All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traore is growing ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Catalan publication El Nacional, who claim that newly-rich Newcastle United are the latest side to take an interest in the Wolves winger, with the Magpies believed to be keeping a very close eye on the situation of 25-year-old ahead of a potential swoop in the January transfer window.

Indeed, previous reports have claimed that Liverpool are also considering a move for the Spain international in the winter market, a switch that Traore is thought to be open to, while Tottenham Hotspur could also reignite their summer interest in the winger come January.

Shi must not sell

Considering just how important a part of the Wolves side Traore has been in recent seasons, should the club’s director of football, Jeff Shi, decide to cash in on the forward this January, it would undoubtedly be a decision that would leave the Molineux faithful livid.

Indeed, while the winger is yet to score or register an assist over his nine Premier League appearances this term, the £27m-rated man has nevertheless impressed, creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.6 key passes, taking 1.8 shots and completing a whopping 6.1 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the player who Jurgen Klopp claimed is “undefendable” against average a SofaScore match rating of 7.24, ranking him as Bruno Lage’s best performer in the top flight of English football.

As such, should Shi wish to give Wolves the best possible chance of securing a top ten finish in the league this season, he simply must avoid all temptation to sanction the £46k-per-week man’s sale come January.

Traore is undoubtedly a player who possesses the ability to fire his side towards the European places come the end of the current campaign.

In other news: Wolves set for negotiations over “spectacular” £7.2m-rated gem, Lage would love him

West Ham United return to Premier League action this afternoon as they head to the Midlands to face an out-of-form Aston Villa side hungry for a result.

David Moyes and his side will know that another victory would see them go level on points with defending champions Manchester City, who are currently in third place.

As such, the Scotsman has to make some big calls in regards to his starting lineup, especially after their midweek penalty shootout victory over the aforementioned Citizens in the Carabao Cup.

The Irons have won their last four in all competitions, having defeated local rivals Spurs and Everton by a 1-0 scoreline in recent weeks, as well as Genk in the Europa League.

This hectic fixture list has seen Michail Antonio rested rather often, as he was against City at the London Stadium on Wednesday. But for the trip to Villa Park, Moyes must ensure he’s back in the starting XI as he could really damage Dean Smith’s team.

After some serious investment over the summer, many would have expected the Midlands outfit to mount a serious challenge on the European spots but instead, they find themselves in 15th place, just three points outside of the relegation zone.

They have struggled defensively in recent weeks, conceding six goals in their last two outings – three to Arsenal and three to arch-rivals Wolves.

This is a prospect that should leave both the Hammers boss and Antonio rather excited ahead of kickoff as the 31-year-old talisman could feast if things go his way today.

Antonio sits third on the overall goalscoring charts behind Mo Salah and Jamie Vardy, having bagged six goals and provided three assists in only eight league appearances – 27% of his shots result in a goal, as per the BBC.

The £12.5m-rated forward also ranks as the Hammers’ best-performing player with an average WhoScored rating of 7.59. He leads the way for shots (4.1) and key passes (2.5) per game, proving that he really is Moyes’ main threat in the final third, whilst he isn’t far behind for dribbles per match (1.8) either.

Antonio has been described as the “complete number nine” and “unplayable” on his day by BBC Sport contributor Premier League Panel, whilst Daily Star journalist Paul Brown recently dubbed him a “complete monster” and “absolute revelation” to GIVEMESPORT.

West Ham could really punish Villa today by unleashing Antonio from the off. On current form, he could well destroy the home outfit and that will only bolster their top-four claims even more.

AND in other news, “They have…”: ExWHUemployee drops exciting West Ham claim that’ll leave fans buzzing…

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has provided an update on the fitness of Son Heung-Min and Steven Bergwijn.

The Lowdown: Growing list of absences

Having topped the Premier League table at the end of August after three straight 1-0 victories, Spurs were heavily defeated at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Eric Dier was forced off injured in the first half and Japhet Tanganga was sent off as Palace scored three times in the final 15 minutes to hand Nuno his first league defeat as Spurs manager.

Tottenham were without a bunch of first team players, with Cristian Romero, Giovani Lo Celso, Davinson Sanchez, Ryan Sessegnon, Son and Bergwijn all missing the trip to Selhurst Park.

The Latest: Nuno hoping to have duo back for Chelsea clash

As per Charlie Eccleshare of The Athletic, the manager has at least hinted that the Korean and Dutch forwards could feature in next week’s clash at home to in-form Chelsea.

Nuno claimed that the duo will “hopefully improve and be available for the game next week” after the defeat at Palace, whilst Romero, Lo Celso and Sanchez are likely to miss the clash as they are only due to arrive in London on Saturday, just one day before the match.

The Spurs boss also said: “I believe that we have a good squad and enough quality and talent to overcome all the situations.”

The Verdict: Not the time to panic

Tottenham’s defeat at Palace has stopped them in their tracks, but remember that they won their first three league fixtures of the season and have bolstered their squad whilst keeping Harry Kane.

There are certainly areas for improvement for Spurs, but they have still made a good start to the season and having Son and Bergwijn back for the Chelsea game would provide a lift to the squad.

The Dutchman has previous in terms of scoring against elite opposition, memorably netting against Manchester City on his north London debut, while Son had the second-highest tally of goal contributions (27) at the club in 2020/21. Therefore, Nuno’s cautious optimism that the pair might be fine to feature against the Blues is quite pleasing to hear.

In other news, a BBC pundit has welcomed news of a new role for Daniel Levy. Find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur retain an interest in signing Nikola Milenkovic ahead of the January transfer window…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Italian outlet Calciomercato, who claim Spurs manager Antonio Conte is an admirer of the Fiorentina colossus, though they will face competition from the likes of West Ham United, Manchester United and Juventus.

Valued at £18m by CIES Football Observatory, the Serbia international is a target for the north Londoners this winter, with his current contract set to expire in 18 months time.

It remains to be seen how much a move for Milenkovic would cost.

Conte’s dream defender

The Viola colossus has all the attributes to be a perfect signing under Conte and if sporting director Fabio Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy can seal his signature, then they could well form a frightening duo in north London.

Spurs could well be in need of additional centre-backs, too, with Cristian Romero facing a pretty long stint on the sideline. There won’t be many better options out there this winter than Milenkovic, and he could well be an ideal option alongside the Argentine in the future, particularly under Conte.

Milenkovic ranks inside Fiorentina’s top six players and is arguably one of their best on the ball, averaging a passing accuracy of 90.8% – the second-best of any player to start ten or more league games.

This would suggest that he’s more than capable of being a reliable ball-playing option in defence for Conte. Furthermore, he offers a ruthless edge, also averaging 1.9 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game, via WhoScored.

Once likened to Premier League great Nemanja Vidic, the Serbian should have no trouble in adapting to the English top-flight, especially if he turns out to be half the player of the ex-United powerhouse.

“Milenkovic is better than Vidic with the ball at his feet, and he is much calmer on the field,” Mozzart journalist Dejan Stankovic told ESPN in 2018. “He is the most talented centre-back Serbia have had since Vidic, and they definitely have one thing in common – [they are] both are fearless.”

Meanwhile, he has also been dubbed a “beast” by former Partizan head coach Ivan Tomic.

On the above evidence, Conte would surely love to seal a move for Milenkovic. He had the best defence in Serie A with Inter Milan last season, on their way to the league title, and the Fiorentina star has all the skills to be a perfect fit in his Italian-based system over in N17.

Conte and Milenkovic would be a frightening prospect heading into the remainder of the campaign.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Skipp: Spurs eye “unbeatable” £27m-rated machine, Conte would love him…

Wayne Rooney has admitted that Derby County’s Lee Buchanan is unlikely to feature in their Championship clash this afternoon.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by Derbyshire Live, the 35-year-old revealed that the defender, who missed both Derby’s 1-1 draw with Huddersfield Town and the Carabao Cup victory over Salford City due to a thigh injury, could be set to sit out once again against Peterborough United this weekend.

Rooney claimed that despite the left-back having rejoined training with the first team on Thursday, it is clear he is not back to 100% fitness, and feels that playing the 22-year-old would be something of a risk.

The Rams manager said: “Lee has trained with us [on Thursday] morning, he has improved a bit more but these are the decisions now where I have to evaluate my squad and see if it is worth taking a risk.

“If I had a full squad of senior players then I maybe can play him but at the minute I can’t afford to lose a player through injury, I have to make sure they are fully fit before they can come back into the team.”

Big blow

Considering their struggles over the summer, Derby have nevertheless impressed in their opening two fixtures of the season, with Rooney’s side heading into Saturday’s clash as favourites against a Peterborough United team who were resolutely beaten by Luton Town 3-0 on the opening day of the new Championship campaign, as well as being trounced 4-0 at home in the Carabao Cup by League One side Plymouth Argyle earlier this week.

However, with the Salford game being a particularly hard-fought 3-3 draw – which the Rams eventually won on penalties – there is a real risk that Derby’s threadbare squad could start to show signs of fatigue at the Weston Homes Stadium this weekend, particularly at left-back, with Craig Forsyth having played the full 90 minutes in both of his team’s fixtures so far this season.

As such, that Buchanan does not seem to have recovered in time for the Peterborough clash is sure to come as a blow for Rooney, not only because his recovery would have allowed the manager to bring some fresh legs into his Derby defence but also because the 20-year-old is one of the most exciting talents in the Rams’ squad.

However, while Rooney may be gutted that the left-back has once again been ruled out, there is nothing more he can do but try his best to get a result with the players who are available for selection, and hope that Buchanan’s injury does not keep him out for much longer.

In other news: Morris heading for grave Derby error over “excellent” beast, Rooney would be fuming

Celtic are still hoping to sign Manchester City right-back Yan Couto, according to Sky Sports.

The Lowdown: Couto profiled

Couto is 19 years of age and joined Manchester City last summer from Brazilian side Coritiba for £5.4m.

He’s still yet to make a senior appearance under Pep Guardiola and spent last season on loan at Spanish side Girona.

The right-back, who won the 2019 Under-17 World Cup with Brazil, is on £780,000-a-year at the Etihad and was described as ‘simply fantastic’ by talent scout Jacek Kulig.

The Latest: Parkhead visit

Sky Sports shared a story on Thursday, claiming Celtic are still interested in Couto, who has a number of clubs across Europe chasing his signature.

Couto is still considering his options, with the Hoops hopeful of securing a season-long loan deal.

Mark Hendry of Herald and Times Sport posted on Twitter on Thursday evening, revealing Couto ‘is in Glasgow’ to watch Celtic play Jablonec.

The Hoops ran out 3-0 winners at Celtic Park, with two goals from David Turnbull and one from James Forrest.

The Verdict: Sign

Celtic still want a right-back and a winger this summer, so bringing in Couto could help Ange Postecoglou in both those areas.

He’s capable of playing further forward as a right-midfielder, with 14 of his senior appearances coming in an advanced role compared to 13 as a right-back.

The Hoops will need to pip a number of clubs to Couto, but if they do, it could prove to be a real coup due to him being versatile and a young in-demand talent.

In other news: Postecoglou closing in: Celtic now close to versatile right-midfielder for £3m. 

West Ham United risk losing out on mooted transfer target Tammy Abraham…

What’s the word?

According to the ever-reliable ExWHUemployee, the Irons’ top-flight rivals Aston Villa are poised to make a substantial bid for the 23-year-old Chelsea striker.

“We especially need to move soon for Abraham if we want to secure him because it looks like Aston Villa are going to firm up their interest and make a substantial bid for the player,” he told The West Ham Way Patreon page.

It’s thought that Abraham is David Moyes’ number one target this summer as he seeks to bolster his barren frontline, although there have been reports suggesting that the Scot is not prepared to pay the England international’s £40m price tag.

Instead, he believes the Blues star is worth just £25m but it certainly seems like his former loan outfit are prepared to stump up the cash, leaving it in the hands of the Hammers’ hierarchy to make their move.

Time to act

And strike they must.

If Moyes considers Abraham to be his top target, then he should consider a drastic U-turn on his stance or he will risk losing out, and that is something they must avoid considering he will get the opportunity to punish such a decision at least twice next season.

Despite falling out of favour under Thomas Tuchel, the £45m-rated forward ended the campaign with 12 goals and six assists across all competitions, whilst only one player managed to score more goals in the Premier League, the penalty-taking Jorginho.

What Abraham offers more than most of the Irons’ mooted striker targets is the fact that he is tried and tested in England and would surely take no time to settle in. He’s only on around £50,000 per week at Stamford Bridge right now, too.

Furthermore, the east Londoners have qualified for the Europa League and that would also put Moyes in a stronger position than Villa, who cannot offer him any sort of European football next term.

Abraham has done one better than that in his career, winning the Champions League last month, where he scored his fourth goal in the competition whilst his total for the Hammers’ London rivals is 30 goals and 12 assists, as per Transfermarkt.

Described as “unbelievable” and “phenomenal” throughout his career, the 6 foot 3 frontman would help to instantly fill the void alongside Michail Antonio.

Moyes cannot afford to go into 2021/22 with just one injury-prone option up top, and considering that Villa are on the verge of getting involved, it would be foolish of the Hammers boss to drop their interest over a discrepancy of £15m.

After this concerning news, it’s time to act.

AND in other news, West Ham handed huge transfer boost as exciting claim emerges, Moyes will be buzzing…

Following 360 minutes of football and 71 attempts at goal, Wolves finally found the back of the net last weekend.

In their opening three matches of the campaign, the Old Gold had failed to score or register a single point in the Premier League.

However, that changed in their fourth clash when they travelled to Vicarage Road to face Watford.

On the chalkboard

It was typical that Wolves’ barren run in front of goal was actually ended with an own goal in that 2-0 win just under a week ago. However, the introduction of Hwang Hee-chan seemed to change the game.

The South Korean signed just days before the deadline but had to wait two weeks to make his debut for Bruno Lage’s side.

He came on as a 63rd-minute substitute and found the net from close range to start his Wolves career in ideal fashion.

During the course of his time on the field, Hwang participated in 11 defensive duels, winning five and embarking on three dribbles as he successfully changed the match.

Consequently, he simply has to start against Brentford on Saturday afternoon. After all, this is a player who once beat the goalkeeper on 16 occasions in one season for RB Salzburg. With Wolves struggling for firepower, he needs to be in the starting XI.

The solution

Keeping that in mind, it may have to fall on the shoulders of Trincao to drop out.

Raul Jimenez and Adama Traore are yet to find the net either this term but the duo have both been important parts of the furniture at Molineux in recent years.

Jimenez has netted 48 times in Wolves colours while Traore has registered more successful dribbles per game (9.5) than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues this season.

Trincao has looked bright and has registered 3.3 dribbles per league match himself. However, he’s not shown much goal threat in his brief spell in the Midlands so far.

Wolves have a £25m option to buy the 21-year-old next year and they may well take that up. On his day, he’s a mightily exciting player, one who in the words of former Braga academy coach Jose Carvalho Araujo is “magic.”

Yet, while Wolves try to find the net more regularly, Lage must axe him from the starting line-up.

The 21-year-old didn’t play poorly last week, registering four dribbles and a key pass, but he failed to find the net and lost the ball every 3.3 touches.

The Portuguese starlet will have a huge part to play this season, but after Hwang’s goal last weekend, the Korean feels like the best choice for Saturday.

AND in other news, Forget Gibbs-White: Lage must unleash rarely-seen Wolves ace who’s “very smooth”…

Michael Ball insists Everton only want players who are fully committed to the cause following Carlo Ancelotti’s shock exit from Goodison Park.

The Italian decided to walk out on the Merseyside club after Real Madrid expressed their interest in appointing him.

Zinedine Zidane, of course, walked out on Real and, as a result, a vacancy was opened up in Spain, which Ancelotti filled once more.

He previously spent two years at the club, between 2013 and 2015, and won the Champions League in his first spell at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Ball, though, believes that Toffees fans are growing tired of both managers and players deciding to leave the club as soon as a big offer is tabled, and has urged the club to only bring people to the club who are completely committed to being a success on Merseyside.

Reports suggest that Nuno Espirito Santo, the former Wolves boss, is likely to be appointed as Ancelotti’s successor.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “I think Everton fans are sick and tired of hearing the same stuff from the board and the players. That as soon as an opportunity comes, they’re off.

“If they don’t want to be here, if their head’s not right, they don’t want to be 100% dedicated to the football club next season, I’m more than happy for them to let them go and bring in someone who has got the right desire and right belief to be a club legend and get Everton to complete this project that we’re on right now.”

Newcastle United are reportedly now targeting a move for Renan Lodi in the summer.

The Lowdown: Targett conundrum

The St James’ Park club have a conundrum over whether to sign Matt Targett on a permanent deal following his loan spell from Aston Villa.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-5/” title=”Newcastle news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

They have reportedly not made a decision yet, although polls suggest that the vast majority of the fanbase would choose to bring him in permanently.

The Latest: Lodi targeted by Newcastle

As per journalist Jacque Talbot, Lodi ‘remains a target’ for Newcastle despite Targett’s ‘glowing performances’, with the latter set to ‘hold talks’ with the Tyneside club this summer after his loan ends.

Replying to a fan on Twitter, Talbot then revealed that the Atletico Madrid defender will likely cost around €50m (£42.2m) and that a deal is ‘very negotiable’, saying: “Think about €50m but have heard it’ll be very negotiable how it’s done.”

Expanding in his article for Football Transfers, the journalist said that ‘sources’ have told the news outlet that talks over Targett will still proceed despite the interest in Lodi, as both Newcastle and Villa are ‘happy’ with how things are going at the moment.

However, the representatives of Lodi have already spoken to the Magpies, with discussions taking place in the January transfer window over a potential move then.

The Verdict: Targett over Lodi

If the Toon could only sign one of those left-back options, they should be looking at signing Targett over Lodi.

Firstly, the Englishman should be a lot cheaper, with €15m (£12.6m) thought to be enough for his permanent signature.

His performances for Eddie Howe’s team should not be overlooked either, and he is actually averaging more tackles, interceptions, clearances, blocks, shots, key passes, dribbles, crosses and long balls per game than the Atletico Madrid left-back in their respective domestic leagues so far this season (WhoScored).

The new owners at St James’ Park should be prioritising a move for Targett first, before potentially moving onto Lodi if a deal cannot be struck.

In other news, find out whose NUFC future is now in doubt