All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Carlton Palmer reckons that Nuno Espirito Santo will want to assess his entire Tottenham squad before deciding their respective futures.

Several of Santo’s players have already been linked with moves away from north London already this summer, which includes top goalscorer and best player Harry Kane.

Kane openly expressed his desire to leave Spurs, although another experienced figure Toby Alderweireld has been the latest Tottenham player to ask for a summer exit.

According to The Athletic, the Belgian, who was a regular for his country at Euro 2020, wants to call time on his six-year stay at the club, having made almost 250 appearances since signing from Atletico Madrid back in 2015.

Alderweireld was once one of the best defenders in the Premier League, although his performance levels have dropped in recent seasons – a major reason for Spurs’ constant defensive problems.

Despite his inconsistent form, Palmer exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that he thinks Santo will want everyone on board for the time being:

“You want to keep all of your better players because you want to do well at your football club. That’s only going to add to his ability to do well.

“He will want to sit down with all the players and I’m sure he won’t want to be letting anybody out of the door yet.”

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have hit out at centre-back Kortney Hause on social media for his performance against Brentford on Sunday.

Steven Gerrard was back in the dugout and rang the changes from the side which lost to Chelsea last time out, one of which was Hause coming in for the suspended Tyrone Mings.

Hause was making just his fourth league start of the campaign and his first under Gerrard, who selected the 26-year-old amid Axel Tuanzebe being linked with a move to Napoli.

However, a number of supporters didn’t think the 26-year-old had a game to remember, with a bizarre moment in the first half where he conceded a corner under no pressure. The centre-back also appeared to get caught out when Yoane Wissa equalised for the home side shortly before the interval.

As per SofaScore, Hause failed to make a successful tackle or interception all afternoon and lost possession eight times on a frustrating afternoon for the defender.

Villa fans react

Here is what these Villa fans had to say about Hause on Twitter during the game, with one labelling him as a ‘donkey’ and another saying that he “can go” from the club.

“Shocking from Hause… Is anyone surprised though”

Credit: @Dean_AV

“Hause isn’t up to the level of a back 4 in the PL”

Credit: @CalFergie

“Hause looking like a donkey plodding along oblivious”

Credit: @avkv1874

“get rid of Targett man, he stinks. Hause can go as well”

Credit: @KonsaThings

“Hause and Targett are making me physically sick”

Credit: @Chloavfc_

“Targett’s done OK but should have put his foot in there. Don’t get me started on Hause. Shouldn’t be anywhere near a Villa first team”

Credit: @CraigJ1S

In other news: ‘Exciting’ – Many Villa fans react to big transfer update on ‘quality’ Gerrard target

Newcastle United supporters have a reason to look forward to the future under PIF after the Saudi Arabian consortium splashed the cash in January to help them avoid relegation from the top-flight.

It was a sign of intent from the new owners and the Magpies can now hope that they will be able to compete higher up the food chain in the Premier League in the years to come.

The Toon faithful may be jealous of the likes of West Ham and Leicester this week as both sides secured places in European semi-finals, dreaming that their side will one day make it to one under PIF’s leadership.

English midfielder James Maddison was named Man of the Match, and scored, as the Foxes beat PSV in the Conference League quarter-finals and he is a player who could have been wearing a Newcastle shirt.

In the summer of 2018, Newcastle were one of the teams reportedly interested in signing the playmaker from Norwich.

However, Mike Ashley was unable to get a deal over the line as Leicester swooped in to snap him up, with Transfermarkt valuing him at £9m at the time.

Since joining the Foxes, he has proven himself in the Premier League and in Europe with his ability to score and create from midfield.

In 12 top-flight matches, Maddison has scored 29 goals and provided 22 assists. He also has five goals and four assists for the club in 16 outings in European competitions, which shows that he can deliver domestically and in Europe.

At the time of writing (15/04/22), Transfermarkt value him at a whopping £45m. This is a huge increase in the space of just under four years and illustrates how he has been able to fulfill the potential he showed whilst at Carrow Road in the Championship.

Although he has only been capped once by England, Gareth Southgate previously hailed his “world-class” set-pieces and he still has time to make an impact on the international stage. At the age of 25, he has plenty of time to keep improving and increasing his value – which will cause the size of Ashley’s blunder to grow.

The former Toon owner endured a major howler by failing to beat Leicester to his signature as he has turned out to be a phenomenal signing for the Foxes. He is thriving under Brendan Rodgers with his goals and assists from the number 10 position and the magician could have been strutting his stuff at St. James’ Park…

AND in other news, Same agency as Joelinton: NUFC scouting 6 ft 4 star, he’s a dream Botman alternative…

Pascal Struijk is expected to be available for Leeds United’s Premier League clash with Brentford this weekend, according to journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Struijk injured in midweek

The Whites picked up a crucial victory on Tuesday night, winning 1-0 at home to Crystal Palace thanks to Raphinha’s stoppage-time penalty.

One of the negatives on the night saw Struijk leave the field at half-time, though, with the centre-back picking up an injury.

Although his involvement in Sunday’s Premier League clash with Brentford at Elland Road looked in doubt, that now doesn’t appear to be the case.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Hay gives positive update

Taking to Twitter on Friday morning, Hay confirmed that Struijk is expected to be available for the weekend action, giving the following eight-word update:

“Struijk should be available for the Brentford game.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-25/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Verdict: Injuries finally easing

This is another big boost for Leeds, with Struijk hailed as a ‘fantastic’ player by former Whites hero Noel Whelan and someone who provides real squad depth. He has impressed with his defensive efforts this season, with his match averages of 2.3 tackles and 1.6 interceptions among the highest in Marcelo Bielsa’s squad.

There is a feeling that the Whites’ injury problems are easing at long last, with Hay also confirming that key duo Luke Ayling and Patrick Bamford should be fit to face Brentford as well.

While Bielsa and his players deserve some blame for a poor start to the season, injuries haven’t helped at all and we should now hopefully start to see improvements on the pitch, with Leeds potentially pulling clear of the relegation fight.

In other news, Leeds have been linked with a new signing – find out who it is here.

While it is often difficult to predict which signings will and won’t work out, recruiting an injury prone individual more often than not tends to end in disaster for the buying party.

That has seemingly proved the case for Nottingham Forest and defender Carl Jenkinson, with the former Arsenal man having endured a torrid time of it at the City Ground, prior to his loan move away from the club in January.

Signed for £2m from the Gunners in the summer of 2019, the Englishman has since made just 15 appearances in all competitions, with both loss of form and fitness issues having perhaps predictably plagued his time at the club.

During his time at the Emirates, the Harlow-born full-back had failed to ever really nail down a regular starting berth, spending much of his eight-year stint out on loan at the likes of West Ham United and Birmingham City, as well as on the treatment table.

After making just 41 Premier League appearances for the north Londoners, he was eventually snapped up by Forest just under three years ago, albeit while never looking like a convincing option as he made just eight league appearances in his debut season.

The form of current Aston Villa and Poland star Matty Cash – as well as an ankle issue sustained just a month into his Forest career – ensured a tricky start to life in Nottingham, with the 6 foot 1 full-back having never recovered from that early setback.

He made just three more league outings the following campaign, with the arrival of Chris Hughton in the dugout bringing a halt to his already sporadic role, with the former Brighton man informing the defender that he could move on at the end of 2020/21 season.

Despite sticking it out with the second-tier side, the appointment of Steve Cooper was the final nail in the coffin, with the 30-year-old having not featured for the club since an FA Cup fourth-round tie against Swansea City in January 2021.

After a year out in the footballing wilderness, the £450k-rated man secured a surprise temporary move to Australian outfit Melbourne City over the winter, where he has since netted twice in 17 league outings.

In truth, Cooper and co will have been happy to offload some of the player’s hefty £27k-per-week wages, with Jenkinson having cost the club a whopping £5m – including his initial transfer fee – since his move from Arsenal, rinsing the club for a total of 128 weeks.

Thankfully, with just a few months remaining on his existing deal, the one-time Charlton Athletic man will likely be moving on this summer, bringing an end to what’s been a tumultuous and costly last few years for all concerned.

In other news, Forest must seal summer swoop for £2.7m-rated star who has “a touch of Collymore” – opinion

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has delivered his verdict on Aston Villa boss Dean Smith’s future.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days and weeks have suggested that the Villa manager is coming under increased pressure following a difficult start to the Premier League that has seen the Midlands club lie in the bottom half of the table.

And now, Preece has suggested that the next two games in the Premier League – against West Ham and Southampton respectively – could hold the key.

He said: “Villa have lost five from nine so pressure’s beginning to mount on the boss, of course it is. Smith’s once-indestructible grip on the job loosened as soon as Wolves won it in stoppage time 10 days ago.

“I dread to think what could happen if Villa lose their next two before the international break, which will take them to seven defeats from 11. That simply cannot happen. The next two games are huge in terms of Villa’s season – even at this early stage.

“I do believe Smith’s the right man for the job. He must prove his credentials once again here, though. It’s down to the boss to get a huge reaction from his players now. They badly let him down at Arsenal after he backed them to the hilt in his pre-match presser.”

Make or break for Dean Smith

After picking up an impressive win away at Manchester United a few weeks ago, things have rapidly taken a turn for the worse for Smith and Villa.

They followed up that 1-0 victory at Old Trafford with three successive defeats in the Premier League, and the manner of each of those losses would be the real shock.

Spurs were in a bad spell of form themselves under Nuno Espirito Santo, the Wolves defeat came as a result of a truly remarkable late collapse after leading 2-0, and the Arsenal loss was galling for its first-half shambles.

It’s no surprise then that the pressure has well and truly ramped up on Smith, and if things don’t improve markedly in terms of both their performances and results, then he could well find himself being one of the Premier League’s early managerial casualties.

Villa fans will be concerned about their side heading into this weekend.

Meanwhile, Villa must sell this star amid rival interest…

With Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou having to deal with something of an injury crisis over the first few months of his reign at Parkhead, the 56-year-old Hoops boss will undoubtedly be delighted that the tide has started to turn in his favour regarding the return of his stricken players.

Indeed, the trio of Adam Montgomery, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Mikey Johnston all made further steps in their respective recoveries in the recent 2-0 Europa League win over Ferencvarosi TC, with all three of the previously sidelined players getting more minutes behind them on Tuesday afternoon.

However, regarding Johnston in particular, it was not simply more game time the winger managed to get under his belt against the Hungarian champions, but an extremely impressive performance too.

Completed eight passes

Despite being brought into the game late in the second half, with the 22-year-old featuring for a grand total of eight minutes against Ferencvarosi, the former Scotland U21 international was full of energy upon his introduction – with Sky Sports News journalist Anthony Joseph dubbing the forward as “lively”.

It is easy to see why, as the £900k-rated man managed to have 13 touches of the ball, complete eight passes – one of which was a key pass – and create one big chance despite his extremely limited amount of time on the pitch.

The £9k-per-week winger also completed both of his attempted dribbles, won both of his two attempted duels and hit the target with his one shot at the Ferencvarosi goal.

These returns saw Johnston earn an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.7, rather remarkably ranking him as the third-best player to feature in the match.

As such, considering Liel Abada’s contrasting display, Postecoglou will certainly have a decision to make as to whether the forward deserves to start against St Johnstone this weekend. Despite the impressive performances of goalscorers, Jota and Kyogo Furuhashi, alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers, it was the 22-year-old Scot who finally proved his worth to Celtic on Tuesday, after what had an extremely frustrating campaign up until now.

In other news: Anonymous £2.7m-rated Celtic flop who lost 90% duels failed Ange in Europa League win

Tottenham Hotspur are set to compete with Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain for the prospective free transfer of AC Milan’s Franck Kessie in January, according to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Tuttomercatoweb), and the trio of suitors may have been given some encouragement following recent developments. 

The Lowdown: Contract problems 

Since his permanent move to AC Milan in 2019 following a two-year loan spell, Kessie has been linked with a move to top clubs across Europe. 

The 24-year-old, who has made 44 appearances for the Ivory Coast national team, hasn’t appeared for the Serie A side since his brace earned all three points at the end of May against Atalanta.  He is yet to feature for Stefano Pioli’s side this season after helping his nation to the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games in Tokyo during the summer. 

With his contract running out next summer, the interest in Kessie is set to increase during the upcoming 12 months. 

The Latest: Contract roadblock

According to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Tuttomercatoweb), Kessie has rejected a contract extension from Milan worth €6.5m (£5.57m) a year. 

The Italian newspaper reported that the midfielder wants €8m (£6.86m) a year plus €2m (£1.7m) in bonuses, and Spurs are said to be keen on the midfielder, who scored 13 goals in 37 league appearances for the Rossoneri last season. 

Milan will be fearful of losing one of their key players for nothing like they did with Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG) and Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter). 

Kessie claimed in July that he wanted to stay at Milan ‘forever’ but has now rejected a new deal with the club.

The Verdict: Perfect Box-to-Box 

Kessie’s quality has been clear to see since he arrived at the San Siro. Last season he carried an 89% pass completion per match whilst making 2.07 blocks per game. 

Spurs currently have a couple of gifted centre-midfielders in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp, but with doubts having circulated over Tanguy Ndombele’s future, the arrival of Kessie would be an added bonus to Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad. 

Former Milan striker Antonio Cassano even lauded the midfielder as “intelligent” and “devastating” earlier in the year during one of the best seasons of his career, and we will have to see whether the Lilywhites can beat the pulling power of PSG or Liverpool next summer. 

In other news: Many Spurs fans have been raving about one of their summer signings – find out more here.

Aston Villa youngster Cameron Archer has put pen to paper on a new contract, the club have confirmed.

The 20-year-old’s previous deal was due to expire at the end of the season, but he’s now inked a fresh four-year agreement.

Why is there excitement over Archer?

Archer, who can play as a centre forward and as a winger, has been directly involved in 23 goals (scoring 16 and assisting seven) in 34 appearances for Villa’s Under-23s.

And he’s made an instant impact at the senior level this season, having been handed opportunities to impress.

He bagged a hat-trick on his full debut against Barrow in the EFL Cup, and was also on target in the next round against reigning European champions Chelsea.

What’s more, Archer was named player of the group stage in the EFL Trophy after scoring six times in three games against Football League opposition.

The official Aston Villa Twitter account made the announcement on Friday evening, and here’s how fans reacted.

Many Villa fans erupt over Archer news

“YESSSSSS”

Credit: @lmechegaray

“SUIIIIIIIIIIIII”

Credit: @will_avfc

“Brilliant news! Protecting the club’s future”

Credit: @7500toHolte

“Now this has made my day. The work rate, the dedication, the confidence, you Mr Archer are something special. Congratulations”

Credit: @aaron_canham

“Wonderful stuff”

Credit: @catrinavfc

“Incredible scenes”

Credit: @_joe1874

“Oh my yessss”

Credit: @1874lucy_

In other news, fans react to links with this CL defender.

Celtic target Jean-Kevin Augustin was more highly regarded than Odsonne Edouard and Moussa Dembele when the trio were younger, French football expert Adam White has told The Transfer Tavern.

Augustin is currently being linked with a move to Celtic, with French outlet Homme du Match recently claiming that the Glasgow club are interested in signing the Nantes striker this summer.

Meanwhile, Edouard is, of course, currently at Celtic, while Dembele finds himself at Lyon following a successful two-year spell with the Bhoys between 2016-2018.

The trio, all French, are around the same age. And, according to White, it was Augustin who French football once had the highest hopes for.

“I think in terms of talent, Augustin was perhaps out of those three players, when he was younger, the most highly regarded,” the Get French Football News writer said.

Things, however, have not quite gone to plan for the 24-year-old. For example, during a loan spell with Leeds United in the Championship, he played just three times and failed to score a single goal.

Augustin has also had his struggles at Nantes, though that has been partly down to him having long Covid-19, so he should be given more time there. But if both parties do decide it is best for them to go their separate ways, then perhaps he could revive his career at a club like Celtic.