All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Current Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard was always destined to leave Rangers not long after guiding them to their 55th league title and first in a decade, while also improving their reputation on the continent.

The move to the Premier League hasn’t quite gone to plan so far, winning only 13 of his 36 matches in charge of the Villans in all competitions, and has found himself under some pressure due to Villa’s poor start to the current campaign.

It might have been different had the club moved for someone else, however, with the newly appointed Chelsea manager Graham Potter being touted for the Villa job before Gerrard was appointed.

Villa should have appointed Potter

The club missed their opportunity, however, luring Gerrard away from Rangers to take over at the Midlands and it certainly looks like the wrong choice now.

Potter has had a wonderful rise through the coaching ranks, starting off at Swedish side Ostersund where he led them to Swedish Cup glory and a stunning Europa League run in 2017/2018 before leaving to take charge at Swansea City.

His spell in Wales was short-lived, having led them to a tenth-placed Championship finish as well as a FA Cup quarter-final run, he joined south coast side Brighton and Hove Albion, where his career really began to take off.

Potter guided the club to finishes of 15th, 16th and ninth during his three full seasons in charge at Brighton, while also overseeing some incredible victories.

He leaves them in fourth spot in the Premier League table having succeeded Thomas Tuchel as Chelsea manager, but he could have been an excellent manager for Villa and would surely have them sitting higher than the lowly 15th position they currently find themselves in.

After all, this is a manager who has consistently overachieved in his coaching career to date, with that trend likely to have continued if he joined a club with big visions and money like Villa.

Emma Hayes, the Chelsea women’s manager has described the 47-year-old as an “amazing leader” and with his results and rise to the very top of the managerial game, this appears to be his greatest strength, particularly when you consider his degree in social science, something that has developed his man-management skills immensely.

Aston Villa’s loss currently looks like Chelsea’s gain and it will be interesting to see just how well he does at a club who are expected to win nearly every week.

The Times journalist Paul Joyce has revealed that Everton still plan to sign Conor Coady after his loan from Wolves, despite the departure of Bruno Lage.

The Lowdown: Lage departs

The Wanderers confirmed the departure of Lage on Sunday evening after a poor start to the season that has left them in the relegation zone in the Premier League table, having scored the fewest goals (three) in the division.

The Portuguese manager decided to let club captain Coady leave on loan to Goodison Park, after having reservations over whether he could play in a back four, and the Merseyside club have an option to buy him in the summer.

The Latest: No affect on Coady plans

Writing in his latest piece for The Times, Joyce has revealed that the Old Gold’s decision to change their manager will not affect the Toffees’ plans to sign Coady on a permanent basis.

The new coach at Molineux could have different opinions to Lage on the central defender, but they will not be able to recall him, and so Frank Lampard’s side still plan to sign him permanently after his loan spell ends.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-news-8/” title=”Everton news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: No-brainer

Given the start that he has made to his Blues career, signing Coady permanently is a no-brainer.

As journalist Simon Phillips has pointed out, both him and fellow new signing James Tarkowski have been ‘massive, massive’ players for Lampard already this season, as emphasised by his team conceding the fewest goals in the top flight so far.

Coady seems to be thriving in a back four with Tarkowski as his centre-back partner, and is certainly proving Lage wrong in that respect.

Nonetheless, having been the captain at Wolves, the 29-year-old brings extra leadership qualities not just on the pitch, but in the dressing room as well, and so whatever transfer fee it would take, EFC simply have to pay it to get him in on a permanent deal.

Sheffield Wednesday are sweating over an injury sustained to defender Reece James in Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat to Plymouth Argyle.  

The Lowdown: Half-time sub

James, described as “excellent” by Darren Moore, arrived at Hillsborough over the summer on loan from Blackpool.

Since then, the 28-year-old has gone on to make 11 appearances for Wednesday, getting the nod from the off once again at Home Park.

However, James was on the receiving end of a heavy challenge from Joe Edwards – one that reporter Joe Crann said may have deserved a red – and needed to be replaced at the interval by Dominic Iorfa.

The Latest: Assessment

Crann shared a story for The Star on Tuesday evening following the defeat at Home Park. He relayed news from Moore, who said James was due to be assessed on Wednesday and was unsure if it was a thigh or groin problem.

Moore also added that Mallik Wilks was missing from the squad with an injury of his own, citing a hamstring niggle after the weekend win at Port Vale.

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Hopefully, James and Wilks’ respective issues aren’t long-term, but it isn’t ideal to learn about their injuries.

James, primarily a left-back, was starting to establish himself as one of Moore’s first-choice centre-backs and has already missed games through injury earlier in the campaign.

The Owls have a quick turnaround for Saturday’s home clash with Cheltenham, so it’ll be interesting to see how James and Wilks are when Moore speaks to the press.

Wolves are seemingly edging closer to appointing Pedro Martins as their new manager after a move for Julen Lopetegui fell through.

What’s the word?

Last week, it seemed extremely likely that the Old Gold would appoint Lopetegui following his sacking at Sevilla, only for him to turn down Wolves’ proposition due to his father’s ill health.

It also looked as if Martins would join Hull City in the Championship, however that move would also fall through, and reports suggest that he is now in negotiations with the Molineux outfit as they look for their successor to Bruno Lage.

According to Portuguese news outlet Mais Futebol, everything points to an agreement between Martins and Wolves, with the two parties now well underway with their talks.

Better than Lopetegui?

Martins recently left Olympiacos where he enjoyed “immense success” – in the words of Greek reporter Kostas Lianos – winning three league titles in his final three seasons with the club. He only left after a rare blip in Champions League qualifying against Maccabi Haifa in the summer, a side who bested Juventus in the last round of fixtures.

During his time with the Greek giants, Martins would take charge of 221 matches, of which he won 143, drawing 43 and losing just 37 with a points-per-game average of 2.13, which suggests that he knows how to get the best out of his players and would bring a winning mentality to Wolves.

By comparison, Wolves’ top target Lopetegui would win just 90 of his 170 games at Sevilla, averaging a far poorer 1.85 points per game, while his form this season was horrific, with just one win in ten games, which was very similar to Lage at Wolves.

Martins also has the added bonus of being Portuguese, so will easily be able to communicate with Wolves’ vast Portuguese contingent, while he also managed Jose Sa and Daniel Podence during their spells with Olympiacos, with the latter seemingly a big fan of his management style.

He said: “What makes him special is the way he leads. The relationship with the players, the fact that he knows and understands everything that happens to them, but also the intelligence with which he prepares the games. He is a humble man, simple and easily accessible.

“Of course he is ready. Although Olympiacos is as big a club as most Premier League clubs. The quality here will not be a problem for him and will have good results.”

Therefore, he would appear to a much better overall option than Lopetegui, and supporters will be hoping that he can be the man to help arrest their slump and push them back up the Premier League table.

Chelsea and owner Todd Boehly by extension are now willing to pay over £79 million to sign Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Potter set for backing?

Graham Potter has made a brilliant start to life at his new club since replacing former boss Thomas Tuchel, remaining unbeaten over his first five matches in all competitions.

Looking to turn Chelsea back into a major Premier League force, Boehly’s faith in the former Brighton manager appears to be paying off thus far with the American tycoon looking set to back his new gaffer.

Reports have suggested that Potter will benefit from investment in his new-look Blues squad with Lyon starlet Malo Gusto the latest to be linked with a Stamford Bridge move.

The Latest: Chelsea ‘willing to pay more’ than £79m for Bellingham…

Now, according to German outlet Bild (via Sport Witness), Boehly is open to shelling out a lump sum to seal a move for England’s arguably most exciting talent.

They claim Chelsea are ‘willing to pay more’ than €100 million (£79m) for the services of Dortmund star Bellingham with ‘contacts’ already underway.

Bild add this is to beat off competition from other interested clubs in Manchester and Spain as the in-demand sensation continues to dominate headlines.

The Verdict: Get it done…

The 19-year-old has already been called a ‘superstar’ by pundits like Troy Deeney and it’s not hard to see why.

Bellingham is currently setting the world alight in Germany, ranking as Dortmund’s best player by average match rating having completed more dribbles and attempted more shots at goal per 90 than any of his teammates (WhoScored).

A real all-rounder, the teenager has also made Dortmund’s joint-second highest rate of tackles per 90 in the Bundesliga and is fouled more often than any other player in his team (WhoScored).

Bellingham’s growing reputation, however, means Chelsea may well have to invest far more than £79 million.

Wolverhampton Wanderers take on fellow Premier League strugglers Leicester City in tomorrow’s crunch tie which could prove to be very important come the end of the campaign.

The Old Gold currently occupy 18th place in the league table, with just nine points and two victories all season, defeating Leicester could provide them with some crucial momentum.

They suffered a midweek defeat to Crystal Palace, with Steve Davis missing Rayan Ait-Nouri.

However, he has revealed some positive news regarding the Frenchman as he spoke to the media yesterday, saying: “Ait-Nouri is fine. Everyone is available.” And this could be a big boost for Wolves.

Ait-Nouri is available to face Leicester

The left-back has played in ten league matches this season, averaging a rating of 6.7 as per SofaScore, and has displayed his attacking intent by taking 0.7 shots per match, making 0.7 key passes per game, and creating one big chance.

Wolves have struggled this term, but the 21-year-old came off an impressive campaign last year, scoring once while grabbing two assists in 23 league matches.

Averaging 60.8 touches per match, the youngster was always keen to get on the ball and push forward as much as possible to contribute towards the team’s attack.

The Frenchman ranked first in the squad last season for tackles made per match (2.8) while also having a 52% dribble success rate, ranking him behind only Adama Traore in the team.

He has settled into life in England with ease and is fast becoming one of the club’s most important players, not just performance-wise but also the fact his value is constantly rising.

Wolves paid just £9.5m for the player last summer, however since then, his value has skyrocketed to €30m (£26.1m), nearly triple their initial outlay a little over 12 months ago.

As such, it is undoubtedly great news for Davis that the full-back is available for tomorrow’s tie and whoever becomes the new permanent manager of the club, they have an outstanding talent on their hands who could eventually make them a fortune.

Liverpool have reportedly joined the race to sign one of the Premier League’s top performers this season – Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes. 

The Lowdown: Business as usual

The Merseyside club have a good track record when it comes to signing players from fellow English clubs.

Figures such as Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, among others, have all made moves to Anfield from a variety of clubs across the country over recent years.

It now appears that Jurgen Klopp’s side have the Newcastle star on their agenda as a potential next player to bring in and continue their theme of signing top-flight figures.

The Latest

According to a recent report from TNT Sports (via Sport Witness), Liverpool have joined Chelsea and Real Madrid with interest in the Brazilian midfielder.

The report also adds that the three clubs are considering this potential transfer for next season, rather than the upcoming January window.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/https-www-footballtransfertavern-com-liverpool-fc-news-liverpool-premier-league-mohamed-salah-news-updates-klopp/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict

Having been described by Zach Lowy as potentially being a “game changing” signing for Newcastle before the midfielder made his move to St. James’ Park back in the previous January transfer window, Guimaraes has quickly become exactly that for Eddie Howe.

With nine Premier League appearances under his belt this season, the 24-year-old has scored two goals and provided two assists for the Magpies.

To further highlight his ability on the pitch, the Newcastle star has made more tackles in the midfield third of the pitch (18) than any other player at the club, as well as having the second-highest number of key passes made (14) and the highest rate of goals per shot (0.29).

Labelled on Twitter by BBC writer Premier League Panel as an “heir to [Ilkay] Gundogan” in terms of being an all-rounder with impressive technical ability and goals from midfield, Guimaraes would surely be someone that Klopp would love to have in his squad.

With Wolves occupying a relegation spot in the Premier League, it is perhaps only natural that some of their players are being linked with exits ahead of the January transfer window.

Ruben Neves, unsurprisingly, is attracting attention as he continues to impress despite the Old Gold’s shocking start to the season, while Daniel Podence has also been linked with Everton.

However, few fans would have expected to see the transfer rumour mill linking right-back Nelson Semedo with Champions League outfit Chelsea, as his performances since joining from Barcelona do little to suggest that he would be a good option for Graham Potter’s side.

Therefore, if a deal can be negotiated with the Stamford Bridge outfit, it could be an ideal opportunity for Steve Davis to move on a player that hasn’t been good enough and replace him with a better option using the funds they would receive.

Semedo made the move to Molineux in September 2020, with Wolves remarkably paying £37m for the full-back’s services, a fee they look unlikely to recuperate from Chelsea, especially as his contract is set to expire at the end of this season.

So far this term, the 28-year-old defender has averaged a shocking 6.42 rating from WhoScored for his performances in the Premier League, which ranks him as the 16th-best player in Davis’ squad, so it would not be too much of a loss for the Old Gold if he were to join the Londoners over the winter.

Previous campaigns have also seen the former Barcelona man fail to live up to his price tag, as he averaged 6.90 and 6.82 ratings from WhoScored for his performances in the top flight, with just one goal and four assists to his name.

Regularly caught out defensively, the Portuguese full-back has been described as a “liability” by former Wolves reporter Tim Spiers, a piece of criticism that rather sums up his dismal time in the Midlands.

Although Ki-Jana Hoever is currently out on loan with PSV Eindhoven, which leaves Wolves very short of options at right-back, Jonny is capable of filling in there while the Old Gold search for a replacement.

Semedo’s time at the club has undoubtedly been a disappointing one, and after 109 weeks at Molineux, Davis should definitely look to take advantage of Chelsea’s surprising interest in the Portuguese defender by moving him on in January.

Everton are reportedly eyeing up a potential move in the January transfer window for Eintracht Frankfurt attacking midfielder Daichi Kamada.

The Lowdown: Kamada’s contract

The 26-year-old is out of contract next summer, meaning that he could leave the Europa League holders as a free agent if no agreement is struck before then.

It also means that he can sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club in the January transfer window, or leave mid-season for a cut-price fee.

The Latest: Everton interest

As per Fussball Transfers, Everton have ‘knocked’ on Frankfurt’s door over a potential deal for Kamada, alongside both Villarreal and Benfica.

The World Cup in Qatar, for which Kamada has been named in the Japan squad, could act as a ‘shop window’ for the 26-year-old, who is sure to attract more interest after the tournament.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-news-8/” title=”Everton news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: No-brainer

To try and get Kamada in a cut-price deal in January is surely a no-brainer for Everton.

Hailed as a ‘top player’ by journalist Pete O’Rourke, he has an impressive 12 goals and three assists from midfield in all competitions so far this season, including three goals in the Champions League to help send Frankfurt through to the knockout stages (Transfermarkt).

Kamada currently has the best shot conversion rate (38.7%) in Europe’s top five leagues, even better than the likes of Erling Haaland and Neymar (Opta), which further emphasises his quality.

Therefore, the Toffees must look to get a deal done as soon as they can before his stock more than likely rises after the World Cup.

Tottenham Hotspur gem Bryan Gil could yet make a late statement to make Spain’s squad for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar…

Son setback

The north London outfit managed to top their Champions League group in midweek by defeating Marseille, thanks to midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s last-minute winner at the Stade Velodrome but it came at a worrying cost.

Heung-min Son picked up a nasty and concerning facial injury, one that has now ruled him out of Spurs’ remaining games before the domestic break, including this afternoon’s Premier League clash with Liverpool. He is now in a race against time to be available for South Korea at the tournament.

According to the Telegraph, the 29-year-old underwent successful surgery to repair a fractured eye socket but he has only two weeks to recover before the World Cup kicks off with the host nation playing Ecuador on November 20.

Gil’s golden chance

Son isn’t going to be the only Lilywhites star at the World Cup.

England skipper Harry Kane, Argentina colossus Cristian Romero, the aforementioned Denmark monster and France no.1 Hugo Lloris are just a few other players set to feature in the greatest international competition there is to play in.

One player who would’ve been targeting a breakthrough at the tournament but is very much a major doubt is Gil, who has already picked up four senior caps in Luiz Enrique’s tenure.

The 2020 summer Olympics silver medalist and UEFA Nations League runner-up is surely a potential surprise wildcard for the La Roja boss given their poor attacking options.

They are no longer the Spain they once were and whilst they still head into the tournament amongst the European favourites, a likely frontline containing Chelsea flop Alvaro Morata, one-cap Betis star Borja Iglesias and an injury-hit Ansu Fati.

So with a spot opening up in Spurs’ attack, due to the big blow to Son, the 21-year-old dynamo – who was once dubbed as a “big talent” by talent scout Jacek Kulig – could make a late run at making the 2010 World Cup winners’ squad, if manager Antonio Conte opts to unleash him – something he has rarely done.

He may now have to as Dejan Kulusevski has been injured for the past few weeks, Richarlison is unavailable too and there are also doubts over the fitness of Lucas Moura, as per football.london.

Tottenham paid Sevilla £21.6m for the young 5 foot 9 winger, also including Erik Lamela in the deal, but he has been restricted to only 25 appearances in a Lilywhites shirt, of which five have come this season.

It was the dynamism and pace of Gil that saw the Spanish starlet win his side a penalty in their 3-2 win over Eintracht Frankfurt back in early October and it’s exactly those qualities that both Conte and Enrique can benefit from this month, and heading into 2023.

At one point in his career, the £40k-per-week hotshot, who has played only 47 minutes this term, was compared to Neymar – another player set to light up the World Cup this winter.

“[Gil] is right now the best player in Spain and I compare him with Neymar,” once claimed FC Barcelona scout German Vaya Ballabriga (via football.london). “He is so versatile, he can play at full-back, through the middle, on the left wing. He’s impressive.”

That versatility adds another element to both Spurs and Spain as he could emerge as a plug-and-play option for either side, and his “creative” qualities and “livewire” presence makes him a huge threat on any given day.

Gil could be the “game-changer” – in the words of Sky Sports reporter Jamie Weir – that Spurs need, in the absence of Son, against a team like Liverpool and if he delivers, then Enrique will surely be keeping a watchful eye heading into his squad announcement next week.

Conte must now unleash the 21-year-old Spaniard this afternoon.

AND in other news, Forget Emerson: Conte must ditch Spurs liability vs Liverpool, he’s an “accident waiting to happen”…