All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Everton have endured a tricky few weeks under Rafa Benitez, picking up just one point from a possible 12 as they’ve slipped down the Premier League table.

A run of three consecutive defeats was finally halted over the weekend when the Toffees held Tottenham Hotspur to a 0-0 draw, but putting the ball in the back of the net remains a major issue.

The Goodison Park outfit have only scored four goals in their last five outings, largely due to star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin being forced to watch on from the sidelines.

In his absence, summer signing Salomon Rondon has failed to notch his first effort in Everton colours, while Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend’s fast starts have slowed down somewhat.

However, Benitez could unearth the solution to his side’s problems in front of goal by placing his trust in Thomas Cannon.

The 18-year-old academy star has been in scintillating form for his boyhood club over the last two-and-a-half years, enjoying a breakout campaign throughout 2019/20 until the ongoing pandemic stopped play.

Cannon scored an incredible 16 goals in 16 appearances for Everton’s U18’s in 2019/20, adding a further five assists for his grateful teammates.

And the talented teenager proved it was no one-season wonder by notching up a highly respectable tally of 19 goal contributions in 38 outings last term, making his debut for the U23’s along the way.

Throughout his youth career, Cannon has scored a wide variety of efforts and due to his style of play, preference to run in behind the defence, and ability to work between the lines, comparisons to Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy have been drawn.

His 2020/21 showing was described as “formidable” on Everton’s official website and it appears the Republic of Ireland staff agree with them.

Cannon was called up to the national team after his eye-catching displays at club level, and he carried his form onto the international scene, notching a hat-trick of assists during the 13-0 thrashing of Gibraltar.

Whether the youngster is ready to play a part for Benitez’s first team yet remains to be seen, but he continues on the same trajectory, then surely it’s a matter of when and not if he gets his Premier League opportunity.

And, in other news…Brands could finally end EFC’s midfielder hunt with £175k-p/w “outstanding technician”

Leeds United will make a last-ditch attempt to sign Calvin Ramsay, according to reports…

What’s the word?

The Sun’s Alan Nixon claims the Yorkshire giants will “battle” Premier League rivals Liverpool over his signature this summer with the Reds eyeing him as cover for Trent Alexander-Arnold, though the Whites could offer a faster track to the first-team.

It’s thought that Aberdeen’s teenage right-back is available for around £3m as interest continues to rise across Europe.

The Dons are understood to have knocked back bids from Leicester City, Bologna and even Leeds in recent times, as per Goal.com.

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Sign him up

If the 18-year-old gem is indeed available for as little as £3m, then his arrival should be an absolute no-brainer for director of Victor Orta and manager Jesse Marsch.

Tapping up a player with big potential like this for a fee as little as that could prove to be a masterclass from the Elland Road hierarchy.

His biggest qualities are those that he can provide in the final third, ranging from his excellent distribution through passes and crosses, his willingness to take on his man and his set-piece ability.

“His quality of delivery from set-pieces and open play has brought him plenty of assists for Aberdeen. For someone so young to come in and make the impact he has is a great credit to him,” former Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes told The Scotsman (via Goal).

Meanwhile, Dons chairman Dave Cormack believes Ramsay is “in the elite upper bracket, right up there, for a young right-back in Europe” – could the young Scot emerge as a major threat down the right flank for many years to come?

You’d imagine so given Marsch’s high-pressing attacking system.

The emerging sensation, recently dubbed a “wonderkid” by Goal on Twitter, has been likened to Man City’s Joao Cancelo in terms of playing style, largely due to his ambidexterity to play on either foot and thus, on either flank and his attacking prowess.

Further lauded as “so special” by scout Jacek Kulig, Ramsay could well become Leeds’ own Cancelo-like presence at right-back, should Orta and co manage to win the £3m race for his signature.

AND in other news, Scouting mission: Leeds eyeing 6 ft 3 titan who “fits the bill”, Marsch would love him…

Tottenham Hotspur are set to ramp up their pursuit of Antonio Rudiger in the coming days, according to an inside source…

What’s the word?

As revealed by Football Insider this week, the north London outfit are in the race to sign the £100k-per-week Germany international after he rejected a new Chelsea contract, meaning he is currently free to leave Stamford Bridge in the summer.

Valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, it is thought that Spurs have planned discussions behind-the-scenes in an effort to persuade the 28-year-old to swap the Blues for their capital city rivals in 2022.

Lilywhites sporting director Fabio Paratici is said to be pushing hard to get an early agreement in place but they will face a battle to secure him as foreign teams can seal him on a pre-contract agreement as early as January, something that Spurs do not have the luxury of.

Statement signing

This would be quite an outlandish move from Spurs, considering their west London rivals won the Champions League last summer and are quite some way ahead of them on and off the pitch.

However, the fact that Antonio Conte is in charge boosts their chances of landing the 6 foot 3 colossus as the pair worked together when the Italian was at the helm.

45 of his 172 appearances for the Blues came under Conte as they won the 2017/18 FA Cup together, leading to the German describing the 52-year-old as a “very good coach” to reporters.

Rudiger has been one of Chelsea’s standout performers under Thomas Tuchel over the past 12 months, with BT Sport pundit and Premier League legend Rio Ferdinand a big fan.

“Look at Rudiger, he’s arguably, since Tuchel has been there [at Chelsea], been the best defender in the Premier League,” he told his podcast (via the Metro). “Him or [Ruben] Dias in that time. He’s been unbelievable, he’s like an animal.”

Indeed, the German is just one of two players to have played every minute of every Premier League outing for the Blues this term, where he has averaged a second-most 2.2 aerial duels won, 1.1 tackles and an 86.9% passing accuracy when managing over 70 attempts per game, as per WhoScored.

Evidently, Rudiger is an efficient ball-playing defender and one that would instantly improve Spurs’ backline, not just because of his trophy record at Stamford Bridge.

The vastly-experienced defender would be quite the signing to make next year and it would certainly reveal the ambitions of the club under Conte. As such, many around N17 must be absolutely excited by this latest development.

Spurs fans would surely love Rudiger at the club, so this update should provide some huge encouragement heading into January.

AND in other news, Paratici eyes Spurs bargain after “courting” £18m-rated maestro, Conte would love him…

Writing on his Patreon, reliable club insider ExWHUemployee has shared an update on West Ham’s transfer plans involving Liverpool defender Nathaniel Phillips.

The Lowdown: West Ham eye moves…

As the January transfer window deadline approaches, the Irons and manager David Moyes are said to be eyeing much-needed additions in east London with the acquisition of a centre-back having come as real a goal for the club.

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Kurt Zouma returned to action against Manchester United yesterday afternoon after recovering from a serious hamstring injury, but despite his previously anticipated return, the club have still been linked with a new defender.

Liverpool’s Phillips is one name who repeatedly keeps emerging as Ex provides some information.

The Latest: Ex makes Phillips claim…

Writing on his Patreon, Ex says the Englishman is still a target for Moyes and the club alongside the likes of Burnley’s James Tarkowski.

As well as this, the insider claims a possible ‘loan with view to buy deal’ is currently ‘being discussed’.

Moyes is apparently targeting a left-sided central defender specifically with the Scotsman earmarking Phillips as a candidate.

The Verdict: Get it done?

The 6 foot 2 powerhouse would undoubtedly be a brilliant signing on those kinds of terms, especially going by his numbers for Liverpool last season and praise from Jurgen Klopp.

He averaged a brilliant 4.8 clearances per 90 over his Premier League appearances when playing regularly over 2020/2021, far more than any Reds player in that time (WhoScored).

Liverpool’s manager raved over the 24-year-old at the back end of last season, calling him ‘absolutely incredible’ and an ‘aerial monster’ to the press (Goal).

With plaudits like these, signing him on loan with a view to buy could be a real snip.

In other news: Insider says West Ham agreement for ‘world class’ £17.1m striker is ‘there to be done’, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur are expected to make a move for a new centre-back in the summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Daily Mail journalist Sami Mokbel, who delivered a rather exciting claim to GIVEMESPORT this week. When asked about the central defensive department, he replied:

“I think that is definitely an area they will look to strengthen in the summer.”

Colossal signing

Spurs are certainly going to need to make further additions to Antonio Conte’s playing squad when the transfer window reopens at the end of the season and finding a new centre-back would be a good place to start.

The Italian has often turned to full-back Ben Davies as the third man in his backline as he is the only natural left-footer capable of playing as centre-back. He alongside Cristian Romero, who is only on loan from Atalanta, and Eric Dier is likely to be the first-choice trio for the rest of the season.

There appears to be little faith in his three other options – Davinson Sanchez, Joe Rodon and Japhet Tanganga – with the latter two being linked with exits throughout the winter.

Perhaps aside from Rodon, it’s easy to see why the 52-year-old isn’t keen on the other two as they have often been calamitous and rather error-prone. That much is summed up by their mistakes in the three games against Chelsea last month.

Whilst it remains to be seen what sort of defensive signing the club will target, they have been linked to some rather exciting names in the past, including Conte’s former title-winning colossus at Inter Milan, Stefan de Vrij, and Juventus’ big-money signing Matthijs de Ligt.

Both of whom would offer huge upgrades on his current options.

A lot of Conte’s recent success in stints at the San Siro giants and Chelsea have been built from the back and having solid options will certainly help bring success back to the Lilywhites.

He will surely be buzzing to hear that a new centre-back is “definitely” on the agenda.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Hojbjerg: Conte has formidable Spurs unit with £15.9m “extraordinary talent”…

Manchester United are surely set to strengthen their squad heavily in the upcoming summer transfer window.

The Red Devils spent big last summer by bringing Fred and Diogo Dalot to the club. However, the Brazilian midfielder has struggled to make an impact at Old Trafford while the Portuguese is seen as a signing for the future despite some bright cameo appearances. After Jose Mourinho’s dismissal, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer has completely revitalised the United squad.

Their excellent form under the Norwegian’s stewardship has drastically increased his chances of landing the job on a permanent basis in the summer. Regardless of who is in charge, they will likely be backed by a transfer war chest as United look to challenge for the title yet again. Their budget will be bolstered by a host of fringe players who could leave the club.

One man United could target is Benfica wonderkid – Joao Felix. Valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, the attacking midfielder has progressed through the club’s academy after being released by rivals Porto in 2015. Felix has blossomed into a vital first-team player and is enjoying his finest season to date in Liga NOS.

The 19-year-old has been in lethal form in front of goal, finding the back of the net nine times already this season. Felix has also been the creative force for his side, registering six assists for his team-mates. The Portugal U21 international possesses excellent technical ability and pace to cause defenders problems – his expert vision allows him to constantly carve open opposition back fours.

The youngster is improving with each passing game – signing him in the summer could prove to be a masterstroke.

Manchester United fans, thoughts?

Rangers have been hit with a fresh injury concern over Ibrox central midfielder Aaron Ramsey…

What’s the latest?

Gio van Bronckhorst has confirmed that the Wales international suffered a hamstring setback in the Scottish Cup win on Sunday.

The on-loan gem was forced off in the first half with the score at 0-0 as Scott Wright was pressed into action earlier than he may have expected, with the Gers going on to win 2-1 in extra time to make it to the final of the competition.

However, they could have to play in the showpiece clash without Ramsey if this knock rules him out for a number of weeks.

Journalist Phil Cadden quoted the head coach as saying: “He had a problem with his hamstring. It didn’t look really good. We will have to assess him, but of course it is a blow for us that he will be out. I don’t know for how long. We just have to assess him on Monday and see where he is.”

Van Bronckhorst will be infuriated

This is a huge blow for the Gers and van Bronckhorst will be furious with this latest injury issue for the midfielder as it has been an almost constant problem for him since arriving in January.

Ramsey has only started four matches in the Premiership and Europa League combined for the club as he has been dealing with his own fitness in recent months. The Juventus man has been unable to string a run of matches together and now looks set for another spell on the sidelines.

Until Rangers know the extent of the damage it is impossible to gauge how long he will be out for action for. Hamstring injuries can range from days to months to recover from depending on the grade of the tear and this means that he could be back next week or it could be his season over and done with.

Losing him for any number of matches will be a huge blow as he has shown that he does have the quality to make a big impact when he does play. He has scored two goals in his three Premiership starts, including one against Celtic in the Old Firm, and has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.98 in the division.

Ramsey can score from midfield and has the experience in European competition that can be vital against RB Leipzig in the semi-finals of the Europa League. He has played for Arsenal and Juventus in Europe and this means that he knows what it takes to perform at that level, making his potential absence against the German side a sizeable concern for the head coach and that is another reason why he will be furious with this injury blow.

AND in other news, Forget Arfield: “Superb” £24k-p/w Rangers machine was “out of this world” today…

Crystal Palace midfielder James McArthur is set to extend his stay at the club after enjoying a fabulous start under the tutelage of new manager Patrick Vieira.

What’s the story?

According to LondonWorld, the 34-year-old is expected to put pen to paper on fresh terms over the coming weeks, with his current contract set to expire in the summer of 2022.

The report states that: “LondonWorld understands that both the player and club have agreed to extend their time together for another year, and they are just working out the final details before the former Scotland international puts pen to paper.”

There’s no indication of how long the proposed deal would be, but given his age, it would likely be a one-year extension.

Crystal Palace fans will be elated

McArthur arrived at Selhurst Park via a £5.5m move from Wigan Athletic back in 2014 and has gone on to establish himself as a mainstay in the capital club’s engine room, making 238 appearances in all competitions.

The former Hamilton Academical academy graduate hit 300 appearances in England’s top-flight before the recent international break, and the Accies academy director George Cairns lauded the diminutive midfielder’s achievement.

Cairns told Not The Old Firm: “It’s a huge achievement for James. 300 appearances in the Premier League? That is fantastic.

“It’s absolutely phenomenal and what he has gone on to achieve down south has been excellent. You can only commend him as he has done fantastically well.”

And the £55k-per-week earner appears to be getting better with age with Vieira dubbing him a warrior. A hamstring injury ruled him out of the 3-3 draw with Burnley last time out, but he had started every league game up until that point this season.

With Palace beginning a transitional period under their French coach, keeping experienced heads such as McArthur’s around will be extremely beneficial, and the club’s supporters will be elated at this latest revelation.

And, in other news…“I think..”: Sky Sports reporter drops intriguing CPFC transfer claim, Vieira must act

Everton are back in Premier League action today with an early afternoon kick-off against Aston Villa at Goodison Park in what will be Duncan Ferguson’s first game in charge of the team since he was appointed as caretaker manager following the sacking of Rafael Benitez after their disheartening 2-1 defeat against Norwich City at Carrow Road last weekend.

On the chalkboard

In terms of which players Ferguson could pick to be in his starting XI to take on Steven Gerrard’s side, one Toffees player who did not start against Norwich but we feel should be in the team from the outset on this occasion is Richarlison, who is currently on £110k-per-week according to Salary Sport.

After coming on with 54 minutes on the clock against Norwich, the 24-year-old not only managed to pull a goal back for the visitors with a brilliant bicycle-kick goal, he also completed two of his three dribbles and completed 11 of his 12 passes and won four duels, showing how much of an attacking threat he was for Everton and how much of a nuisance he was for the opposition.

This cameo performance earned the Brazilian an overall match rating of 7.3/10, making him Everton’s highest-rated player on the day according to SofaScore, highlighting the quality he has and showing the sort of impact he can have on the team.

With this in mind and the 24-year-old having 46 goals in 131 appearances for Everton across all competitions, it shows why having him in the starting XI to take on Villa would give Ferguson a great chance of getting his tenure off to a flying start, especially if they can pick up all three points.

Richarlison’s attacking talents have been praised in the past by former Toffees manager Carlo Ancelotti, who has previously hailed the Brazilian as “outstanding” in February 2020.

In terms of who could make way for the Brazilian if Ferguson decides to start him today, Salomon Rondon has only scored one goal in 13 Premier League appearances and register just one shot at goal in the defeat at Norwich, so perhaps he should be the one to drop out on this occasion.

Looking ahead to today’s game, if Ferguson can secure a win for his beloved Everton, this would surely be a massive boost for the club by moving away from the relegation zone and pulling to within just one point of Gerrard’s men in the table.

In other news: Everton must avoid another manager disaster with “arrogant” 58 y/o, he’d be Rafa 2.0

Everton’s first victory since 25 September on Monday night steadied the ship on Merseyside, but the club remains firmly in a state of transition and disorder.

What’s the story?

Ahead of their crucial clash with Arsenal, it was announced that former director of football Marcel Brands had departed the Toffees, citing “a clear difference in the vision and direction” that he and the board wanted to take the club in.

The Dutchman followed Sarvar Ismailov out of the Goodison Park exit door, leaving Chairman Bill Kenwright, chief executive officer Denise Barrett-Baxendale and finance chief Grant Ingles as the only remaining board members.

Upon Brands’ departure, it was revealed via a club statement that a “strategic review of the football structure” will take place at Everton, and the Liverpool ECHO reporter Phil Kirkbride has provided an update on the situation.

He wrote: “Everton are planning to find two new board members following the departures of Marcel Brands and Sarvar Ismailov. And the ECHO understands that further additions to the Goodison top table have not been ruled out.”

Moshiri must axe Bill Kenwright

News that big changes are not expected at Everton will leave large sections of the club’s supporters extremely concerned and may have some calling for more of the hierarchy to depart, given their extensive failings in recent years.

According to TransferLeague, the Toffees have the third-highest net spend on transfers in the Premier League over the last five years, with their £275m outlay only falling behind Manchester United and Manchester City.

However, they have not had the results or any silverware to show for it. In that time, Everton have finished seventh, eighth twice, 10th and 12th, highlighting their huge underperformance both on and off the pitch.

The Blues’ fanbase has been growing ever-more frustrated with the club’s chiefs in recent weeks, unfurling a banner against them at Brentford and chanting ‘sack the board’ during the Merseyside before hosting a walk-out in protest on Monday.

And it’s Kenwright who appears to be taking the majority of the flack. Journalist Richard Buxton highlighted why in a recent tweet, questioning what the 76-year-old actually does behind the scenes.

He wrote: “What is Bill Kenwright’s defined role as Everton chairman? Yes, he’s involved in the day-to-day running but when it comes to the high-ranking decisions (managers, transfers etc) Moshiri’s autonomy renders him little more than a legacy figure with a fancy title.”

Therefore, despite Everton languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table, owner Farhad Moshiri ought to be wielding the axe upstairs once more rather than putting extra pressure on manager Rafa Benitez.

The Merseyside outfit’s issues run far deeper than the person sitting in the dugout on a Saturday afternoon, and unless extensive changes are made, their issues are likely to continue for many years yet.

And, in other news…Rafa must seal EFC swoop for “complete” £51k-p/w beast who plays like Platini & Zidane