All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Barry Fry has told Football FanCast that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer firmly deserves his potential new contract at Manchester United.

A report has claimed that the Norwegian is set to earn a new deal whether he wins a trophy this season or not.

United’s only chance of silverware, realistically, comes in the Europa League, where they will play Roma in the semi-finals after dispatching Granada over two legs.

There is the potential of another semi-final defeat – United lost in the FA Cup, League Cup, and Europa League semis last season – but Fry insists that Solskjaer’s future should not hinge on whether he wins silverware this term.

Indeed, he believes that Solskjaer has done an excellent job in making United an exciting team once again, after the “very dull” football served up by Jose Mourinho prior to the former striker’s appointment.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “I think the rot started with Mourinho really, United for the last two years under Mourinho were very poor, very dull, very boring, it wasn’t a typical United side.

“They brought Ole in, obviously with his connection with Manchester United as a player, I think they felt that it was a real big, big job for Solskjaer to get it sorted out and they’re happy with the way he’s gone about it and the way he’s changed things, with playing some of the younger players, coming on strong, United are traditionally good at that, in the long distant past anyway.

“I think they like that about him. He’s made a couple of great signings and obviously, they’re going to back him now.”

Fry also thinks that Solskjaer has overperformed this season, with a number of supporters believing that the club would only be fighting to finish in the top four, though they are almost certain to finish second.

He added: “The Man United supporters are up in arms really in one way but in another way, they’re saying they didn’t expect this year to be anywhere near the top, they thought they would be out for the top four. And it looks as though United will finish second.

“Second to Man City who are arguably the best side in the world at the minute so they don’t see that as failure. I don’t think the Manchester United hierarchy feel it’s failure, they feel it’s progress. And they obviously felt that what Ole had to do was far, far bigger than everybody outside the club felt it was. I think that’s why United are going to reward him with a new contract.”

Rangers will be looking to continue their journey in the Europa League when they take on Slavia Prague at Ibrox on Thursday, with Steven Gerrard’s side in a strong position after coming away with a 1-1 draw in the away leg last week.

One way in which Rangers could get the edge over their Czech opponents is by unleashing Kemar Roofe at Ibrox, with the former Leeds United man having made his return from injury in the reverse fixture.

The Jamaican forward has impressed since signing from Anderlecht in the summer, having contributed 12 goals and two assists in 26 appearances for Gerrard’s side.

In the Premiership, he has averaged an impressive 7.13 rating for his performances, which sees him rated as the eighth-best performer in the league for Rangers so far this season, so it is certainly a big boost for Gerrard that he is now back from injury.

After he made his return against Slavia last week, the former Liverpool man said:

“It’s great to have Kemar back and a cameo will do him the world of good.”

Hopefully, the return to action, plus another week of training, will give Roofe the fitness he needs to make a big impact in the game at Ibrox on Thursday, as he could be the difference-maker.

We have already seen Roofe score twice in the Europa League this season, once against Benfica and once in the 2-0 win against Standard Liege with an unforgettable goal from the halfway line.

Gerrard was clearly wowed by that strike, as he said after the game:

“I think it was a moment of genius. I’ve been lucky enough to watch it five or six times since the end of the game and it’s the actual build-up and preparation before the strike.”Although Roofe will do well to recreate a similar goal to that in training, let alone in a competitive game, it emphasised what he is capable of and the quality that he possesses and a moment of magic like that could well be the difference between Rangers progressing or exiting the Europa League on Thursday night.Therefore, Gerrard should give the £5.4 million-rated forward a chance to impress from the start and hope that he can have another moment of genius on Thursday night.And, in other news… Gerrard should unleash teen wonderkid who is “worth his weight in gold” next season

Glasgow Rangers have been handed a major injury boost with the news that James Tavernier is available to face Royal Antwerp in the Europa League.

As reported by The Daily Record, via The Daily Mail, the Rangers captain had limped off the pitch during first-team training at Auchenhowie and was a doubt for this evening’s Europa League last-32 tie against Antwerp due to injury.

But Steven Gerrard has branded these reports as “fake news” while speaking to reporters in his pre-match press conference in the build-up to the clash at The Bosuilstadion later today.

Gerrard’s side have been hampered by several setbacks this season, and they have sorely missed star strikers Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe after the pair were hit by retrospective bans from the Scottish FA on charges of violent conduct.

They have also been deprived of the services of the likes of Ryan Jack and Scott Arfield at various points this season and could be without Nathan Patterson for some time after the young right-back was removed from the first-team squad following the latest Covid breach.

However, ahead of the trip to Antwerp, Gerrard has given his side a much-needed boost after he confirmed the skipper is fit to travel to Belgium before the first-leg of their Europa League last-32 clash this evening.

Speaking to Rangers TV, the Ibrox boss said: “We’ve seen recent rumours that James is carrying a niggle which is fake news. There’s nothing in that.”

After Tavernier – who is currently valued at £7.2m via Transfermarkt – was named the Scottish Premiership Player of the Month for September, Gerrard praised the impact of the “powerhouse” and his attitude.

Gerrard said: “He’s looking like the powerhouse we know we can be.

“He returned hungry and his application and return from lockdown has really impressed me.

“The challenge now is to maintain that standard and he really deserves the accolade.”

With 11 goals and nine assists in 29 top-flight appearances, the 29-year-old tops the charts out of the entire Rangers squad in the Premiership this season by some margin, with only Roofe and Morelos his closest rivals on ten and seven goals respectively.

And when you take a closer look at the numbers, it’s easy to see why he’d be such a massive miss for Gerrard if he had been ruled out due to injury. He ranks third for key passes in the Europa League (1.5 per 90), fourth for clearances, and sixth for interceptions, which just goes to show that his all-round game is good and he can put in a shift at the back as well as find the back of the net.

Tavernier leads by example from the back, and thankfully for Gerrard, he has been one of his most reliable performers so far this season.

Rangers fans should now be feeling more confident about their side’s chances of clinching victory in the crunch stage of the competition ahead of the trip to Antwerp.

AND in other Rangers news, Why Steven Gerrard must unleash Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos on Antwerp…

According to a recent report, Tottenham Hotspur have put a price on Giovani Lo Celso amid interest in a summer move from Juventus.

The report by Calcio Mercato claims that Juventus, who courted Lo Celso prior to his move to Paris Saint-Germain back in 2016, are once again interested in making a move for the £31.5 million-rated midfielder this summer, who is said to have been in ‘the pits’ at Spurs this season due to injury troubles.

Furthermore, Calcio Mercato also report, rather bizarrely, that Cristiano Ronaldo has given Juventus his approval in making a move for Lo Celso, before claiming that Jose Mourinho’s side would want a fee of ‘no less’ than €25m (£21.6m) if they were to sell the 24-year-old this summer.

Transfer Tavern Take

While it is indeed true that Lo Celso has not enjoyed his best football for Spurs so far this season – with the Argentina international featuring just 11 times in the league, averaging a disappointing WhoScored match rating of 6.56 along the way – it would appear incredibly unlikely that Tottenham would sell the midfielder for considerably less than the £28.8m he cost to bring to the club last season.

Furthermore, with it being reported that Lo Celso is a part of many Tottenham fans’ ‘dream midfield three’ – comprising of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg playing just behind Tanguy Ndombele and Lo Celso – selling the 24-year-old this summer is not likely to be something that many of the Spurs faithful would get behind.

In other Tottenham news, this Spurs transfer admission lifted the lid on a failed Daniel Levy coup with Pochettino – find out more here!

Celtic have been heavily linked with a move for former Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder since his Bramall Lane exit.

Reports claimed that the delay to the 53-year-old’s recent departure in Yorkshire was actually down to interest from the Hoops, but a potential move to Glasgow is yet to gather any real pace.

No Wilder approach from Celtic

According to The Scottish Sun, Celtic are yet to make contact with Wilder, but an approach would reportedly prove hard to turn down.

The report claims that Wilder would miss out on a huge chunk of his United payoff if he made a swift return to management, with the Englishman still being paid by the club for the next six months.

Transfer Tavern take

Wilder is already looking around for vacancies, so it seems as if he isn’t too worried about losing a chunk of change from his former employers.

Bringing him in to replace Neil Lennon could be a smart move, as he has previous experience of rebuilding a side successfully. He took Sheffield United from League One to the Premier League after moving to the club in 2016, finishing in ninth position in the club’s first campaign back in the top flight.

A Parkhead rebuild appears to be on the cards both on and off the pitch this summer, and Wilder may be tempted to replicate his achievements with the Blades at Celtic Park.

In other news: Major Celtic appointment reportedly ‘90% done’ – find out more here. 

Arsenal must make a ruthless call on Alex Runarsson in this January transfer window.

What’s the story?

The Iceland international only arrived at the Emirates in the summer, joining from French side Dijon as a direct replacement for the Aston Villa bound Emiliano Martinez.

With Bernd Leno established as Mikel Arteta’s established number one goalkeeper, Runarsson has been restricted to sporadic appearances, getting onto the pitch just five times in total.

Now, The Athletic claim that the Gunners are willing to let the £40k-a-week ace go out on loan, and that the Premier League side would be keen on bringing in a replacement before they do so.

Liability to Arteta

Even despite playing just five games for the club, the 25-year-old has shown nothing to prove to Arteta that he can be a worthy back-up goalkeeper to Leno.

The Gunners were arguably spoiled by the fact that they had Emiliano Martinez as their reserve shot-stopper; the Argentine is proving with Villa now that he is more than capable of being a Premier League side’s number one by keeping eight clean sheets in 15 top-flight games.

In contrast, Runarsson’s most memorable moments for the Gunners have been his high-profile clangers, not least when he literally chucked away Arsenal’s chances of a Carabao Cup semi-final by dropping a Riyad Mahrez free-kick into his own net – the north Londoners would eventually lose 4-1 on the night.

Speaking after the game, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp, said: “I almost feel bad jumping into his nightmare. People make mistakes, from a goalkeeper’s perspective it looks like he got himself into the right position but takes his eye off the ball.

“I’m sure Arsenal fans are thinking ‘why don’t we play our No 1 goalkeeper?’ Goalkeepers don’t need to rest, I know it’s the Carabao Cup but it’s a big game for him today. It didn’t really make sense playing him in the first place.”

The fact is Runarsson has only shown himself to be a liability for Arteta. Given how much the Gunners had to depend on Martinez last season following Leno’s injury, it would be a nightmare if something similar happened to the German now and only the former was available for these upcoming Premier League and Europa League knockout games.

It may be a ruthless call given that the Icelandic ace only joined in the summer, but it’s one that will no leave the Arsenal boss relieved given how much he has already cost them in his limited game-time this season.

Meanwhile, Arsenal must sell this young talent who starred under Wenger…

Celtic are currently going through a turbulent time as a club. They currently look a shell of their usual, dominating self and are trailing to arch rivals Rangers by 13 points in the Scottish Premiership.

With such a huge gap between them and the league leaders, plus their inevitable exit from the Europa League, there’s a target on Neil Lennon’s back.

Although the club are backing the man who has led the Hoops to five league titles and an infamous ‘treble treble’, the club’s poor run of form can only go on for so long before something must give.

Names linked to Celtic manager job

A lot of speculation is flying about as professionals and fans alike wonder whether Lennon will face the boot any time soon. If he does, the club has been linked to several high profile names who could swoop in and start to pick up the pieces in the wake of the Irishman.

One man who has been tipped by bookies as the favourite to replace Lennon is Martin O’Neill. But according to Football Insider, the 68-year-old has already dismissed the idea of joining the Glasgow outfit.

Whilst many just want a quick-fix solution to the current mess at Celtic, O’Neill is not a target that the club should be chasing. The former Northern Ireland international already had a stint in Parkhead, guiding the club to three league titles and two Scottish Cups.

On paper, he looks ideal to step in if Lennon is axed. But Celtic run the risk of repeating history by signing a manager who has already been in charge of the club. Plus, with being 68, he may not be the best choice for the future.

At this moment in time, a quick-fix would be a mistake for the club. Peter Lawwell must be looking for the next long-term head coach who can come in and restore Celtic’s stature.

In other news, Shane Duffy tipped for early exit after disappointing loan spell…

Marcel Brands has been sent back to square one after Everton were dealt a huge blow in their search for midfield creativity with Real Madrid maestro Isco choosing to join Sevilla.

What’s the word?

According to AS, Isco has decided to remain at the Santiago Bernabeu until the end of the season to ensure he can secure a summer switch to Sevilla and reunite with Julien Lopetegui.

The world-class Isco believes Lopetegui offered him the most support seen throughout his career whilst the Los Nervionenses coach was in charge of the Spanish national side, which coincided with his best form under Zinedine Zidane who favoured the former Malaga man over Gareth Bale in two Champions League finals.

Zinedine has since lost all faith in Isco’s suitability for Los Blancos’ efforts, resulting in the 28-year-old starting only three of his 11 appearances across all competitions this term, yet insists the £210,000-per-week maestro will not be sold in January in fear of injuries greatly reducing an already thin area of his side.

Madrid will demand between €15m (£13.5m) and €20m (£18m) for Isco at the end of the season, while word of his preference of a move to the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium will likely end Everton’s alleged interest amid claims the Toffees are continuing to monitor the world-class midfielder’s situation.

Back to square one

Everton missing out on Isco with the playmaker and Real Madrid both intent on remaining with each other in January will come as a huge blow to Ancelotti, who is in need of greater creativity from his central options.

Gylfi Sigurdsson has stepped up admirably in recent weeks following James Rodriguez’s calf injury, yet still trails the Colombian for key passes with the summer arrival from Real Madrid continuing to lead the charts at Goodison Park with 26 from his 10 Premier League outings, per SofaScore.

Sigurdsson now ranks second with 19 to eclipse Lucas Digne (16), before Ancelotti sees a gradual decline with Abdoulaye Doucoure (12), Alex Iwobi (11) and Richarlison (10) the only additional Toffees players to boast a double-digit tally for chances created thus far.

Further, only Rodriguez (7) and Digne (5) have created more than three clear goalscoring opportunities, while Rodriguez, Iwobi and Allan are the sole members of Ancelotti’s squad to have been credited with playing the pass directly before an assist was recorded.

Rodriguez and Digne’s leading frequency at creating big chances also sees the pair top the charts for clear goalscoring opportunities fashioned per top-flight game with 0.7 and 0.63 respectively, more than double the figure of third-placed Richarlison (0.27).

Brands will now need to find alternatives for Isco in the upcoming January window in order to solve Ancelotti’s key offensive issue, or risk seeing the Merseyside outfit endure more offensive struggles like those seen at Sheffield United on Saturday.

AND in other news, Everton have been dealt a huge blow, from which the long-term effects may hurt Carlo Ancelotti.

Tottenham Hotspur left it late to progress into the fifth round of the FA Cup on Monday evening.

Jose Mourinho’s side had to come from behind to overcome a battle-hardened Wycombe Wanderers outfit at Adams Park. Indeed they sealed the victory with three goals in the final seven minutes.

The Championship side took the lead after 25 minutes when Fred Onyedinma slotted past Joe Hart before Gareth Bale marked his rare start with a hooked finish right on half-time.

Spurs then needed an array of changes from the bench to spark them into life, none more so than Tanguy Ndombele’s introduction as he bagged a six-minute brace in the dying embers having only been introduced in the 68th minute.

Whilst midfield enforcer Harry Winks received the Man of the Match award from BT Sport’s Steve Sidwell, who was on commentary duty and dubbed the out-of-favour Englishman the “driving force” in the middle (25/01, 21:37pm).

However, another player may have actually stolen the show and as a result, changed the game completely in Spurs’ favour – that being Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who came on for Japhet Tanganga at half-time.

It was a risky ploy as it saw fellow central midfielder Moussa Sissoko pushed out to an unnatural right-back position in the absence of Matt Doherty (injured) and Serge Aurier, who was seemingly too ill to start or feature here.

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

Though, the switch paid dividends as the Dane’s imperious influence in the middle was instantly felt. In the first half, Spurs had only won five more duels than the Chairboys – you could be forgiven for thinking they were doing well in the Championship, but instead, they are actually rock-bottom.

That changed through the introduction of Hojbjerg as the £15m summer signing won 80% of his ten duels in the second period, which saw Spurs also record 14 more duels won this time, per SofaScore – hardly a coincidence as they now had that ruthless presence in the engine room.

Indeed, the £45m-rated (€50m) powerhouse also recorded four clearances, a figure well above his Premier League season average of 1.7 per game, which makes those resolute 45 minutes all that more impressive.

Hojbjerg also made more passes (35) than Gareth Bale (24), who played the full 90, Lucas Moura (32) and Erik Lamela (34), who both played until the 68th minute, which only goes to show how strong of an influence the 25-year-old beast had in Buckinghamshire.

His game was topped off by one key pass which provided the fourth and final Spurs goal of the game in injury time.

The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick graded the £65k-per-week Denmark international a 7/10 and claimed: “Provided a midfield platform for Spurs’ forward in the second half, which was essentially a contest between attack and defence,” which merely reinforces the point of him being an integral change.

Whilst Ndombele and Winks will take the plaudits in the press with a trio of simply sublime goals, it was Hojbjerg’s introduction that swung the game’s control in their favour as outlined throughout this piece.

He did the dirty work, and that is often so vastly underrated.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Hojbjerg: Mourinho can seal perfect Spurs unit by signing £22.5m “beast”…

Chelsea are closing in on an agreement for a Euro 2024 player after submitting a £43 million total bid for him, with Todd Boehly and BlueCo definitely not done in the transfer market ahead of deadline day on August 30.

Chelsea working on marquee deals after Pedro Neto signing

Last week, the west Londoners put pen to paper on a £54 million deal for winger Pedro Neto, who comes in to offer manager Enzo Maresca a dynamic new option out wide.

Chelsea prepared to offer Lukaku discount as Napoli table £26 million bid

The deal is heavily tied in with Chelsea’s move for Victor Osimhen.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Aug 16, 2024

Neto's arrival has also cast doubt on the future of winger Noni Madueke, with Newcastle linked in the last week and Chelsea reportedly open to selling the 22-year-old. Eddie Howe's side have already contacted Madueke's representatives, according to some media sources.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are still in the market for a striker, and talk over a move for Napoli star Victor Osimhen has refused to go away. The west Londoners had agreed a £35 million transfer for Atletico Madrid's Samu Omorodion, but that collapsed at the eleventh hour due to contractual issues (Sky Sports).

Cole Palmer

7.48

Conor Gallagher

7.13

Nicolas Jackson

7.07

Moises Caicedo

6.85

Noni Madueke

6.84

This has resurrected a potential move for Osimhen, with Napoli's interest in Romelu Lukaku closely intertwined, as both clubs contemplate deals which would see the two forwards trade places.

“Osimhen is a possibility that Napoli presented to Chelsea after they already thought of Osimhen at the beginning of the window … they left the conversation because the package was too expensive,” said reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano to CaughtOffside this week.

“But then Napoli presented this opportunity again to Chelsea during talks for Romelu Lukaku. But as I always mentioned, from what I’m hearing, Osimhen doesn’t want to reduce his salary, €11million net per season, and Osimhen doesn’t want to go on loan. This is the idea of the player – only a permanent transfer or loan with obligation. So kind of permanent transfer.

"We will see what happens with Osimhen. But I always had a feeling that this is something for the final weeks or days of the window.”

Amidst all of this, there is also Chelsea's widely reported talks over a deal for Joao Felix.

Chelsea close to agreeing Felix signing after £43m bid

The Blues turned towards Felix after missing out on Omorodion, in a complex transfer domino which could reopen the door for Conor Gallagher to join Atletico Madrid.

According to Atletico insider Rubén Uría, via Sport and Get Football News Spain, Chelsea are now close to an agreement over signing Felix, after Maresca's side submitted a fresh £43 million bid – including add-ons.

This new proposal is apparently closer to what Atletico chiefs ideally want for the 24-year-old, who featured for his native Portugal at the Euros. Felix spent last season on loan at Barcelona, and half of the 22/23 campaign on loan at Chelsea, where he managed four goals in 20 appearances across all competitions.