All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Jordan Campbell has now revealed the latest on a potential Glasgow Rangers exit for Jack Simpson.

The Lowdown: Simpson rumours

There have been rumours going around that the Ibrox faithful have accepted a bid from QPR for Simpson, while both Middlesbrough and Swansea City have also been linked with a move for the former Bournemouth man.

He is not getting much game time at all for the Gers, having only played in five matches across all competitions so far this season, so an exit on Transfer Deadline Day does look likely at this stage.

The Latest: Campbell update

As per The Athletic journalist Campbell, reports linking Simpson with a move to QPR are ‘untrue’, and while both Swansea and Middlesbrough have made enquiries over a potential loan deal, Rangers would prefer to sell him on a permanent transfer. Campbell revealed:

“Understand that reports Jack Simpson is heading to QPR are untrue. “Swansea and Middlesbrough among the teams to have enquired about a loan deal but it’s believed Rangers will only consider a permanent transfer.” The Verdict: Sell

If the Gers can negotiate a permanent exit for Simpson, then they must do at all costs. He is simply not playing enough and would not be a big loss to Giovanni van Bronckhorst and his squad.

When he has played, he has often been criticised by both journalists and fans alike, and in truth, his move to Scottish football has not quite worked out.

Thus, given that he is 25 years of age, they could still get a decent transfer fee for him should they be able to sell.

In other news, find out what contract update has RFC supporters buzzing here!

Crystal Palace are expected to hand key midfielder James McArthur a new contract following his impressive performances this season, according to journalist Tom Barclay.

What’s the story?

The 34-year-old’s current deal is set to expire next summer, meaning he would become a free agent at the end of June.

However, following a string of standout performances in Palace’s engine room in the opening weeks of 2021/22, Barclay believes new manager Patrick Vieira will sanction an offer of fresh terms over the coming months.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “He won’t get the assists, he won’t score the goals, he won’t do those raking passes here and there – that highlights reel kind of player. But, there’s a reason why Vieira likes him so much, and why he’s so effective in this team.”

Barclay added: “I probably expect them, despite being 34, to give him a new contract and keep him next season.”

McArthur has been with the capital club since 2014 following his arrival from Wigan Atheltic and could extend his stay into an eighth year if he puts pen to paper on a new contract.

Crystal Palace fans will be delighted

Despite the fact that the former Scotland international is set to turn 35 next October, Palace fans will still be delighted at Barclay’s latest revelation, given his importance to Vieira’s charges.

As per WhoScored, McArthur has averaged 2.3 tackles per Premier League fixture this season, 1.2 interceptions and 1.8 defensive dribbles, placing him in the top-four amongst his teammates for each metric.

His eye-catching displays in the middle of the park have caught the attention of several impressed onlookers, including his manager.

“He is valuable, he’s our captain, and so he has a responsibility to bring his leadership to the squad,” said Vieira after their recent victory over Wolves.

“He’s a fighter, he’s a warrior, he’s the benchmark for a professional. This is the same in training, he is no different.”

Injury kept McArthur out of Palace’s 3-3 draw with Burnley last time out, but the box-to-box dynamo had started every top-flight fixture prior to his fitness concerns, skippering the side on six occasions.

Therefore, news that a fresh deal could be on the horizon will please Vieira and the south London outfit’s supporters alike, providing some stability throughout the club’s transitional period.

And, in other news…Forget Gallagher: Palace monster who made 8 clearances was Vieira’s hero vs Burnley

Everton face a tricky dilemma over the future of defender Yerry Mina as his absence exposed their defensive frailties over the weekend.

What’s the story?

The 27-year-old has enjoyed a fabulous start to the current campaign after several injury-hit years on Merseyside, cementing his status as one of Rafa Benitez’s most important players.

However, Mina’s contract is due to expire in the summer of 2023, meaning Everton must soon decide whether to offer him an extension or cash in while they can still demand a high price.

And now, The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland has provided an update on the centre-back’s situation, claiming a tough choice lies ahead for the club’s hierarchy.

He tweeted initially: “Everton have a decision to make over Yerry Mina. Two years left on his deal, future uncertain over the summer, but once again missed yesterday. He’s becoming increasingly important to the side’s hopes”.

Everton fans should be excited

After joining Everton in a £27.2m deal back in 2018, Mina has endured three stop-start campaigns where he’s failed to make over 25 Premier League starts in a single season.

Following the impressive form of Ben Godrey last term, the Colombia international was believed to be one of several first-team stars told they were available for transfer if a suitable bid arrived last summer, but his response to that setback has been very impressive.

As per WhoScored, Mina has averaged four clearances per league game in 2021/22, 1.5 interceptions and one tackle, highlighting his importance to the Goodison Park outfit.

Boyland’s latest report also praises the South American’s early-season showings, before stating how his absence from Sunday’s defeat could also see him be rewarded with fresh terms.

“Although fitness concerns mean he is not always able to play back-to-back games, Everton have often looked worse for his absence this season,” the piece reads.

“Quickly he has gone from bit-part figure to a potentially key cog. If there is one blessing to be had from Sunday’s defeat, it is that Everton now have their reminder as to the Colombian’s importance ahead of that all-important decision on his future.”

It remains to be seen whether Everton’s chiefs put a new deal in front of Mina over the coming months, although Boyland’s latest hint should leave the club’s supporters excited over a potential contract renewal.

And, in other news…Never mind Iwobi: EFC dud who completed just 67% passes had a game to forget vs WHU 

Leeds United suffered a devastating 7-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League on Tuesday night, as Pep Guardiola’s side ran riot at the Etihad.

The Whites found themselves three goals down by the break, before City continued their onslaught in the second-half, and while a number of players weren’t up to scratch for Marcelo Bielsa, Junior Firpo in particular struggled more than most.

The Spaniard had the unenviable task of trying to stop the likes of Riyad Mahrez and co from wreaking havoc, and the summer signing just didn’t look at the races at all.

As per Sofascore, he won just one out of his four total duels on the night, while also making no tackles or interceptions and being dribbled past once too.

While the energy was there again, Firpo just couldn’t keep his composure at times, committing the most amount of fouls of any player on the pitch.

In possession, the former Real Betis man didn’t offer too much either, registering fewer touches even than goalkeeper Illan Meslier, and providing no crosses.

And, writing in his post-match player ratings for Leeds Live, Beren Cross gave him a four, saying: “Some clumsy challenges and predictably his fifth yellow card of the season, but was at the heart of some of the best, if few, attacking moves Leeds built.”

That sentiment was echoed by The Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth, who gave him a three and added: “Struggled to contain Mahrez, picked up a booking and had to walk a tightrope against world class attackers.”

With that yellow card, Firpo will now be missing from action against Arsenal at the weekend, and that has given Bielsa a major headache about how he will go about replacing him, particularly with Pascal Struijk out too.

It was just a nightmare display for both player and club.

Meanwhile, Leeds United are eyeing this Uruguayan star…

Manchester City fans have been reacting to the news that Pep Guardiola will ask Sergio Aguero if he wants to stay at the club and, ultimately, it will be down to the player to decide whether he wants to stay or go.

The £31.5m-valued Argentina international (Transfermarkt) made the move to the Etihad Stadium in 2011, and has since gone on to become a club legend. With 257 goals for the Citizens in all competitions, he is their record goalscorer (bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk), and his strikes have helped the Manchester outfit win four Premier League titles.

However, his importance is dwindling at City. He has played just 32 league matches across this season and last (Transfermarkt), with a number of injuries keeping him out of the action for sustained spells. He is out of contract at the end of the season, and it is not clear whether he will stay with his current employers.

According to journalist Lu Martin, Guardiola will ask Aguero himself whether he wants to stay – it will be down to the 32-year-old himself to make the decision. The news, which was shared on Twitter account @City_Xtra, has delighted the City supporters, and they took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Aguero news below

“Aguero is our greatest legend ever! He will remain no1 in our hearts no matter what ! I’m happy pep is giving him a choice!”

Credit: @BlissMcfc

“Good”

Credit: @FPL_Ben_

“Pls be true”

Credit: @DavidsQuests_

“you love to hear it, all I’m asking is for Agüero to surpass Rooney as the 2nd greatest goal scorer in EPL history. He only needs 28 between now and next season”

Credit: @secondImpact

“Best news ever”

Credit: @Libulele_

“I’ll tear up if he actually stays another season but If he wants to leave understandable”

Credit: @MCFCAG

In other news, Man City fans react to this £128m transfer claim.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, ex-West Ham striker Frank McAvennie has urged his former team to go all out in their attempts to sign Craig Dawson permanently this summer.

The experienced defender, who’s currently on loan at the London Stadium for the rest of the campaign from Watford, made a slow start to life in the capital, but has been one of the Hammers’ standout players in recent weeks.

Dawson wasn’t involved in any of West Ham’s first 11 Premier League games following his arrival, but since breaking into the team and replacing the injured Fabian Balbuena, the on-loan centre-back has ever-present in the league, playing a major part in David Moyes’ team pushing towards Europe.

With Dawson in the side, West Ham have kept six clean sheets in 13 matches, with the on-loan Hornets man adding three goals which have helped his team suffer just three Premier League defeats since Christmas.

And McAvennie has praised the 30-year-old for transforming a Hammers defence that had managed just four shut outs prior to his inclusion.

He told Football FanCast: “The biggest thing for me with West Ham is the defence, it’s solid.

“The biggest signing they will make is Dawson. They have got to get that boy’s name on the paper, he’s been outstanding.

“For £3million for a centre-half like that, he complements the other defenders because the other defenders want to play football and look good, and he just puts his body on the line, gets in front and it’s good balance for the team. That’s the biggest signing that I think will happen this year.”

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville was left in awe of Liverpool star Thiago during the Premier League clash with Manchester United. 

The lowdown: Liverpool run riot

It was a night to remember for the Reds as Jurgen Klopp’s men put four past their arch-rivals, Manchester United, at Anfield.

Luis Diaz opened the scoring following a decisive move before Mohamed Salah ended a mini goal drought with a brace on either side of a Sadio Mane strike.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-29/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

However, one man outside of the goalscorers, in particular, caught the eye as Liverpool moved to the top of the Premier League…

The latest: ‘A joy to watch’

Speaking during Sky Sports’ live coverage (20:30, April 19) at Anfield, ex-Old Trafford stalwart Neville, who was co-commentating on the match, eulogised over a moment on 30 minutes as Thiago found Mohamed Salah with pinpoint precision.

“Absolutely sensational, this pass, a joy to watch,” the former Red Devil gushed.

That pass was one of 108 out of 113 (96%) accurate passes from the 46-cap Spaniard as Thiago earned an 8.20 Sofascore rating on the night – bettered only by Salah, whose two goals helped the Egyptian to an 8.40 rating.

To put those numbers into perspective, the visitors’ entire starting midfield four – Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba and Diogo Dalot – complete just just 83 passes.

The verdict: First class

Signed for £20million from Bayern Munich (BBC), Thiago arrived on Merseyside having already tasted success on the biggest stage. The 31-year-old is a four-time La Liga champion with Barcelona and has lifted the UEFA Champions League with both Bayern and the Spanish giants.

Since becoming a Red the cultured ace has gone from strength to strength and there can be no doubt that the ex-Barca man’s influence on Klopp’s side has been ever-increasing throughout this season – this was a performance right out of the top drawer, full of moments of sheer quality that clearly impressed even the most staunch Manchester United supporter.

Having had his fitness issues throughout his time on Merseyside, Liverpool’s chances of adding more trophies to the Carabao Cup won earlier this term will depend on the midfielder’s availability and potentially more displays such as this.

In other news, the race for one Liverpool target is heating up. Read more here.

Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard could leave the club this summer because the club’s majority shareholder Dermot Desmond has not put any money into the club for an “awfully long time.”

Edouard to leave?

This is what football finance expert Kieran Maguire has said, in light of the 22-year-old switching his agent and with his asking price lowered by the Bhoys.

Real Madrid have reportedly joined the race to sign Edouard on the back of interest from Arsenal who are keen to sign him in 2021.

Speaking with Football Insider, Maguire believes Desmond is looking for a self-sustainable model and Edouard’s sale will help balance the books.

“If you take a look at Celtic, the owners haven’t put any money into the club for an awfully long time,” he said. “So to a large extent, Celtic have been self-sufficient financially.

“Now, if that’s going to be the case, they are losing money on a week-by-week basis, and the only way you can cover those losses is through player sales. Dembele, Tierney, other players of that standard, they’ve been clever in selling in recent years.

“If the owner (billionaire Desmond is the majority shareholder) doesn’t want to put any money in, there’s no alternative but to sell someone like Odsonne Edouard.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

This will be understandably a huge blow for Celtic, especially after everything that Edouard has helped Neil Lennon’s side achieve over the past three years.

Since his loan move from Ligue 1 giants in 2017 and his permanent transfer a year later, Edouard has gone on to score 72 goals from 151 appearances and clocked up over 10,000 minutes of game time (TransferMarkt).

Time will reveal how developments at the club unfold from now until the end of the season, in what has been a wretched campaign from start to finish.

In other news, Peter Lawwell hit with further scathing amid Celtic’s Dubai fallout.

Daniel Levy has already been looking into a potential replacement for Harry Kane as his Spurs future has been thrown into uncertainty this week…

What’s the word?

That’s the latest claim from the Daily Mail, who suggest that the Lilywhites chairman has been planning ahead for several weeks now after the 27-year-old talisman told the club that he wants to leave this summer.

It is thought that the North London giants have also identified players they may be able to take in a part-exchange swap deal for Kane, and the name of Manchester United striker Anthony Martial has cropped up.

Given the Lilywhites value their leading talisman at £150m, cash, as well as a player, will likely have to be parted with.

Both Manchester teams are said to be interested but Levy is keen not to do business with either.

A perfect replacement?

Spurs are going to be in for one long summer of speculation, and potentially turmoil, if Kane does leave N17, but Levy can make life easier by signing someone like Martial.

It’s evident that Spurs’ squad is in need of a major overhaul as many of the players still remain from Mauricio Pochettino’s time at the club, and those very stars are the same ones that saw Jose Mourinho out the door.

If Levy is to drastically change things, then selling Kane may be the only way to raise enough funds to do so.

Although getting a player in return, along with a much-needed cash injection, could genuinely be a masterstroke as he’ll be getting a perfect replacement, too.

Valued at £45m by Transfermarkt, Martial has endured a tough campaign that has been blighted by a serious knee injury. He has directly contributed to 16 goals in 36 appearances, which is more than anyone not called Kane or Heung-min Son in North London.

His versatility to play out wide is another intriguing aspect to his game but his best-ever season came as United’s first-choice no.9, where he provided a whopping 23 goals and ten assists in 44 matches in the role during the 2019/20 campaign, as per Transfermarkt.

Former teammate and ex-Spurs man Michael Carrick believes that the frontman is “unplayable” on his day and that’s the sort of phrase you’d attribute to Kane.

Overall, Martial has managed a goal or assist every 134 minutes in the Premier League since arriving in 2015, so it’s no wonder he’s also been lauded as a “beast of a player” as well as an “exceptional talent.”

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-managerial-latest-update-transfer-rumours-gossip” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, managerial gossip, transfer rumours and more!”]

By comparison, the Spurs superstar sits at a direct goal contribution once every 99 minutes in that same time frame, so he’s not as far off as you might think, especially when he has played out wide more than Kane, too.

Of course, the England international is as irreplaceable as they come but given Martial’s top-flight experience, proven goalscoring record and Tottenham’s likely need to fill a void, there cannot be many better options out there.

For now, he’d be about as perfect a realistic replacement for Kane that Spurs could hope to get – whether it can actually happen or not, only time will tell.

AND in other news, Time to go: Levy must axe shocking £75k-p/w dud, he must never play for Spurs again…

Henry Winter has dropped a Wolves managerial update by giving news on some of the candidates who could replace Nuno Espirito Santo.

The Lowdown: Nuno leaving

It has been confirmed by the Midlands club that Nuno will leave after he took charge of his final game against Manchester United at Molineux as the Premier League season drew to a close this afternoon.

Interestingly, it has been reported that Fosun initiated the end of his reign and moved to take action after what has been a highly disappointing season overall for Wolves.

It is understood that the Chinese ownership thought that the 47-year-old leaving was the way forward after months of tension behind the scenes, as they were left frustrated by some poor displays and results, while there have also been arguments over the transfer policy and Nuno’s communication.

The Latest: Winter on manager candidates

Winter has since dropped a manager update, as The Times journalist tweeted that both Rui Faria and Sergio Conceicao are ‘not in the frame’, while Bruno Lage is Nuno’s ‘likely successor’.

All three managers are Portuguese and duly fit in with the club’s current model, as they will be expected to announce their new manager in due course.

The Verdict: Lage not ideal

Faria and Lage are both currently without a club and so would perhaps be the easiest coaches for Wolves to approach, but according to Winter, it does not seem as if Jose Mourinho’s long-time assistant is being considered at this moment in time.

Conceicao would have been a viable option, having guided FC Porto to a commendable second-placed finish in the Portuguese top flight this term while also taking them far in the Champions League, knocking out Serie A giants Juventus before eventually being beaten by finalists Chelsea over two legs in the quarter-finals.

Lage’s preferred formation is a 4-4-2, which was not a system that Nuno preferred to play, so if the 45-year-old were to become the next manager, some players may struggle to adapt to his tactics and philosophy.

With no prior experience of managing in the Premier League either, the former Benfica coach may struggle to adapt to this league, and the English top flight is a whole different animal to the Primeira Liga.

Nonetheless, with the summer transfer window not open yet, Wolves can afford to wait a little before making such a big decision.

In other news, find out who else is a leading contender to replace Nuno!