All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Rangers made a solid start to their Scottish Premiership title defence last weekend, seeing off Livingston 3-0 at Ibrox, but they could be in for a tough test on Saturday afternoon.

On the chalkboard

The Gers stormed to their first top-flight title in 10 years last season, finishing a whopping 25 points ahead of the pack.

Although Glasgow arch-rivals Celtic lost their opening league fixture, the additions of Joe Hart, Kyogo Furuhashi and James McCarthy have significantly strengthened their ranks.

Therefore, Rangers boss Gerrard must field his strongest XI over the weekend, reinstating key midfielder Glen Kamara into the Glasgow giants’ engine room.

The Finland international missed their midweek trip to Malmo in the third round of Champions League qualification through suspension, and the consequences of his absence were clear for all to see as the Gers fell to a 2-1 defeat which would’ve been worse only for Steven Davis’ last-gasp goal.

What Glen Kamara adds

Kamara was one of Gerrard’s standout performers as Rangers blew their domestic opposition away in 2020/21, recording an average passing accuracy of 90.7%, outperforming all of his current teammates in that metric.

In addition to that, he averaged 1.1 tackles, 0.9 interceptions and 0.8 key passes per league outing; whilst at Euro 2020, this increased to 1.3 tackles and 3.3 interceptions even though he faced semi-finalists Denmark and one of the favourites in Belgium in the group stage, as per WhoScored.

Neil McCann, his former manager at Dundee, lauded the 25-year-old after setting in well to life at Ibrox, complimenting his ability to take on instructions from his coaches.

“He isn’t a big, physical lad, but he’s made of iron and really strong. I knew immediately that he could handle the ball under pressure and not give it away, so he was perfect,” said the 46-year-old.

McCann added: “He’s a special talent… He’s lightning-quick, but he doesn’t show it. He’s a player who takes instruction well.”

The added security and drive which Kamara brings to Rangers’ midfield, alongside his careful use of the ball, could be decisive in cutting off the supply lines to the potent Lawrence Shankland if Gerrard’s charges are to pick up another three points at Tannadice. The Finn’s name should be one of the first on the team sheet over the weekend.

In other news… “Rangers would like to bring him in” – Exclusive: Michael Ball drops big Gers transfer claim

Lee Ryder has dropped some enticing insight from the Premier League on the upcoming anti-competition case involving Mike Ashley and Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Legal battle

Mike Ashley has launched two separate claims against the English top flight over the failed takeover deal between him and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

One is the arbitration case due to take place this summer, and the other is the Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT) lawsuit over their decision-making process with regards to the failed takeover bid.

The Latest: Premier League insight

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Ryder has shared that Ashley is facing strong opposition from Premier League chiefs who are denying any suggestion that his wish to sell the North East club was rejected.

Subsequently, the top flight are trying to get his CAT case thrown out, as they go through detailed evidence put forward recently.

Ryder adds that although there has been no decision made as of yet over when the anti-competition case can get under way, Ashley has been briefed that this could change at any time, and it looks likely that it will roll on in July.

The Verdict: Intriguing

It is certainly odd to hear that the Premier League are denying any suggestion that the proposed deal between Ashley and the KSA group was rejected in their quest to get the CAT case thrown out.

The St. James’ Park faithful clearly feel the opposite, and so it will no doubt be interesting to see what the results of both cases will be and how the league’s plot pans out.

Nonetheless, if the Tyneside club are successful in the legal saga, they will then need full cooperation from the top flight with regards to speeding up the takeover process.

With the summer transfer window already underway, and the start of the new 2021/22 season set to start in August, this will be vital if they are to make an immediate impression if the bid is able to go through.

In other news, find out what latest news the consortium are ‘devastated’ by here!

Sharing the latest on Jesse Lingard and his transfer saga with West Ham United, the Sun have now come out with their own update on the situation.

The Lowdown: Lingard and the Irons…

The Englishman was deemed surplus-to-requirements at Manchester United before West Ham came calling to offer him a route out on loan in the January transfer window.

What followed was an absolutely sensational spell at the London Stadium, where he managed a very impressive nine goals and four assists in 16 Premier League over the second half of 2020/2021 (WhoScored).

As a result, West Ham are known to be keen on securing a permanent move for the 28-year-old this summer.

The Latest: West Ham dealt Lingard blow…

Sharing an update on Lingard, the Sun have now come out with a pretty damning claim.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-news-2/” title=”West Ham latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

They believe the midfielder has now done a full U-turn on his stance of wanting to join West Ham this summer.

Indeed, he would apparently ‘far prefer to stay’ at the Red Devils and has ‘admitted to friends’ that his big hope is rebuilding a career at Old Trafford.

After a supposedly candid meeting with United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the player has apparently said he wishes to remain at the club amid West Ham’s interest.

The Verdict: Pinch of salt…

While this comes a blow for West Ham, other sources like ExWHUemployee believe the contrary and there are bound to be numerous sources coming out with different developments over the next few weeks.

West Ham, meanwhile, will certainly be hoping they can secure a move for Lingard given his electric form at the end of last campaign.

It is believed that a move for Lingard is one of the club’s top priorities this summer alongside signing a new centre-back and striker to support Michail Antonio (Claret & Hugh).

As a result, the club will be hoping for more positive updates on Lingard over the window.

In other news: ‘According to some sources…’  – Journalist relays enticing West Ham transfer development, find out more here.

Everton managerial favourite Rafael Benitez has given the club the ‘green light’ to launch a move for Wolverhampton Wanderers skipper Conor Coady, according to Football Insider.

The lowdown

Coady came through the youth set-up at Everton’s local rivals Liverpool, making two senior appearances before a move to Huddersfield Town.

From there, he was snapped up by Wolves in 2015 for a fee of £2.5million.

He’s gone on to make 275 appearances for the club and started all but one of their Premier League matches in 2020/21.

Coady only signed a contract extension at Molineux last September, committing to the club until 2025.

The 28-year-old is valued at £22.5million by Transfermarkt.

The latest

Football Insider’s Toffees source states that a move for Coady was proposed in earlier talks with former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo and discussed again with Benitez.

The Spaniard offered his approval, paving the way for an Everton bid to bring yet another former Red to the Blue side.

Wolves apparently need to sell ‘some of their star men’ in order to raise funds for ‘major summer purchases’, and so they could be open to offers for Coady.

The verdict

Signing Coady could only be considered sensible if the fee was around £15million and if the new manager intends to play a back three.

Coady has thrived in that system at Wolves but, equally, has looked uncomfortable when deployed in a back four.

Everton do need a centre-back in this window, but fans may justifiably wish to see the club aim a fair bit higher than a man who ranked as the 13th-best player in a team who finished below the Toffees this season.

In other news, fans were left fuming after this James Rodriguez update. 

Speaking to Football Insider, Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson has been left thrilled by a claim involving Tottenham Hotspur and Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.

The Lowdown: Tottenham in talks for Kounde…

According to reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, speaking on his Here We Go podcast, Tottenham are in talks with Kounde’s agents regarding a possible move to north London this summer.

Indeed, Spurs and new boss Nuno Espirito Santo are in the market for star defenders and a revamp of their backline is expected.

The Latest: Robinson thrilled by Kounde claim…

Reacting to this Romano claim, Sky regular and former Tottenham goalkeeper Robinson has been left thrilled and believes he is a possible signing who would excite supporters.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-3/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

He also described the France international as a ‘very welcome addition’ if Spurs can get a deal over the line.

“He is the world-class centre-half that Spurs so desperately need,” he explained to Football Insider.

“To be honest, I think Spurs need two or three centre-halves because they are nowhere near good enough in that area right now.

“A player the calibre of Kounde, a top-class international centre-half, would be a very welcome addition indeed.

“That would be a signing that would fill me with optimism and anticipation for the new season.

“There is a lot of questions and a lot of uncertainty at Spurs going into next season but Kounde is a signing who would excite fans.”

The Verdict: Bang on the money…

The 22-year-old is arguably one of the most exciting young defenders in world football and it’s safe to say Tottenham securing his signature would be huge.

Over his 33 La Liga starts for Sevilla last season, the youngster averaged a head-turning 90.1% pass accuracy (WhoScored) – arguably summing up his commanding and composed displays at times.

Tottenham need this kind of authoritative presence at the back and we believe he is indeed a possible signing who could turn many heads.

In other news: ‘I’d be excited, Spurs fans’…Stan Collymore thrilled by major news out of N17, find out more here.

Crystal Palace have been handed a major boost if they want to sign Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to Football.London, the 27-year-old is set to leave Stamford Bridge on a permanent deal this summer after failing to establish himself in the first-team set-up throughout his five-year stay.

The report claims that Chelsea hope to receive a fee in excess of £10 million for Batshuayi, with one unnamed top-half Premier League side already showing interest in the Belgium international.

Major transfer boost

After arriving from Ligue 1 outfit Marseille back in 2016, Batshuayi struggled for game time under Antonio Conte, making just one league start in his maiden campaign with the Blues.

Subsequent loan spells with Borussia Dortmund, Valencia and Palace followed, bringing mixed success before the pacey forward found himself wanted by his parent club again in 2019/20 due to their transfer ban.

However, he still found his route to the starting XI blocked by Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud, again making a solitary start while on league duties.

Batshuayi ended up signing a one-year contract extension last summer before returning to Selhurst Park on a temporary basis, although his second stint in south London wasn’t as successful as the first.

Injuries and lack of form saw the striker fall down Roy Hodgson’s pecking order this time around, limiting the £9m-rated marksman to just two goals and two assists in 722 minutes of Premier League action.

Nevertheless, the success of his original stint shouldn’t be forgotten and under a new manager, Batshuayi could return to the Eagles for a third time.

After Batshuayi bagged his first Palace goal back in 2019, Michael Owen lauded his clever finish telling BT Sport (via the Daily Mail): “You know as a centre-forward when the ball’s virtually on target or going off target. In this case, it was definitely off target.

“You just throw a leg at it. There’s no way you aim for a certain corner, you just try to guide it towards goal. It’s actually a very good finish.”

John Hartson added: “He’s clearly got genuine quality, look at the clubs he’s been with. He can be proud of his afternoon’s work.”

Palace have been linked with a permanent move for Batshuayi in the past, only to be put off by his price tag, but with only 12 months remaining on his current deal at Chelsea, his reduced fee could see a revival in their interest, and Steve Parish should seriously consider making an offer.

And, in other news…Crystal Palace handed major transfer boost over £9m beast that’ll have fans buzzing 

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to the news that Lowland League clubs have voted in favour of the Old Firm’s ‘Colts’ sides being introduced to their league from next season.

There has been plenty of discussion recently as to whether Rangers and Celtic should be allowed to have their second teams playing in the Scottish footballing pyramid. There is an argument that it would be lucrative for lower division sides to face an Old Firm outfit, while it could also offer much-needed senior experience for younger players at both clubs.

It has now been confirmed that the Lowland League clubs have voted to allow two new sides to enter the division. The proposed changes will be put to an AGM in two weeks’ time.

The news was shared on Twitter by journalist Raman Bhardwaj, and it attracted plenty of attention from Gers supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these Rangers fans had to say on the Colts development

“Well done the Lowland League clubs. Nobody’s losing out or missing out on promotion etc. Teams will get extra income from bigger crowds and our boys will get great experience that they should have been getting had the old reserve league not been binned years ago!!”

Credit: @man_overboard86

“Go & watch Robertson’s interview on YT rangers page. It does not affect any teams in it. We do not get promotion or relegated. We will hopefully bring income to those in that league. If all you moaning had boards that were forward thinking why don’t you submit teams also”

Credit: @Bike_Nut69

“Brilliant news”

Credit: @AndrewScobie5

“Think of the money they will bring in for the season”

Credit: @MarkDThomson201

“Spartans, BSC, EK Thistle will be bringing in hundreds of away fans ticket money, yet Albion Rovers & Annan will be playing in front of empty away ends – Scottish football once again eating itself to death!”

Credit: @_fadgie_

“The fightback against this shows how backwards a nation we are. We need better young players playing the same attacking style and structure week in week out against men to get them ready for first team football in the same climate. Colts teams work. It benefits the whole nation.”

Credit: @EwanKeirs

In other news, Rangers have been urged to sign this right-back.

Manchester City fans are livid after it was revealed the Citizens are set to enter contract talks with winger Raheem Sterling.

Since signing for City from Liverpool in 2015, Sterling has been a fantastic servant for the Premier League champions. In 290 matches for the club, he has managed 114 goals and 86 assists (Transfermarkt), helping them win the title on three occasions. His performances have also seen him grow into one of England’s most important players.

However, this term has not been his best – the 10 Premier League strikes he has managed is the lowest in any of his last four seasons, and he has come in for criticism from the club’s supporters. Still, City remain eager to offer the £90m-valued 26-year-old (Transfermarkt) a new contract – news which has not gone down well with the fans.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

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

“Hope he doesn’t sign”

Credit: @iD7Mi1

“Please just sell him”

Credit: @kormzee_

“I wish that we sell him!!”

Credit: @IsaacDurn15

“No plz”

Credit: @Kevin57197624

“Bin the fraud Ferran is better”

Credit: @Ferrxn21

“It’s time to sell him whilst he’s still quite young and is a big name”

Credit: @SkinFadeGazza

In other news, Man City fans want to sign this superstar.

Former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that he cannot see Marcelo Bielsa leaving Elland Road because of player sales.

This comes after ex-Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor suggested that the Argentine could walk if Raphinha is sold this summer.

Raphinha was one of Leeds’ top performers during the 2020/21 season after joining from Rennes, racking up nine assists in his debut Premier League campaign.

The Brazilian attacker is now being linked with a move to Liverpool, but Palmer is not expecting any big exits at Elland Road – including Bielsa.

“I don’t see it happening,” the ex-Leeds star exclusively told FFC. “I’ve heard the Leeds chairman come out and talk about the relationship he’s got with Bielsa and that’s vice versa.

“If they want to keep Bielsa, they’ve got to keep progressing. I don’t think Leeds are in a position that they need to sell players.”

Raphinha still has three years left to run on his contract having only joined Leeds in the last summer transfer window, so he is certainly one player who the club do not need to sell.

Elsewhere, Patrick Bamford is said to be another name who Liverpool have looked at, so it could be an interesting next couple of months for the Yorkshire outfit.

With Celtic’s season now done and dusted after crashing out of the cup, the Bhoys can focus solely on their hunt for a new manager.

Neil Lennon has been out of the job for an extended period of time now but the Hoops are finding life difficult in finding a replacement.

What’s the word?

Interim manager John Kennedy dealt his chances of landing the Celtic job an almighty blow on Sunday when they tasted defeat at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup fourth round.

With that in mind, Eddie Howe is still very much the favourite to land the gig after holding advanced talks with majority shareholder Dermot Desmond.

The arrival of Dominic McKay should help to accelerate things behind-the-scenes but the ball it would seem is very much in Howe’s court.

That’s because according to Hoops pundit Frank McAvennie, the 43-year-old has actually been offered the role.

In an exciting update, McAvennie said the following when speaking to This is Futbol: “Everyone knows he wasn’t coming in until the summer. If you’ve offered somebody the job, which I believe they have, and he said ‘I need time to think about it’ – a couple of days, even a couple of weeks to speak to his family and friends and find out about the club, give him a couple of weeks, but a couple of months you can’t give him.”

Big dilemma

This has been a rather stressful few weeks for Desmond and the rest of the Celtic board.

After passing on Roy Keane the main man has very much been Howe.

Unfortunately, the former Bournemouth boss has been mucking them around pretty significantly in recent weeks.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-howe-lampard-klimala-ajer-gossip” title= “Read the latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

The Englishman held talks and looked to be on the verge of taking over before a number of obstacles stopped Celtic from getting a deal over the line swiftly.

One of the primary issues has been relating to Celtic’s director of football. They want to hire Fergal Harkin but Howe is only keen on seeing his companion from the Cherries, Richard Hughes, join him at Paradise.

Wanting his own backroom staff is a fair enough request but it’s not fair on the Hoops for him to keep them waiting until the summer.

After all, he could then join a different club instead. Crystal Palace and Brighton are reportedly keeping tabs on his situation so they could quite easily swoop in from under Celtic’s nose.

At some point, Desmond is going to have to pull the plug and focus on other targets. The Bhoys are too big a club to let someone like Howe boss them around.

If anything, it sums up their torrid season. They have been tormented by their biggest rivals and now they’re being led astray by Howe too.

The club have a big dilemma on their hands at the moment.

AND in other news, Forget Laxalt: Celtic ace had a “horror show” on Sun, Dykes called him a “nightmare”…