All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Newcastle United managed to salvagee what started out as a horrendous Premier League campaign by eventually finishing 11th in the table.

However, with just 44 goals scored, Crystal Palace, Brentford and Aston Villa all ended up finding the net more often despite finishing below the Magpies.

One reason for this could be down to Newcastle having to make do without Callum Wilson in the team for a long period due to injury issues. Despite playing just 18 league games, the Englishman still netted eight goals, making him the Toon’s top scorer for 2021/22.

Therefore, it would be safe to assume that, had the striker been fit for the entire campaign, he would have made Newcastle a deadlier team and given them more goals by the end of the season.

Now that their rollercoaster campaign has come to a positive end for the club, their focus will undeniably be on the summer transfer window and potentially bringing in some new faces to freshen up Eddie Howe’s squad.

One man who has been linked with a move to St James’ Park and who could form a deadly duo with Wilson at the top of the pitch is Watford winger Ismaila Sarr.

After scoring 18 goals and providing 16 assists in 77 appearances for Rennes, the winger joined the Hornets back in the summer of 2019 for a fee of £40m. Since then, the 24-year-old has found the net 24 times and supplied 18 assists in 92 appearances for the Hertfordshire club.

Labelled by Ben Foster as a “freak” of a talent in terms of the “scary” ability that he has on the pitch, Sarr has racked up 167 shots at goal and 289 crosses throughout his three seasons at Vicarage Road.

This highlights the clear attacking ability that he has and why he would be an absolute danger for Newcastle, especially if he has Wilson to play alongside and provide with goalscoring opportunities.

Watford’s relegation could well give the Toon an edge when it comes to being able to convince the player to return to the Premier League and be their next attacking star.

In other news – “I’m told”: Luke Edwards drops transfer update that’ll have Newcastle fans fuming

Newcastle United are among the clubs interested in signing Atletico Madrid striker Alvaro Morata this summer, according to a report from Italian outlet Calciomercato. 

The lowdown: Premier League flop

Signed by Chelsea in 2017 for a deal which could eventually have risen to £70m (Sky Sports), the Spaniard has spent the bulk of his career at the top level in Europe.

However, the former Real Madrid star only managed 24 goals and six assists from 74 outings during his time in west London and was promptly sent out on loan before securing a permanent exit.

Having spent the 2021/22 season on loan at Juventus from Atletico, Morata now faces an uncertain future in the Spanish capital, and Newcastle could be set to benefit…

The latest: Newcastle linked with Morata

As per Calciomercato, Newcastle, Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Barcelona are all in the mix to sign the 29-year-old this summer.

It’s claimed that the Toon have ‘taken information’ on the 54-cap Spain forward, whilst Juventus are interested in taking Morata back on a permanent basis.

The report claimed that Atletico will seek a fee in the region of €30m (£25m) for the man previously praised for a ‘clinical’ Champions League performance against Dynamo Kiev by journalist Carlo Garganese.

The verdict: Statement signing

As the new era at St James’ Park beckons, spearheaded by ownership group PIF, signing the £27m- valued Morata for the mooted asking price would be a huge statement of intent from the club, having swept comfortably clear of relegation in 2021/22.

Despite his struggles in England previously, the two-time Champions League winner has amassed a staggering 136 senior career goals from 413 outings and remains a legitimate threat after notching nine times in Serie A last term.

At present, Eddie Howe only has an injury-prone Callum Wilson, the rarely-seen Dwight Gayle and a goal-shy Chris Wood to call upon as genuine centre-forward options, meaning that any pursuit of Morata by new transfer chief Dan Ashworth would very much be a welcome one for the Newcastle manager.

In other news: Magpies make offer for this Serie A gem

Liverpool can move on from their Champions League heartbreak and look forward to next season with their first signing Fabio Carvalho joining the club in July.

The Reds were defeated 1-0 by Real Madrid in Paris and were unable to capture their seventh European crown with Los Blancos lifting their record 14th European Cup.

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Jurgen Klopp said he was “confident” Liverpool would be just as competitive in future and praised the group of players he has as “outstanding”.

They fell short in the two biggest competitions this season, having also lost out to Manchester City on the final day of the Premier League. However, they end it having lifted both the League Cup and FA Cup.

Improving their squad in the summer can ensure they go one step further next time. The Reds have already started by making Fabio Carvalho their first addition.

The Reds announced the transfer recent on their official website with the player joining up with the team from the start of pre-season. The deal was originally agreed with Fulham back in January, but collapsed on deadline day.

The fee agreed between the clubs is in the region of £8m. The Portuguese star has also been dubbed a “demon” by journalist Phil Hay.

He will massively improve their squad with 45 career goals to his name at just 19-years-old. Carvalho was vital in getting Fulham promoted and at only 19-years-old can be a key player at Anfield for years to come.

One player he can replace for Liverpool is Divock Origi. The Belgian is set to depart for free when his contract expires and Carvalho can certainly fill the gap that he will leave.

Most of Origi’s appearances have been off the bench as an impact player, which is a role the incoming youngster is also likely to have under Klopp next season.

If you compare both players directly their stats are very similar in certain areas. Both have a similar shots on target percentage with Carvalho on 47% compared to Origi’s 50%.

When it comes to passing Carvalho beats Origi with a success percentage of 83% compared to 80%.

Klopp is good at developing young players and getting the most out of them, it will be interesting to see just how good Carvalho can become.

AND in other news: LFC set for disaster as “sensational” star close to £25.5m exit, Klopp will be gutted…

West Bromwich Albion were rather busy behind the scenes during the previous summer transfer window.

As the Midlands club were once again aiming to escape from the Championship and secure promotion to the Premier League, a number of new players joined the ranks last summer.

While the Baggies ultimately failed in their overall objective to get back to the top flight, one of their summer recruits ended up having a rather solid debut season at the Hawthorns.

Signed on a free transfer from Barnsley, midfielder Alex Mowatt went on to make 34 league appearances for his new side, chipping in with four goals and two assists along the way.

This led to Mowatt delivering more goal contributions than the likes of Matt Phillips and Grady Diangana as well as making 35 interceptions and winning 35 tackles in the process.

Now that the season has ended and the next summer transfer window is around the corner, one player that has been linked with a move to the Hawthorns recently that could be a great midfield partner for Mowatt is Joe Rothwell.

With 247 appearances under his belt for Blackburn Rovers and his previous club Oxford United, the midfielder racked up 46 goal contributions in total with 19 goals and 27 assists.

His latest and last season with Rovers saw the 27-year-old score three goals and deliver ten assists in 41 league appearances, highlighting how useful he can be in an attacking sense, just how Mowatt was at times for West Brom this term.

As well as his clear attacking capabilities, the Englishman showed off his defensive talent by making 48 interceptions and 26 tackles throughout the campaign.

Labelled as a “magnificent” player between both boxes by journalist Jaquob Crooke, Rothwell could give Steve Bruce the chance to create a formidable midfield duo between the Rovers star and Mowatt given the pair’s attacking and defensive talents.

Taking into account how his contract at Ewood Park is set to expire at the end of the month, a move for Rothwell could mirror last summer’s swoop for the current Baggies midfielder and give Bruce’s side a great chance of getting closer to achieving their goal of winning promotion back to the Premier League.

In other news: West Brom join the race to sign “very special” £12m talent, he’s James Morrison 2.0

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Yves Bissouma to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by 90min, who claim that Fabio Paratici has already made contact with Brighton & Hove Albion regarding a move for the defensive midfielder – who is expected to be available for a figure of around £30m this summer.

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The report goes on to state that Arsenal, Aston Villa and West Ham United are also keeping a very close eye on the situation of the 25-year-old, with the Mali international himself believed to be open to a move away from the American Express Community Stadium.

Mousa Dembele 2.0

Considering just how impressive Bissouma has been for Brighton since his £15m move from LOSC Lille back in 2018, in addition to the signing of a new central midfielder reported to be one of Antonio Conte’s priorities in the summer transfer window, it is not difficult to see why Paratici would be interested in a deal to bring the 25-year-old to north London.

Indeed, over his 26 Premier League appearances this season, the £31.5m-rated talent was a rock in the middle of the park, scoring one goal, registering two assists and creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.9 interceptions and 2.9 tackles, completing 40.7 passes and 1.3 dribbles and winning 5.6 duels – at a success rate of 59% – per game.

These returns saw the £25k-per-week midfielder who Raj Chohan dubbed “unreal” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.07, ranking him as Graham Potter’s fifth-best performer in the top flight – playing a crucial role in Brighton securing a top-half finish in the league.

Furthermore, according to FBref Data, Bissouma also ranks in the top 9% of midfielders in Europe’s big five leagues for pass completion per 90, in addition to the top 11% for dribbles completed, the top 35% for progressive carries, the top 13% for tackles, the top 14% for interceptions, the top 10% for clearances and the top 27% for blocks over the last 365 days.

As such, being a player who is accurate with his passing, comfortable with progressing the ball and strong in both the tackle and reading of the game, should Paratici go on to convince the 18-time capped international of a move to Spurs this summer, the Italian would very much look have landed the club’s new Mousa Dembele – something that will undoubtedly be an incredibly exciting prospect for the Tottenham faithful.

AND in other news: Paratici can land Romero 2.0 as Spurs plot bid for £50m talent, he’s “ready for Conte”

Liverpool dramatically lost out on the Premier League title after a late Manchester City comeback meant The Reds’ victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers wasn’t enough to lift the trophy.

For periods of the game the crowd at Anfield thought it was possible, but goals from Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson weren’t enough with City failing to drop points.

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Although the goal scorers may be the ones who get all of the headlines it was a heroic performance from defender Joel Matip that was the most impressive.

The centre-back has been one of Liverpool’s best players this season and has formed one of the best defensive partnerships alongside Virgil van Dijk. He’s starred in 31 of the 38 league games this season and has been key to their title push.

He was given the highest rating out of anyone of the pitch today by SofaScore at 8.3 and we think it was definitely deserved. He won 83% of all of his duels including every single one of his battles in the air.

As well as being aggressive one on one, he was composed when in possession ensuring he made no mistakes that Wolves could capitalise on. His overall pass accuracy percentage was 90%.

He has been described as a “filthy animal” by Football writer Si Steers, and with his contract running until 2024 the club can still rely on the 30-year-old for another couple of seasons.

The former Cameroon international was one of Klopps’ first ever signings as Liverpool manager after joining from German side Schalke on a free transfer in the summer of 2016.

He’s been a key part of their success ever since, but perhaps due to the outstanding quality of their attacking players and his defensive partner van Dijk, he doesn’t receive enough credit from neutrals.

Today was just another example of why he is so important to The Reds, and he has proven time and time again that he is more than capable of performing consistently at the top level.

He was part of Liverpool’s Champions League winning team in 2019 and he will be hoping he can help lead them to another victory in the compeitition when they face Real Madrid in the final next weekend.

IN other news: Exciting news: FSG’s new summer plan for Liverpool will leave supporters buzzing…

Manchester United have signed some of the biggest players in the world over the years, but new information has emerged on a player they tried to sign during Louis van Gaal’s reign at Old Trafford that will leave supporters wondering what could have been.

What’s the latest?

Thomas Muller has spoken out in an interview following the signing of his new contract with Bayern Munich to confirm that Man United made an “insane offer” to sign him.

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The attacking midfielder told Merkur (via Daily Mail): “Bayern clearly rejected the whole thing – despite this insane offer from United.”

Paul Pogba upgrade

The Bayern Munich legend would have been a huge coup for Manchester United and would’ve been a better signing than Paul Pogba who re-joined the club in 2016 after the offer for Muller was made.

Muller has had a hugely impressive career with his boyhood German side, scoring 227 goals and contributing a whopping 242 assists with a goal contribution every 99 minutes, winning two Champions Leagues, 12 Bundesliga titles and a World Cup with Germany.

Even at 32 years old, the midfielder who was hailed “remarkable” by Jurgen Klinsmann, has put up incredible numbers again this season alone scoring 13 goals and delivering 25 assists in 45 appearances, an attacking output that United would absolutely love to have in their team.

Comparatively, Pogba in his time at Old Trafford is coming to an end in a few weeks when he will become a free agent, and despite winning the Europa League and league Cup with the club has been largely ineffective in his role and hasn’t lived up to the expectations set on him.

Paul Scholes blasted Pogba in an interview with talkSPORT (via Daily Mail):

“I just don’t think he’s ever learned as a footballer, he constantly seems to make the same mistakes over and over again.

“For some reason, at Man United, it hasn’t worked out. It’s a big disappointment.”

The Frenchman will leave the North West for the second time having provided 39 goals and 51 assists in 233 appearances with a goal contribution every 196 minutes which is a far lower output than Muller has delivered for Bayern Munich.

With that being said, supporters will likely always wonder ‘what if?’ should Van Gaal have successfully signed the £22.5m-rated German goal machine, as the player surely would have put them in a much brighter position than their current midfield creator Pogba who has had a disappointing tenure at the club.

AND in other news: Man Utd plot bid for “magic” £30m gem who’s “faster than the train”, Ten Hag needs him

A teasing Celtic transfer claim has emerged ahead of the upcoming summer window…

What’s the talk?

Transfer insider Pete O’Rourke has hinted at the club being interested in a deal to sign Bodo/Glimt right winger Ola Solbakken to bolster Ange Postecoglou’s squad for the 2022/23 campaign.

He told This Is Fubol: “Yeah, he’s done well for Bodo/Glimt and obviously Celtic will be well aware of the player having come across him in Europe this season when they knocked Celtic out.

“So it’s definitely somebody that will be on their radar from that I’m sure the Celtic fans will have been impressed what they’ve seen in him as well.”

Postecoglou will be excited

The Hoops head coach will surely be excited by this update as Solbakken would be an excellent addition to his squad this summer.

As O’Rourke explained, Celtic fans – and Postecoglou – will already know what he is capable of. He managed a goal and an assist in his two UEFA Conference League matches against the club earlier this year as his side knocked the Hoops out of the competition.

The winger enjoyed an excellent campaign in Europe for Bodo/Glimt as he produced six goals and two assists in 11 games, averaging a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.40. This shows that he is capable of consistently delivering quality performances at that level – chipping in with goals and assists on a regular basis.

Meanwhile, Josip Juranovic (7.80) was the only Celtic player who averaged a higher rating in the competition than the Norweigan attacker.

Solbakken has also excelled domestically for his team. Since the start of 2021, he has scored seven goals and provided six assists in 29 starts – averaging a rating of 7.18 last year. He averaged 1.7 key passes per game in 2021 as he proven that he can be the go-to creator for his team from out wide.

At the age of 23, he also has the potential to improve. Postecoglou can work with him on the training pitch to help him hone his skills to ensure that he develops in the coming years, which means that he can be an investment for Celtic whilst also being a player who can make an impact in the short term.

Therefore, the head coach will be excited by the club’s interest in Solbakken and will surely be hoping that a deal can be agreed in the coming weeks or months.

AND in other news, Forget Starfelt: “Hopeless” 95-touch Celtic dud was Postecoglou’s real liability today…

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a double boost ahead of their Premier League meeting with Arsenal tomorrow evening.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by 90min, who claim that Ben White and Bukayo Saka are now doubts for Arsenal’s Thursday night trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the fitness of both the centre-back and the forward set to be assessed prior to the fixture.

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Speaking in his pre-match press conference (via football.london), Mikel Arteta said of the current condition of the duo: “Ben is a doubt. We’ll have to assess him – he’s feeling much better – and Bukayo is the same.”

Conte will be buzzing

Considering just how important both White and Saka have been for Arsenal this season, the news that both players could miss out on such a crucial fixture in the top four race is sure to have left Antonio Conte buzzing.

Indeed, over White’s 31 Premier League appearances this term, the £36m-rated defender has been extremely solid in the heart of Arsenal’s backline, helping his side keep 13 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.4 interceptions, 1.4 tackles, 3.1 clearances and winning 4.4 duels – at a success rate of 59% – per game.

These returns have seen the £120k-per-week England international average a very impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.94, ranking him as Arteta’s joint tenth-best performer in the English top flight.

Meanwhile, over Saka’s 35 Premier League outings this season, the £58.5m-rated forward has been in breathtaking form for the Gunners, scoring 11 goals, providing six assists and creating eight big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.5 shots, making 1.8 key passes and completing 1.1 dribbles per game.

These metrics have seen the £30k-per-week England international average a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.09, ranking him as Arsenal’s best player in the league.

As such, should Arsenal indeed be without the stricken duo on Thursday, it is clear for all to see that their absences would come as a huge boost to Tottenham’s chances of taking all three points from the fixture – a result which would see Spurs move to within one point of their north London rivals with just two fixtures of the season left to play.

AND in other news: Journo claims “the door is open” for Spurs to sign £45m star, supporters will love it

It’s fair to say that Everton have had a horrendous season in the Premier League, with genuine fears that the Toffees could be playing in the Championship next term amid their presence in the relegation zone.

A campaign which started off with so much hope has spiralled into chaos, and only performances of the highest order will be enough to save their skin now.

Lampard hasn’t exactly been helped by the performances of some of his players, with a not-so-special mention going to Brazilian midfielder Allan, who has been poor all season.

Time to axe Allan

The 31-year-old has featured in 30 matches for Everton this term, contributing a measly three assists while receiving seven yellow cards. Add into this an average SofaScore rating of 6.64 and only 46% of his total duels won all season, and it’s clear to see Lampard must axe the “clumsy” Brazilian, as Garry Birtles called him.

Looking at SofaScore’s ratings, the midfielder comes in at a lowly 18th in the Toffees’ squad for overall performance, not exactly a glowing endorsement of what he has produced on the pitch over the past nine months.

With Allan’s market value currently sitting at £16.2m, the quicker Everton axe him the better. Lampard might not get that much for the player with his contract expiring at the end of next season, but any fee is better than none.

There are better options in the squad to utilise, such as Jean-Philippe Gbamin, who is out on loan at CSKA Moscow until the end of the season. The 26-year-old has registered one goal and three assists in all competitions this season between his current club and Everton whilst playing 14 fewer games, proving his effectiveness compared to Allan.

Lampard faces a crunch time at the end of the season if he keeps Everton in the top flight and there needs to be a clearout of some deadwood, with the £120k-p/w Brazilian arguably at the top of the list.

The Everton faithful face an anxious final few weeks of the campaign and Lampard needs to play the men that he thinks can bring the necessary fight to avoid relegation. Allan’s performances this term suggest that he isn’t an ideal candidate; frankly, he has bled the club dry having been so ineffective, and it’s time that the manager wields the axe on him, starting from the clash against Leicester on Sunday.

AND in other news, Everton given green light to sign “undefendable” £50m gem, it’s bye-bye Richarlison