtedly great news for the club.

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have been reacting to footage on social media regarding youngsters Louie Barry and Aaron Ramsey.

The pair were in action at Villa Park against Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday evening in the FA Youth Cup.

Both Barry and Ramsey helped Villa progress to the fifth round following a 3-0 win, with the latter of the two netting a brace in the second half.

Kaine Kesler-Hayden opened the scoring, with captain Ramsey sealing the victory with two goals in the space of six minutes.

It was Ramsey’s second effort which had plenty of Villa fans talking on social media. Barry picked up the ball and beat a few Brighton players before feeding it into Ramsey’s path, with the midfielder slotting an effort into the far corner.

Villa fans react

@academyavfc shared the third goal on Twitter on Wednesday evening, with the clip viewed over 24,000 times as of Friday morning.

This is what these Villa fans had to say, with one describing Barry’s run as ‘Jack-esque’.

“Jack-esque going forward like that. Love to see it.”

Credit: @JayVtid

“Barry’s turn of pace is something else”

Credit: @JAnnetts_

“The first team awaiting”

Credit: @Alanmccaugherr1

“That’s absolutely brilliant”

Credit: @nicknackjames1

“Love that run from Barry and the finish from A Ramsey”

Credit: @mickstewartssss

“There’s some Jack Grealish about this Louis Barry kid”

Credit: @MShauib1

In other news: Many AVFC fans react as FFP news emerges, find out more here. 

Dean Windass has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that Josh Windass’ Sheffield Wednesday future is unlikely to be resolved until the players are paid.

The former Hull City striker revealed that the Owls squad haven’t been paid for more than two months, which could prove a barrier in deciding where his son will be playing his football next season.

Josh still has 12 months remaining on his Hillsborough contract, but has been the subject to recent interest from Championship outfit Millwall, who have had two bids knocked back.

The 27-year-old was the Owls’ standout player last season, scoring nine times and adding six assists – contributing to almost 40 percent of their league goals.

However, Josh’s impressive numbers couldn’t save Wednesday from slipping into the second-tier, which has led to serious doubts over his future.

But Windass has reiterated that despite interest from the Lions and other Championship, his son wants to remain with the club and would be happy to play in League One.

He told The Transfer Tavern:

“It’s a difficult situation, because they’ve not been paid for two months, so I’m not sure what intentions Sheffield Wednesday have got.

“He’s happy to stay there if everything gets resolved. I don’t know the answer, obviously Darren Moore doesn’t want to lose him, but the players have got to get paid and once that gets resolved, the situation might change.”

Ipswich Town will be looking to mount a serious challenge for promotion back into the Championship next season under the management of Paul Cook.

It’s likely to be an interesting summer transfer window ahead, with player departures likely, as Cook looks to rebuild his squad ahead of the 2021/22 league campaign.

The Tractor Boys finished ninth in the League One table last term, as they narrowly missed out on a top-six finish in the third tier standings, much to the frustration of the Portman Road faithful.

They showed glimpses of their quality, and the club’s supporters will be eager to see their side challenge for promotion into the second-tier.

Experienced heads Luke Chambers and Cole Skuse were among some of the players to leave the club upon the expiration of their contracts, and reinforcements are certainly needed moving forwards.

One player that has recently been linked with a move to Ipswich is Everton defender Lewis Gibson, with the East Anglian Daily Times reporting that Paul Cook’s men are weighing up a temporary or permanent move for the 20-year-old.

Gibson has a point to prove

Gibson spent the 2020/21 season on loan with Championship side Reading but endured a frustrating campaign with the Berkshire-based side.

The Everton loanee made 13 appearances in all competitions during that season and was often behind the likes of Tom McIntyre and Tom Holmes in the pecking order at the Madejski Stadium.

Gibson only made seven starts for Veljko Paunovic’s side in that league campaign, as they finished seventh in the second-tier standings.

At the age of 20, he’ll be eager to get his career back on track, and a move to Ipswich Town could present him with the ideal opportunity to do just that.

Reinforcements are needed at Ipswich Town

As previously mentioned, Luke Chambers has left the club upon the expiration of his contract at Portman Road, and so additional strength in depth is needed in defence moving forwards.

Gibson is still relatively young and will be eager to prove a point, having not being given much of a chance with both Everton and Reading so far in his career.

He would be no stranger to playing his football at League One level either, having made 11 appearances in total for Fleetwood Town, in a loan spell back in 2020, as they earned a spot in the play-offs, although they narrowly missed out on promotion after a defeat to Wycombe Wanderers in their play-off semi-final in the 2019/20 campaign.

It’d be a real statement of intent

Ipswich certainly aren’t messing around when it comes to adding to their squad this summer either, with the likes of Rekeem Harper, Wes Burns, Matt Penney and Macauley Bonne being just some of the players to sign up with Paul Cook’s side ahead of the 2020/21 season.

They’re making serious moves in the summer transfer window already, and it would be a real statement of intent by the Tractor Boys if they were to strike an agreement to land Gibson’s signature as well.

The pressure will be on Cook’s men though, as they seem to be building a squad that is more than capable of making a serious push for promotion into the Championship this term.

Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that he can understand why supporters of his old side are getting frustrated with central defender Tyrone Mings.

Mings came in for criticism for his performance in Villa’s 3-1 win against Fulham earlier this month, with the 28-year-old’s mistake resulting in the west London club taking the lead.

He did, however, manage to redeem himself by setting up the equaliser. Ultimately, thanks to Trezeguet’s brace, no real damage was done in the end.

Nevertheless, Hendrie has called for Mings to up his game in general amid fan frustration, frustration that the ex-Villa player totally gets.

On the £24.3m-rated England international, Hendrie told FFC:

“I look at the mistake that John Stones made in the England game and, you know, there’s similar sorts of aspects between Tyrone Mings and John Stones. They’re footballing centre-halves, they get on the ball, they want to have that bit of time and they want to play football from the back.

“And that’s a risk you run having centre-halves that want to play through the lines and want that extra couple of seconds on the ball where they’re going to pick things out. And sometimes they get a little bit cocky in that situation.”

Discussing the matter further, the retired Premier League footballer went on to add:

“I can understand why Villa fans are getting frustrated because [Ezri] Konsa’s been brilliant defensively, puts his neck on the line. And, at times, I’ve seen Tyrone over the season, you know, the Leeds game stood out to me where [Patrick] Bamford just literally ran riot and some of the goals that were scored… defensively, I didn’t feel that he was at it.

“For the physical strength that he possesses, he should be going on and doing a lot better, and I think that’s why Villa fans get so frustrated.”

Next up for Mings and Villa in the Premier League is the visit of Manchester City.

Smith’s side will need to be wary of a reaction from the Citizens following their disappointing 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the FA Cup.

Many Wolves fans have been left to buzz as Tim Spiers shared the name of a new manager candidate.

Writing in his latest piece for The Athletic, the journalist has shared that Steven Gerrard is being looked at by the Midlands club as a potential replacement for Nuno Espirito Santo.

Frank Lampard is also on the running, while Bruno Lage still remains the frontrunner, although Gerrard was certainly the name that caught the eye the most among the Molineux faithful.

The Liverpool and England international legend has just enjoyed a great season with Rangers, winning the Scottish Premiership title off of the hands of Celtic while also going through the Gers’ league campaign without a single defeat.

Of course, Gerrard knows the Premier League very well too, and so he has emerged as an ideal successor in the eyes of several WWFC supporters.

Wolves fans on Gerrard manager update

These Wanderers buzzed as Spiers shared the update on Gerrard on his Twitter page:

“Gerrard…. no brainer”

Credit: @nakedguyonvespa

“I think most of us want Gerrard”

Credit: @MarkTFillingham

“If Gerrard is an option we should go all out for him”

Credit: @Vaughany1973

“Gerrard please.”

Credit: @Supermancooks

“Gerrard all day”

Credit: @DanielSparkrite

“Gerrard. Got to be.”

Credit: @goggs19591

In other news, find out what transfer update has left Wanderers buzzing here!

Southampton have been handed a potential boost in their pursuit of West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone…

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun, Southampton transfer target Sam Johnstone has put talks over a fresh contract at West Brom on hold to focus on Championship action, with his deal set to expire at the end of the season.

The Saints are reportedly interested in a swoop for the England international as Ralph Hasenhuttl goes in search of a new number one, as is expected.

Get it done

Southampton chief Martin Semmens must ensure that he can get a deal over the line for Johnstone in 2022 and this update could hand him a boost in his efforts.

As it stands, West Brom are top of the Championship after six games. This suggests that an immediate return to the top-flight could be on the cards for the club, which could persuade Johnstone to ignore interest from elsewhere to remain in the Midlands, but there is still hope for the Saints as it is still very early in the season.

There is plenty of time for the Baggies to wobble and Johnstone stalling on talks over a new contract opens the door for Southampton to move for him if West Brom do start to struggle.

The £28k-per-week beast has already proven that he can excel at Premier League level. Former West Brom boss Sam Allardyce hailed Johnstone as ‘one of the best’ last season and praised his impact on the side. He said:

“He’s one of the best. I think that’s pleasing to see as he’s one of the two most important people in your team.

“The goalscorer is the first and your goalkeeper is the second.

“He’s right up there at the right level and he’d already saved more shots than anybody before yesterday.

“The defence was so good yesterday that Sam had little or nothing to do. That one brilliant save was a magnificent save when we needed it, but we limited Liverpool to hardly any shots on target and we had more than them.”

Last season, Alex McCarthy conceded 8.1 more goals than he was expected to based on Expected Goals Against. Johnstone, meanwhile, prevented 4.1 goals as he performed to a higher level than the average goalkeeper was expected to.

This suggests that the West Brom man could be a sizeable improvement on McCarthy, as he showed last term that he is a vastly superior shot-stopper.

The Saints must do all they can to snap him up for free in 2022.

AND in other news, Gao must avoid Saints nightmare over key decision as report reveals club’s intentions…