All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

When Bruno Lage enters Compton and walks around the changing rooms, he will receive a sense of what to expect from this Wolves team.

How they respond to a managerial change will be fascinating to see. After all, Nuno Espirito Santo was in charge of the Old Gold for four years, enjoying enormous success in the Midlands.

On the chalkboard

This could be a summer of mass change for Wolves, who are required to sell players in order to spend on new faces.

Ruben Neves could depart Molineux in a £35m deal, while the future is also uncertain for Adama Traore after his ongoing contract negotiations.

Lage could be left without Rui Patricio, who is attracting interest from Roma, who have also been linked with signing Raul Jimenez.

Further changes may be afoot in the defence, with Romain Saiss touted with an exit. Reports from Foot Mercato in France (via Inside Futbol) suggest that Rennes view him as an option in the transfer window.

Get rid

Losing Neves would be a blow but to watch Saiss head for the departure lounge will not be seen as a major negative.

A favourite under Nuno, the Moroccan featured 149 times for the former head coach of Wolves. However, he could well be fortunate to add to his appearances count at Molineux under Lage.

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Saiss was a regular in the team throughout the 2020/21 campaign but delivered some abject displays, letting his former manager down on a regular basis.

One of his worst performances of the campaign came against Aston Villa back in March, when he not only missed a sitter from one yard which “defied the laws of physics” in the words of Tim Spiers, but completed just 70% of his passes.

Sloppiness and an inability to find his man let the defender down for the vast majority of the season. He was run ragged in the 4-0 drubbing against Burnley in April, losing possession on 24 occasions and only registering a pass success rate of 69%. Crucially, he lost the ball for the Clarets’ final goal of the game.

Saiss was also poor during Nuno’s final match in charge of the Old Gold. The £22,000-per-week earner dangled a leg out and gave away a clumsy penalty as they lost to Manchester United.

Such errors plagued the 31-year-old’s season and, with that in mind, he should be heading through the exit door as Lage begins to make his mark on Molineux.

AND in other news, Forget Adama: Lage can save millions if Wolves unleash “outstanding” rarely-seen 19y/o…

Premier League safety is within touching distance for Leeds United but by no means is it guaranteed.

The Whites’ 0-0 stalemate with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday night moved them five points clear of Frank Lampard’s Everton, meaning their destiny is firmly in their own hands with five games left to play.

They won’t be easy fixtures either as the Yorkshiremen face league leaders Manchester City this weekend before heading to north London to face a red-hot Arsenal side, with Chelsea to come after that.

Failure to pick up any points during that run, combined with the possibility of the Toffees and Burnley making up ground, could leave manager Jesse Marsch sweating heading into the final few weeks of the 2021/22 campaign.

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He could do himself a favour, though, by axing two of his faltering stars in Mateusz Klich and Daniel James.

Both players were hooked prematurely on Monday.

The Poland international lasted until half-time before being replaced by Robin Koch, largely due to him being left an absolute passenger, whilst the Welsh winger was taken off for academy gem Sam Greenwood, a rather damning indictment on his performance.

Leeds’ disastrous duo have struggled for form throughout the season, and perhaps one is more worrying than the other given he is the club’s record £30m signing.

During his time at Manchester United, pundit Darren Bent described the winger as “headless” in his decision making and with only three direct goal contributions in the last 11 games, we’re starting to see that – none of which have been him finding the net either.

Some of his poor form can be attributed to the fact that he’s been filling in for the injured Patrick Bamford but apart from his speed, he has offered very little threat otherwise. Indeed, he currently ranks 12th for average WhoScored rating. Eight players are managing more successful dribbles per game than him, too.

Meanwhile, Klich ranks 17th, which is the worst of any player to have started 21 or more league games this term.

Earlier in the year, Sky Sports pundit Clinton Morrison described the Pole as being “non-existent” in midfield and we caught another glimpse of that earlier this week as he managed only 26 touches and 13 accurate passes in the 45 minutes he was on the pitch, per SofaScore.

It’s hard to make a case for either of the two stars to keep their place amongst the starting XI heading into some tough encounters. City, Arsenal and Chelsea all possess the firepower and strength to devour the struggling duo.

As such, Marsch must look to axe the pair of them as they continue to hold back his side during this relegation dogfight.

AND in other news, Alan Nixon: Leeds plot bargain bid for “special” 18 y/o, he could be the next Cancelo…

Maurizio Sarri is a ‘strong contender’ for Tottenham Hotspur’s managerial vacancy, according to reports in Italy…

What’s the word?

Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness) claim that the former Chelsea boss is in the running for the Spurs job and could be the easiest to secure, given he is out of work and that Jose Mourinho has agreed to join AS Roma, where Sarri was widely expected to take over.

The likes of Antonio Conte (Inter Milan) and Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta) are under contract with rival Serie A teams, whilst their other targets appear to be out of reach.

For example, The Sun believe it will cost a total of £70m to prise Brendan Rodgers away from Leicester City, and Ajax boss Erik ten Hag recently signed a new contract extension amid interest from the North London outfit.

Terrifying prospect

Although the pool of potential managers is seemingly shrinking by the week, Spurs must not settle on another former Blues boss as it would be a recipe for disaster.

We saw how quickly the Lilywhites faithful turned on Mourinho and truth be told, there will be many in N17 that were against him from minute one.

After his sacking over two weeks ago, The Athletic claimed that the Portuguese boss had “sucked the culture out of the club” with boring training sessions, tactics obsessed with stopping the opposition to the point of the players being unsure how to attack, and effectively losing the dressing room.

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Well, this isn’t too dissimilar to how Sarri’s tenure came to an end at Stamford Bridge.

A print edition of Spanish newspaper AS (via Football Italia) suggested that the 62-year-old had lost the support of Chelsea’s ‘big names’ for ‘months’ and his relationship with some was ‘irreconcilable.’

It even led to third-choice goalkeeper Rob Green confronting the Italian in front of the whole squad.

“I just spelled it out. I told him, ‘You have no plan B. You’re a transactional kind of manager,” he revealed to The Athletic before later adding: “He is an ex-bank manager and manages a club like one.”

Green would also suggest that despite many players, staff and Sarri himself reacting positively to his actions, it didn’t change anything. It is that sort of stubbornness that is further synonymous with Mourinho.

“Sarri is very stubborn, everybody knows that,” once claimed ex-Blues defender Mario Melchiot to talkSPORT. “He has this way of playing and I think everybody should be stubborn when you’re a manager, but you also have to have common sense and be logical about what works and what doesn’t work.”

To see their club sack Mourinho before the season’s end and then replace him with someone so similar is such a terrifying prospect and not one that would get the fanbase back on side, whatsoever.

Many supporters have been protesting against ownership group, ENIC,  and chairman Daniel Levy as a result of the recent failed Super League proposals but in reality, it’s a culmination of their lack of success over many, many years.

Sarri would evidently not bring joy back to North London, even if he (Eden Hazard. really) earned their local rivals a Europa League title.

AND in other news, “I was told”: Worrying claim emerges on future of Spurs “monster”, Levy will be livid…

Arsenal’s huge investment into revolutionalising their Hale End academy set-up is starting to pay serious dividends and for many of their up-and-coming prospects, the pathway into the first-team has never been better.

And that’s because manager Mikel Arteta dishes out regular opportunities to those that impress him in the youth system.

For a long time, the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Jack Wilshere were the only success stories from within but under the Spaniard, who has even donned the Gunners shirt himself, we’re seeing more and more homegrown players make the cut.

Both Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe are now a crucial part of Arteta’s senior squad – but who is likely to follow in their footsteps? We’ve seen plenty of names be given game time throughout pre-season thus far, including Jack Henry-Francis and Omari Hutchinson.

However, Arsenal may have their next Smith Rowe already lying in wait.

“Of all the years I’ve been scouting, he’s the best kid I’ve ever seen,” is how Gunners talent-spotter Brian Stapleton describes 17-year-old gem Charlie Patino to Goal.com.

He has now been tipped to become the ‘next Phil Foden’, a player that Arteta had a big influence on during his time as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City.

Despite not turning 18 until September, Patino is expected to play a major role for Arsenal’s U23 side as a left-footed midfielder primarily operating as a no.8.

Although, his future could lie in that advanced midfield role, according to Nick Ames in the Guardian.

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It’s also believed that there is a plan in place for him to become part of the senior set-up in due course, rather than sending him out on loan, which only speaks volumes on his ability and potentially how highly Arteta rates him.

“It was clear Charlie was a special talent,” claimed former head of recruitment Steve Morrow.

Patino even cites Arteta as a player he looked up to as a child, alongside fellow Spaniards Santi Cazorla and the aforementioned Fabregas.

“Sean O’Connor discovered Jack Wilshere and he said to me that Charlie is the best player who has ever walked through the doors at Hale End,” added Stapleton. “The kid has got so much potential, but he’s not there yet.”

We’ve seen how quickly someone like Smith Rowe has established himself in North London. He was only on loan to Championship outfit Huddersfield Town in 2020 and now he’s donning the famous no.10 shirt, having signed a five-year contract extension.

Patino certainly looks like he could be the next big thing to emerge from the impressive Hale End academy. The 17-year-old can make great strides this season.

AND in other news, Better than Odegaard: Edu must sanction Arsenal swoop for £60m-rated “special talent”…

Tottenham Hotspur chief Fabio Paratici is a huge fan of mooted transfer target Houssem Aouar…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, who dropped the intriguing claim to the ‘Last Word On Spurs’ podcast this week.

Speaking about potential incomings before the August 31st deadline, the renowned transfer expert claimed: “Fabio Paratici tried to sign Aouar last season at Juventus and Paratici has always been in love with this player.”

The North London outfit have regularly been linked with a move for the Lyon midfielder in recent times, with ESPN journalist Julien Laurens reporting only last month that Spurs had entered the race to secure the 23-year-old playmaker, alongside arch-rivals Arsenal.

It’s thought the French side would accept an offer in the region of €25m (£21.5m), as per ESPN.

Sign him up!

Spurs are believed to be in the market for a new creative option to bolster Nuno Santo’s playing squad and the Lyon star is certainly capable of becoming the man to pull the strings from attacking midfield.

Noni Madueke and Mikel Damsgaard sit on Spurs’ shortlist but they are wingers, rather than an out-and-out no.10 or a box-to-box no.8.

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Aouar has been likened to Spain legend Andres Iniesta by French football expert Adam White, who told Football FanCast:

“I’ve often likened him to Andres Iniesta, which is obviously a big shout because, for me, he is one of the greatest players of all-time.

“I don’t necessarily mean in quality but in style. He has silky movement and drifts in midfield to pick passes. At his best, he is absolutely brilliant to watch and he can play anywhere in midfield.

“He’s great on the ball and technically outstanding. His vision is brilliant. He’s a huge talent.”

Since the start of the 2017/18 season, the Frenchman has provided Lyon with 31 goals and 31 assists, as per Transfermarkt, whilst throughout his time at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais, he’s averaged 1.4 key passes per 90 minutes.

By comparison, the only player to exceed this at Spurs last season was Heung-min Son, who averaged two key passes per match, via WhoScored.

The likes of Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso have failed to step up to fill that creative void since both arriving in the summer of 2019, which is perhaps why the club are seeking reinforcements in the role.

Perhaps Aouar, who is valued at €30m (£25.5m) by CIES Football Observatory, is the player that the Lilywhites should’ve signed from Lyon instead, particularly as the 24-year-old is considering his future at the club once again.

Spurs must look to seal a move for him after the latest claim from Romano. Paratici has been spot on with his signings of Bryan Gil and Cristian Romero, both of whom have raised excitement in N17, so if he likes Aouar too, then chairman Daniel Levy must sanction a transfer before the end of the month.

AND in other news, Paratici could secure Nuno his next Adama Traore if Spurs swoop for “rapid” £18m-rated gem…

Reported Celtic target Siriki Dembele is set to be transfer listed by Peterborough United, according to the Daily Record.

The lowdown

Dembele, the older brother of Celtic player Karamoko, was instrumental in Peterborough’s promotion from League One to the Championship.

He was the Posh’s third top-scorer with 12 goals and ranked second for assists with 10.

Dembele was hailed as a ‘destructive’ frontman by manager Darren Ferguson, and former Scottish international Alan Hutton says he would be ‘an unbelievable signing’ for Celtic.

According to Football Insider, the Hoops are battling with sides like Rangers, Fulham and Crystal Palace for his signature.

Crucially, Dembele only has one year left on his contract, and Director of Football Barry Fry admits there’s little prospect of renewal (via This is Futbol).

The latest

Peterborough will apparently look to sell Dembele after he turned down a new deal, the Daily Record reported on Monday (14:06).

It’s Fry’s policy that any player in the last 12 months of their deal will be placed on the transfer list to ensure they don’t walk away on a free transfer.

As a result, Dembele ‘looks set for a move away in the coming weeks’.

The verdict

According to The Scotsman, Eddie Howe will look to green-light three transfer deals almost immediately after taking over at Parkhead – one has to wonder if Dembele could be one of them given these favourable circumstances.

What is clear, though, is that they must move fairly quickly, because another suitor will surely pounce on a cut-price talent who has performed so well this season, is still young, and can player in a variety of positions across the attack.

In other news, read about the other appointments that could be made at Celtic this week.

Fleetwood Town confirmed on Tuesday evening that Aston Villa have signed defender Josh Feeney.

And a number of Villa supporters were quick to give their thoughts to the news on social media.

The 16-year-old has made the move to the Midlands in a deal that Fleetwood described as a substantial undisclosed fee.

Feeney, England’s Under-16 captain, already stands at 6 foot 3 and featured on the bench for the League One side on three occasions last season at the age of 15.

Villa seemed to have pipped Manchester United to a move for the centre-back, with the Red Devils also linked with the player last month.

Feeney visited Bodymoor Heath in June and were impressed following talks with academy manager Mark Harrison and a deal has now been confirmed by The Cod Army.

Villa fans react

Fleetwood’s Twitter post on Tuesday evening got the attention of these Villa supporters, with one describing the deal as ‘class’.

“we really aren’t messing around as far as the academy is concerned are we”Credit: @1874dan”you love to see it”Credit: @rad_nauseam”class”Credit: @DanAV___”We have a ridiculously stacked youth setup. This club is seriously going places.”Credit: @CBarker81″Premier League champions within 5 years”Credit: @OP4C”Another very highly rated young player joins Aston Villa. Massively admire the approach the club has taken by prioritising youth. Some of these players are going to be big names and will have us well set for the next decade. Villa are a club that’s going places.”Credit: @VillaNoFiller

In other news: ‘And so it begins’, ‘I knew changes would come’ – Many AVFC fans react as news is confirmed, find out more here. 

Crystal Palace extended their unbeaten run to three games in the Premier League after securing a draw against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Monday night.

It could have been even better for the Eagles, though, as Patrick Vieira’s charges were just moments away from securing all three points before Alexandre Lacazette struck deep into injury time.

The Gunners started the game brightly and dominated the opening 20 minutes, deservedly taking the lead after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang reacted quickest to a Vicente Guaita save following Nicolas Pepe’s curling effort.

But Palace improved after a slow start and began to dominate possession against their north London rivals, although they struggled to create any real chances in the first half. 

However, that soon changed following the interval. Christian Benteke continued his good record in games against Arsenal with a well-taken equaliser, smashing the ball into the corner of Aaron Ramsdale’s net after Jordan Ayew robbed Thomas Partey of possession. 

The visitors once again stole the ball off their hosts to take the lead, with Conor Gallagher dispossessing Albert Sambi Lokonga in his own half before executed a perfect counter-attack, resulting in Odsonne Edouard hammering in a shot via the underside of the bar.

It was an impressive performance from Vieira’s charges despite Lacazette’s late equaliser, and there was a surprise star of the show leading the line for the capital club.

As per SofaScore, Benteke was awarded a match rating of 7.6 out of 10 for his efforts, the highest total received by any player on the pitch. And when taking a closer look at his underlying numbers, it’s easy to understand why.

The Belgium international struck the target with both of his shots during the 90 minutes, successfully completed both of his dribbles and won eight of his ten duels (80%), highlighting his effective and efficient performance at the top end of the pitch.

He bullied the Arsenal defence with his monstrous presence and not for the first time, beat the goalkeeper at the Emirates Stadium.

Benteke hadn’t found the back of the net all season until Monday night, but his expertly taken strike will fill him with confidence in the weeks ahead and provide Vieira with another viable source of goals.

And, in other news…Parish must seal Palace move for “phenomenal” £5.85m-rated gem, fans will be buzzing 

Speaking to the club’s official website, Tottenham Hotspur boss Nuno Espirito Santo has just shared some ‘bad news’ for Lilywhites supporters.

The Lowdown: Spurs injury list so far…

After the torrid September international break, a period of his reign that he would soon like to forget, Nuno has seen a variety of players succumb to injury worries or spend extensive time on the treatment table.

The likes of Steven Bergwijn, Lucas Moura, Son Heung-min and Eric Dier have been sidelined already this season (Eurosport), as well as Matt Doherty and Ryan Sessegnon who have both missed the last few games.

Sharing news on the latter man, Nuno has just dropped a not-so-positive update.

The Latest: Nuno shares ‘bad news’…

Speaking to the press (via tottenhamhotspur.com) ahead of their clash with Burnley tonight, the Portuguese has shared some ‘bad news’ for Lilywhites supporters concerning Sessegnon.

Whilst confirming that Doherty is back available, the same cannot be said for the Englishman.

“He’s [Doherty] back in the group, that’s good news. He’s going to be in the squad,” Nuno explained.

“It’s up to us to decide the right moment to integrate all the players.

“The only bad news that we have at this moment is Ryan Sessegnon – he’s not able to join us yet.”

The Verdict: Blow for Sessegnon…

Signed for £25 million by Mauricio Pochettino in 2019, the starlet seemingly had the world at his feet at one point with pundit Noel Whelan claiming he would go on to become a ‘massive asset’.

That hasn’t quite happened thus far due to a mix of injury problems and spending time out on loan in the Bundesliga with Hoffenheim, but the fact Nuno is allegedly a big fan of the player tells you that he is still firmly in the manager’s plans.

In other news: Talks ongoing…Sky Sports journalist says ‘phenomenal’ star could now join Tottenham, find out more here.

Newcastle United are reportedly thought to be a ‘huge lure’ for transfer target James McCarthy.

The Lowdown: McCarthy wanted

TEAMtalk reported back in May that the St. James’ Park faithful had the opportunity to sign McCarthy on a free transfer once his deal at Crystal Palace had expired.

The North East club were reportedly looking closely at his situation, and the Republic of Ireland international is now a free agent.

The Latest: Newcastle ‘huge lure’

As per 90min, the opportunity to work with Graeme Jones on Tyneside is a ‘huge lure’ for McCarthy, of whom Jones is a ‘big fan’ of.

Celtic had previously held talks with the central midfield player, while both West Ham United and Burnley are also credited with an interest.

The Verdict: Sign

Steve Bruce needs to add more depth to his squad, and there may not be a better opportunity than to sign McCarthy up for no transfer fee.

Of course, wages would have to be discussed, given that he earned £50,000-per-week while at the Eagles, but the spending is virtually minimal for a player so experienced in the Premier League.

McCarthy has played in no fewer than 272 games in total across all competitions over the last 12 consecutive campaigns in the top flight, for both Wigan Athletic and Everton as well as at Selhurst Park (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, the 30-year-old could be a player that would work well under Jones and Bruce, bringing experience to the heart of midfield.

In other news, find out what a Magpies source has said about the takeover consortium here!