All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Tottenham have been brilliant this season and although it’s a longshot, still have a chance in both the Premier League and Champions League.

Without spending a single penny and suffering badly from big injuries, Mauricio Pochettino and his players have just got on with things, not worrying about anything else apart from doing the business on the pitch.

There have been a number of terrific showings from Tottenham recently that have since brought them back into the Premier League title debate, whilst their Champions League aspirations are also very much alive and kicking.

Yet, whatever success they may or may not enjoy this season, Spurs cannot stand still in the transfer market again and must look to replenish their squad.

Whether he would want to play second-fiddle or Tottenham somehow integrated him within the starting line-up, Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic could be a brilliant summer coup.

Mitrovic, (who is valued at £22.5 million on Transfermarkt) is far greater than the Championship striker he could become if Fulham are to be relegated and would arguably good enough for Tottenham’s squad.

With the chance to play with a much greater surrounding of quality, Mitrovic could be looking at bettering the ten goals he has scored this season so far.

The Serbian international is still only 24-years-old as well, meaning that his career with Tottenham could be very long lasting and full of success eventually.

Tottenham have a squad full of young and exciting players, which Aleksandar Mitrovic would also fit the criteria of being too.

He is a bullish striker that is superb in the air and on the ground knocking the ball around. He would be far better than Fernando Llorente and would ultimately improve Tottenham’s choices massively.

Do you agree… Let us know!

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has revealed the latest on Aston Villa starlet Indiana Vassilev.

What’s the story?

The 20-year-old had spent the previous few months on loan in the MLS with Inter Miami, playing 21 times for them and scoring three goals.

Now, during a Q&A for The Birmingham Mail, Preece has admitted that Vassilev’s current situation at Villa Park is a “strange” one.

He said: “Yes, I’ll ask Gerrard about Indy. It’s an odd one and it looks like he’ll have to make do with just training until that December 31 deal officially expires. Not been involved with under-23s which is again strange.”

Villa fans might be worried

Previously on FFC, we’ve earmarked Vassilev to play a big role for Villa in the coming years, and it’s no surprise given the kind of rave reviews he has earned.

Rusty Scarborough who headed up the IMG academy during the 20-year-old’s spell there, said: “On the field, you know he’s out there, he’s a leader, people follow him. The technical aspect he’s developed at a young age so now he’s phenomenal on the ball, passing, dribbling, shooting, heading, receiving.”

And, another coach from IMG, Kevin Hartman, hailed: “He’s got great leadership qualities and he’s got an undying desire to win every time he plays. That competitiveness is an attribute that I think every coach is going to be looking for and it really drives development.

“His future is boundless. He has all the physical capabilities of a top level player. The attributes and the characteristics that he has within are the ones that will drive his development. I don’t see a limit to what he can achieve.”Villa’s first-team squad is brimming with bright academy prospects coming through, including the likes of Jacob Ramsey and Carney Chukwuemeka among others.Vassilev of course has got the first-team edge on some of his fellow academy starlets given he has played senior football with the likes of Inter Miami and also Burton Albion last season.Losing him without even seeing him make his first-team debut for the club would surely have Villa fans worried about the rest of their promising young stars and the direction the academy is heading in.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has delivered the latest Aston Villa transfer update…

Following on from their 0-0 draw against Portsmouth, Sheffield Wednesday are back in League One action once again this afternoon with an away clash against Crewe Alexandra, who are currently 15 places and 19 points behind the Owls in the league table. 

Wednesday manager Darren Moore revealed that Lee Gregory will be fit enough to play, as well as Josh Windass, Ciaran Brennan and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, but Chey Dunkley will miss out along with Dominic Iorfa, Lewis Gibson, Dennis Adeniran and Sam Hutchinson. With that in mind, here’s how we feel the Owls manager could set up his team for this afternoon’s clash against Crewe and what changes could be made from the XI which started against Portsmouth.

We reckon there could be as many as five alterations from midweek:

In goal, we think Moore will go with Bailey Peacock-Farrell given how he’s played in the majority of Wednesday’s league games so far this season.

In a back three, we can see the manager bringing Ciaran Brennan back into the side alongside Liam Palmer and Callum Paterson to try and keep a clean sheet for the Owls. Brennan’s recall sees Marvin Johnson drop out after the 31-year-old was ranked as one of the team’s poorest performers against Pompey, giving the ball away an alarming 21 times, as per SofaScore.

For the wing-back positions, we think Moore will start Theo Corbeanu on this occasion on the left-hand side in place of Olamide Shodipo, with Jack Hunt keeping his place on the right. 

In the three midfield positions, we can see Lewis Wing coming back in to play alongside Barry Bannan with Josh Windass making his return. Oluwafisayo Dele-Bashiru drops out and Massimo Luongo will not involved after picking up a red card against Portsmouth.

Up top, we think Moore will drop Florian Kamberi, with Saido Berahino – who is currently earning £7.6k-per-week according to Salary Sport – coming back in to play alongside Lee Gregory to see if they can get some goals and secure a win for the Owls.

In other news – Time to go: Moore must ruthlessly axe SWFC flop in January, he’s not been good enough

Glasgow Rangers have now been gifted a big boost in their hope of tying Scott Arfield down to a new deal at the club.

The Lowdown: van Bronckhorst wants him

Speaking to the media before their 3-3 draw away at Ross County (via The Glasgow Times), manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst admitted that he wants to keep Arfield beyond his current contract with the Teddy Bears, which will run out in the summer.

As the Dutchman says, the central midfield player has been ‘really important‘ to the side, as he has played 27 matches in total across all competitions for them this term, scoring four goals (Transfermarkt).

At 33 years of age with 19 international caps to his name, he is one of the most experienced players in the dressing room.

The Latest: Arfield speaks out

Speaking to the media in a pre-game press conference ahead of their match at home to Hearts in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon, Arfield has now revealed that his agent is talking with the club about a potential new deal:

“My agent is talking to the club, this is a club I want to be a part of.

“I love being part of this football club.”

The Verdict: Big boost

Called a ‘very clever’ player by former boss Steven Gerrard, Arfield is someone who can still thrive under another coach in van Bronckhorst, and there is no doubt that he is still a key part of the team.

Yes, there will be a time when the Light Blues will have to start thinking about phasing him out given his age, but the Canadian should be given at least until the end of next season in order to help stabilise the ship under the new boss.

Nonetheless, he is someone that the fans want to keep at Ibrox too, and so a new deal will work out for all parties involved.

In other news, find out what big Gers transfer update Fabrizio Romano has dropped here!

According to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook on Twitter, West Ham goalkeeper Darren Randolph is set to move to Aston Villa on loan in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Randolph now third-choice at West Ham

The veteran has been well down the Hammers’ pecking order this season, as Lukasz Fabianski and Alphonse Areola have been battling it out for the berth between the sticks. The 34-year-old has not yet featured in a West Ham shirt this season, having last done so against West Brom towards the end of last term.

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

Indeed, Randolph has not even been included in any of Moyes’ Premier League squads this season. This could threaten his spot in the Republic of Ireland national team, having been capped 50 times by his country.

The Latest: Randolph set to join Villa on loan

According to Crook, Randolph is set to join Aston Villa on a loan deal, as Steven Gerrard seeks a backup for first-choice goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in the Midlands

The talkSPORT journalist tweeted: “Another pending arrival at #AVFC who I understand are set to sign #WHUFC goalkeeper Darren Randolph on loan as back-up for Emi Martinez”

It has previously been reported by Claret and Hugh that the Irons would have accepted any offer which would see the Irishman leave the club, and it now looks likely that a loan exit to Villa will materialise.

The Verdict: Could be just what Randolph needs

With Fabianski and Areola going toe-to-toe with one another for the starting spot at West Ham, it seems silly to keep Randolph at the club. A move to Villa could reinvigorate the 34-year-old, who through no fault of his own has been left kicking his heels on matchdays since the start of the campaign.

Former Middlesbrough teammate Ryan Shotton has previously described the Irishman as ‘brilliant’, exclaiming that ‘some of his saves are just unbelievable’.

The move to Villa could provide him with the opportunity to play whenever Martinez is rested or unavailable, and it may just enable him to return to east London sharper and more motivated to force his way back into David Moyes’ plans.

In other news: ‘Yesssss’, ‘Absolutely insane’ – Many West Ham fans erupt over ‘huge’ boost for Irons beast

Celtic are keen on AZ Alkmaar’s Albert Gudmundsson, according to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf (via FC Update). 

The lowdown

Gudmundsson is out of contract at the end of the 2021/22 season, and so as of Saturday, the Hoops could approach him about joining on a free transfer next summer.

Discussions over an extension have gone ‘quiet’ for a ‘while’ now, he says, and while he hasn’t ‘locked the door’ on staying put, he doesn’t know if negotiations will reopen.

He’s been at AZ since 2018, when he arrived from fellow Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven.

The Iceland international has started 12 of his side’s 18 league games so far this season, as well as five of their six Europa Conference League matches. Overall, he’s contributed six goals and two assists (via Transfermarkt).

Gudmundsson has been capped 29 times by his country and was part of the squad that went to the 2018 World Cup.

The latest

The report reaffirms previous claims in the British press that both Celtic and their arch-rivals Rangers view Gudmundsson as an ‘ideal’ addition.

That’s largely because of his versatility, with the 24-year-old capable of playing as a no. 10, a striker and a winger.

As his comments about his contract situation suggest, Gudmunsson is considering leaving AZ.

The verdict

Celtic need to improve their strength in depth. Ange Postecoglou has said as much when discussing the club’s injury pile-up.

Gudmundsson would be especially useful in that regard because of his capacity to play in multiple positions.

And he boasts a decent record too, with 29 direct goal contributions (17 goals, 12 assists) in 81 appearances in the Eredivisie – the seventh-strongest league in Europe.

There could be a scenario here where both Glasgow clubs make overtures in January, trying to convince him that their project is the more attractive – perhaps the prospect of linking up as a duo with Kyogo Furuhashi could tempt him to Parkhead?

In other news, Celtic have been backed to complete this triple swoop.

Everton’s honeymoon period under new manager Rafa Benitez has come well and truly crashing down, with a run of just one victory in the last nine fixtures in all competitions.

And things could be about to get even worse for the Toffees. An extensive injury list, including Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Yerry Mina and Abdoulaye Dourcoure grew over the weekend when Demarai Gray had to be substituted with an abductor problem.

Coupled with the fact that both Mason Holgate and Richarlison will be forced to watch on from the sidelines due to suspensions, Sunday’s trip to the Brentford Community Stadium could be one to forget.

After providing five goal contributions in his opening 12 outings for Everton, summer signing Gray has quickly established himself as a key player for Benitez’s side.

Therefore, his enforced absence over the weekend will be a big blow to the Blues’ chances of success, and his regular understudy Alex Iwobi is once again having a season to forget.

Following his arrival as a 17th-minute substitute against Manchester City, the Nigeria international had just 37 touches of the ball – seven fewer than Jordan Pickford – and failed to produce a single shot or key pass, as per SofaScore.

Since arriving on Merseyside for a whopping £34m back in 2019, Iwobi has found the back of the net on just six occasions in his 76 outings, illustrating how it may be time for Benitez to take a risk and try something new.

And with Lewis Dobbin at his disposal, he has the ideal opportunity to do just that. The 18-year-old gem has been a standout performer in Everton’s youth academy for many years now, impressing with David Unsworth’s U23s over the last six months.

“He’s going to be a top player, there’s absolutely no doubt about that,” Unsworth revealed in a recent interview with the Liverpool ECHO (as relayed by The Athletic).

Dobbin bagged his second goal of the campaign last time out against Brighton and Hove Albion in what was his best performance of 2021/22 so far, and he could be ready for his next challenge over the coming weeks; Benitez just needs to be brave enough to unleash him.

And, in other news…Brands could be on the verge of repeating Everton’s awful Thierry Small disaster 

Benfica are optimistic about bringing Celtic loanee Jota back to Portugal in the summer, The Daily Record report.

The Lowdown: Celtic’s option

The Hoops brought the 22-year-old to Parkhead on deadline day on a season-long loan with an option to buy.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-copy/” title=”Celtic updates!! (Copy)” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Jota has been a revelation in Scotland following his Scotland switch, contributing to 14 goals in 19 games.

He recently returned to his parent club to have his hamstring injury assessed, and it seems as if the Primeira Liga giants think they can keep hold of the winger despite reports suggesting Celtic are closing in on a £6m permanent deal.

The Latest: Journalist reacts

The Daily Record shared a story Thursday, leading with a title that Jota to Celtic is now in ‘doubt’.

They then relayed comments from journalist Alex Goncalves, who claimed that there is a ‘decent chance’ of Jota staying with Benfica. He also labelled a £6m option to buy fee from the Portuguese giants as ‘an absolute travesty’.

“Benfica obviously remain keen to keep hold of João ‘Jota’ Filipe, hence why Celtic still haven’t managed to sign him permanently. It’s all still up to Jota, but Benfica would like him to return to his boyhood club.

“There’s a feeling that there’s a decent chance it’ll happen.

“Even if Jota chooses to stay at Benfica, it’s an incredibly lucky escape. The fact that Benfica included a £6m option fee for Celtic is an absolute travesty and incredibly poor management.

“Benfica have made some impressive sales over the years. This one would be atrocious.”

The Verdict: All in Jota’s hands…

As Goncalves mentions, it is all down to Jota when it comes to his next destination – if the Hoops trigger the option in the original deal, there’s not much his parent club can do.

It seems as if he is loving his football at Parkhead, too, and you’d like to think that the Hoops would be happy to guarantee him regular football in the long run and include various clauses to seal a permanent deal.

Even if a move isn’t finalised this month, Celtic still have months to get a full-time transfer in place ahead of the summer, so even though this latest update now thinks a move could be in ‘doubt’, there shouldn’t be panic amongst the Hoops hierarchy.

In other news: ‘Think that will happen soon’ – Pundit says Celtic will now sign defender after O’Riley. 

Leeds United youngster Crysencio Summerville is reportedly Hamburg’s ‘preferred’ target to join the club before the January transfer window closes.

The Lowdown: Summerville struggles for playing time

The 20-year-old may be one of the Whites’ most exciting young players but he has had to make do with a peripheral role this season.

Summerville’s only start of the campaign to date came in the Carabao Cup, so it could make sense for Leeds to loan him out for the rest of the season.

As deadline day approaches, that still looks to potentially be on the cards, with reports from Hamburg delivering more news on that front.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Hamburg keen on move

According to Hamburger Morgenpost [via Sport Witness], Summerville remains the 2. Bundesliga club’s primary target, as they continue to chase a temporary deal.

It is stated that ‘talks with Leeds are increasingly difficult’, however, so it may be tricky to get it completed before Monday’s deadline.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-33/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Makes perfect sense

In terms of Summerville’s development, it makes perfect sense for him to seal a loan move away from Leeds this month, having been described as ‘superb’ by Noel Whelan.

It would hopefully allow him more regular football in Germany’s second tier and the experience of playing abroad could help him mature as an all-round footballer.

There seems little benefit for anyone if Summerville ends up staying put in January, sitting on the substitutes bench or playing for the Under-23s.

All that said, with such little depth in attacking areas already at Elland Road, perhaps part of the trouble with the deal is Leeds’ desire to secure their own attacking signing first.

In other news, Leeds have been boosted in their quest to sign one player. Find out who it is here.

Aston Villa will be looking to finish the 2021/22 season as strongly as possible ahead of a summer which promises plenty of excitement.

As Steven Gerrard enters his first summer transfer window as Villa manager, it’s no secret that the Midlands club will be looking to invest heavily in order to upgrade their squad.

One area which could certainly be improved is centre-forward, especially with last summer’s £25m addition Danny Ings failing to make a big impact at Villa Park, with the 29-year-old scoring just five goals in claret and blue thus far.

Moreover, Ollie Watkins hasn’t had his best season either, with the 26-year-old scoring only seven goals this campaign, having netted 16 last time around.

However, Gerrard and the Villa hierarchy may not have to invest too heavily to sign a striker, with exciting 20-year-old prospect Cameron Archer potentially ready for a regular run in the first team.

In the pipeline

The youngster has made a serious impression at the Midlands club this season, scoring four goals for the first team in two Carabao Cup appearances, plus nine in eight appearances for the under-23s.

In order to help continue his development, Villa sent the striker on loan to Championship side Preston North End in January, with Archer continuing to thrive at Deepdale. The 20-year-old has netted on five occasions in 12 appearances for Ryan Lowe’s side and will be looking to finish the season strongly in order to make a serious impression on the Villa manager.

Aston Villa journalist Ashley Preece has had plenty of positive things to say about the young striker, especially earlier this season after Villa’s under-23s defeated League One Burton Albion 4-2 in the EFL Trophy.

Preece said on that occasion: “Absolutely sensational as he picks up his second match ball of the season with yet another classy hat-trick. It was finishing of the highest order with Archer being applauded off by Smith, Shakespeare, Danks and Lange in the stands.

“Archer was levels above here, whacking home his trio past Balcombe in the Burton net. Villa need to get his contract sorted now. His development since the summer has been staggering. The boy’s some finisher.”

Since then, the deal has been sorted and the 20-year-old is contracted at Villa Park until 2025. The striker will now have to be assured that he has a future in Gerrard’s first-team plans, as his goal record this term suggests that he could be an upgrade on the out-of-sorts Ings.

In other news: Aston Villa open transfer talks over 105-goal machine, Gerrard will be buzzing