All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Fabio Paratici could be lining up his first transfer masterclass as Tottenham Hotspur’s new sporting director, if emerging reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, the Premier League side have struck an agreement with La Liga outfit Sevilla for centre-back Jules Kounde.

It’s thought that Spurs have offered Davinson Sanchez plus €30m (£25.5m) and now the 22-year-old France international is mulling over the proposal.

If he rejects the move, then the North Londoners could turn their attentions back to Inter Milan colossus Milan Skriniar, who was close to joining last summer.

Paratici masterclass

If the Italian supremo can pull this off as his first piece of business in N17, then it’ll be an absolute stroke of genius as Spurs would be getting rid of an expensive flop and replacing him with a potential star of the future.

Sanchez cost Mauricio Pochettino and Daniel Levy a whopping £42m in August 2017, which was then the club’s record arrival. But he has failed to hit the heights that such a price tag should command.

Throughout last season, the Colombia international was regularly slammed for his poor performances.

For instance, former Republic of Ireland star Kenny Cunningham lambasted him as a “real liability”, whilst ex-midfielder Jamie O’Hara described him as an “absolute disgrace” back in April.

Sanchez was in and out of the side as a result of his inconsistencies, starting just 17 times in the Premier League. It’s evident that he’s just not good enough for a team like Spurs and in Kounde, Nuno Santo would be receiving a promising upgrade.

After an impressive campaign for the 2019/20 Europa League winners, the 22-year-old defender made Didier Deschamps’ Euro 2020 squad over the likes of Dayot Upamecano and World Cup winner Samuel Umtiti.

Kounde ended the year as their highest-rated player (7.01), having averaged three aerial duels won, 1.2 interceptions as well as a 90.1% passing accuracy, via WhoScored.

These are all returns that exceed the performance from Sanchez in 2020/21.

It’s why the £54m-rated beast has been dubbed “pretty special” by La Liga expert Euan McTear and that’s exactly the calibre of player Spurs need to make a statement this off-season.

If Paratici can convince the 5 foot 10 monster to join his project in North London, then he’ll kickstart his era with a monumental bang. It would, on the above evidence, be quite the coup and shrewd move to swap Sanchez out for Kounde.

AND in other news, Paratici must seal Spurs swoop for £18m Mendes client, Nuno said he’s “full of talent”…

Leeds United youngster Sam Greenwood has confirmed that he is the latest player to pick up an injury, with The Athletic’s Phil Hay reacting to the news in frustrated fashion.

The Lowdown: Leeds suffer constant injuries

The Whites have had a disappointing season so far, and while performances have often been poor, injuries have played a huge part in their struggles.

Marcelo Bielsa has had to deal with an endless stream of fitness issues to key men, whether it be Luke Ayling, Kalvin Phillips or Patrick Bamford, among others.

On Monday, Greenwood confirmed on Instagram that he picked up an injury during the FA Cup defeat away to West Ham at the weekend, in a further blow for Leeds.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Hay reacts to Greenwood update

Taking to Twitter shortly after, journalist Hay reacted to the news with a frustrated four-word verdict that sums up the thoughts of most Leeds fans:

“This is beyond ridiculous.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-31/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Bad luck continues

Any team expects to suffer a few injuries during the course of a season but what Leeds have experienced since August is simply bad luck.

The number of absentees has made it extremely difficult for the Whites to find any sort of rhythm for weeks on end and aforementioned key figures such as Phillips and Bamford have been big losses – the former has missed eight games while the latter has been absent for 18.

Greenwood’s setback only further highlights the need for new faces to arrive in the January transfer window or risk a depleted squad getting sucked into a Premier League relegation battle.

In other news, Leeds’ long-term interest in one Premier League midfielder has been confirmed. Find out who it is here.

Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch will be working with Victor Orta in the hope of enjoying a successful first transfer window at Elland Road this summer.

The former RB Leipzig boss has not yet had the opportunity to bring in his own players since arriving to replace Marcelo Bielsa in February and will now be plotting possible moves ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

Leeds Live recently published an article stating that bringing in a central midfielder will be the club’s main priority as they look to bolster their options in that area of the pitch, with Manchester United’s James Garner and Marseille’s Boubacar Kamara named as potential options.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-marsch-raphinha-dest-philhay” title=”Read the latest Leeds news!”]

Long-lasting issue

The Whites have not signed a player on a permanent basis in that position in more than four years, with Adam Forshaw being the last one to come through the door, way back in January 2018.

This shows that the club have neglected that part of the squad in recent years. Mateusz Klich and Forshaw have averaged underwhelming SofaScore ratings of 6.69 and 6.73 respectively this term and have been unable to consistently deliver in the top-flight in the middle of the park.

Therefore, it is now time for Orta to solve that long-lasting issue by snapping up Garner from the Red Devils on a permanent deal.

The 21-year-old has been picking up acclaim throughout the season for his impressive form on loan at Nottingham Forest. He has been dubbed “different class” by teammate Jack Colback, while former Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson showered him with praise, saying: “Garner has been exceptional at Forest. He is an example of why players get sent out on loan.

“He can play at the top level and I think he has proven that at Forest. I don’t think he’s one that will go straight into the Man United side but I think there is a first-team role there for him and he will feature next season.”

In the Championship, Garner has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.23 across 34 appearances. He has chipped in with four goals and five assists from midfield, whilst making 3.2 tackles and interceptions per game as he has caught the eye in a box-to-box role.

This suggests that the 21-year-old has the potential to make the step up to the Premier League as he has been outstanding in the second tier, and he has the scope to develop even further at his young age.

He has time left ahead of him to improve and grow as a player to produce consistent performances in the top flight, in the same way that he has been able to do in the Championship, which is why Leeds simply must sign him this summer.

Orta must snap him up to make him a key part of Marsch’s Leeds midfield next season and for many years to come, in the process solving their long-standing issue in that position.

AND in other news, Huge boost: Adam Pope drops 6-word Leeds injury update, Jesse Marsch will be delighted…

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been handed a major boost in their bid to bring Donny van de Beek to Molineux.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Metro, via The Sun, who claim that the 24-year-old will leave Manchester United in the January transfer window if he is not awarded more first-team minutes by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the coming weeks.

The report goes on to state that Wolves are closely monitoring the situation of the Netherlands international ahead of a potential swoop, while Newcastle United are also credited with an interest in the central midfielder.

Furthermore, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano backed up The Sun’s claim regarding Van de Beek in a recent post on Twitter, with the journalist stating: “Donny van de Beek situation is so clear. He loves the club and he’s still super professional in training, doing his best for Man Utd – but if the situation remains the same, he will leave Manchester United in January.”

Shi must act

While it is true that van de Beek has somewhat stagnated since his move to Manchester United back in the summer of 2020, the fact remains that, should Jeff Shi be able to get a deal over the line for the midfielder this January, Wolves will be in possession of a player who, just a little over a year ago, was one of the most promising talents in European football.

Indeed, over his 23 Eredivisie appearances during his swansong campaign with Ajax, the £34m-rated man bagged eight goals, provided five assists and created six big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 1.8 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the player who former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves dubbed “perfect” earn an average SofaScore rating of 7.32, ranking him as the joint 12th-best performer in the Dutch top-flight back in 2019/20.

The £120k-per-week 23-year-old also highly impressed over his five fixtures in the Champions League that season, scoring two goals, registering one assist and creating two big chances for his teammates – returns which saw him average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating 7.32 in Europe’s most prestigious club competition.

As such, when considering the sheer amount of talent Van de Beek quite clearly possesses, in addition to the fact that Bruno Lage’s side are extremely short of creative options in the middle of the park, should a deal for the Manchester United man indeed be on the table this winter, Shi simply must do all he can to land the Dutch dynamo.

In other news: Fosun must avoid Wolves disaster on “brutal” £71k-p/w sensation, Lage would be furious

A big update has emerged on Rangers and Gio van Bronckhorst’s transfer plans at Ibrox for the remainder of the January window…

What’s the talk?

A transfer has claimed that the Gers are working hard to source a new signing in attack before the end of the month.

Pete O’Rourke told GIVEMESPORT: “They’re actively looking for options on the right flank, and it just seems they’ve been linked with a lot of players right now. So, it’ll all depend on who Van Bronckhorst sees as the best fit for his side going forward.”

Excitement

This news will surely leave Rangers fans feeling excited for several reasons.

Firstly, it shows that the club are still putting the work in behind the scenes and actively looking to add to their squad despite already making two signings in the form of James Sands and John Souttar.

Ross Wilson is seemingly keen to give van Bronckhorst as many tools as possible to ensure that they are able to secure a second Premiership title in a row. The Gers are also still in the Europa League and could be eyeing further progression in that competition as they prepare to face Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund next month in the first knockout round.

Therefore, supporters will be buzzing to read that they are not resting on their laurels and willing to go with what they have for the rest of the campaign. Continual improvement appears to be the way they want to go about it and it will be interesting to see if they have any more targets beyond a right winger for the current window.

The position in which Rangers want to make a signing will also get fans excited as it means that they can look forward to an attacking player coming in.

Bringing in a right-winger suggests that they want someone who can come in to score and create goals from out wide, which would surely get fans off their seats in excitement as they watch a new wing wizard causing havoc down the flanks.

Of course, there is no guarantee that they will be able to sign an effective forward who is able to deliver in the final third but, for now, fans can be buzzing with the prospect of a new attacker coming in to bolster the squad before the deadline next week.

AND in other news, Rangers could finally axe “really poor” lightweight by landing £2.8m-rated playmaker…

Tottenham Hotspur are the latest club to be linked to Florian Wirtz ahead of the January transfer window…

What’s the word?

According to Sport Bild, Spurs have entered the race to sign the 18-year-old Bayer Leverkusen sensation, who has also been intensely scouted by Premier League rivals Newcastle United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool.

It’s thought that the 5 foot 9 attacking midfielder would command a fee in excess of €100m (£90m) as he’s under contract at the BayArena until 2026.

Transfermarkt currently value the four-cap German international at £58.5m, whilst some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, are also keen.

No.10 solution

Wirtz has emerged as a real star of the future over in Germany and he has certainly helped fill the void left behind at Leverkusen by Kai Havertz, who left for Chelsea over a year ago.

Whilst Bayer head coach Gerardo Seoane has found a solution from within, Nuno Santo is still looking for a man to step up and take aboard the creative burden of his inconsistent Spurs side.

Indeed, the north Londoners have not sufficiently replaced Christian Eriksen, who left the club in January 2020. Neither Tanguy Ndombele (18 goal contributions in 83 games) nor Giovani Lo Celso (13 contributions in 76 games) have regularly stepped up to the plate since their arrivals in summer 2019.

Similarly, Dele Alli’s fall from grace makes it hard to imagine that he is the man either, especially as the Lilywhites’ hierarchy now seem open to selling him in January, per The Athletic.

Spurs rank amongst the lowest in the Premier League for average number of shots per game (10.4, second-worst) and expected goals (9.48, third-worst), so that only goes to show how much they have struggled in the final third. Harry Kane is bereft of proper service – if the Danish playmaker were here, he’d be looking a whole lot better, that’s for sure.

Eriksen delivered a goal or assist every 151.6 minutes during his time in N17.

Wirtz could hold the keys to this problem.

The teenage wonderkid has already provided six goals and six assists in only 11 appearances across the Bundesliga and Europa League this term, which means that he’s well on course to usurp last season’s already impressive exploits of eight goals and eight assists, as per Transfermarkt.

His end product isn’t the only key attribute – for example, in just 30 minutes for Germany against Armenia, he created four key chances, whilst ESPN have noted that his passing is near-perfect in every match.

“Florian is one of the most impressive talents in Germany,” said Stefan Kuntz, the Germany U21 coach who handed Wirtz his debut.

Also dubbed a “special player” by teammate Julian Baumgartlinger and an “elite talent” by scout Jacek Kulig, Wirtz could be exactly what Spurs need to resolve their problems in attack, so Fabio Paratici and co must look to complete a move for him at all costs.

He’s a player who, on the above evidence, would really excite the Lilywhites faithful.

AND in other news, Spurs could seal huge Winks upgrade in “dangerous” 27-cap gem, won’t cost ENIC a penny…

Phil Hay has admitted that Leeds United star Raphinha could attract bids from clubs, but said that an exit in the January transfer window would be a surprise.

The Lowdown: Raphinha shines yet again

Marcelo Bielsa’s side picked up a massive 2-1 win away to Norwich City on Sunday afternoon, climbing to 17th place in the Premier League. It was Raphinha who again stood out for Leeds, scoring the opening goal and receiving a seven-out-of-10 rating from Leeds Live’s Beren Cross. SofaScore went one better, giving him an 8.0 rating, by far the highest of anyone to feature at Carrow Road.

The 24-year-old has been a wonderful signing but his form has inevitably seen him linked with a move away from Elland Road in the near future, with Liverpool among those interested.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Hay answers Raphinha query

Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic after Sunday’s match, Hay gave a telling update regarding Raphinha’s future, admitting there is sure to be interest in the Brazil international.

When asked by a Leeds supporter how long the club would likely be able to keep hold of the 24-year-old, the journalist replied: “Very hard to say. He’s bound to attract bids. All a case of what they are and when they arrive. Needless to say, no way in the world that Leeds would want to lose him in January.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-22/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Raphinha exit seems probable

Raphinha is a wonderful footballer and has excelled for Leeds, scoring 10 goals and registering nine assists in 40 appearances for the Whites. His reputation is growing rapidly, however, especially after a flying start to his Brazil career, and it would be no surprise if he seeks a fresh challenge soon.

As Hay has said, a January exit would come as a shock, not to mention a big blow midway through a season which is already proving difficult for Leeds, but it is easy to see him moving on next summer, potentially wanting the challenge of playing in the Champions League. The Elland Road faithful should enjoy Raphinha while they can.

In other news, one pundit has commented on Leeds’ potential January transfer business. Read more here.

BBC Sport journalist Adam Pope has delivered an update on why Leeds United’s pursuit of Lewis O’Brien didn’t come to fruition over the course of the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

Huddersfield Town chairman Phil Hodgkinson recently opened up about why he didn’t let the midfielder go this summer, explaining: “To be honest with you, it wasn’t anything to do with the valuation. The fourth offer we rejected was £13m.

“From my perspective, it’s about how much of that £13m is guaranteed, it’s about how much of it is add-ons and what those add-ons are made up of. It didn’t work for us as a football club, and my concern was the fact Leeds wouldn’t go up to a structure we wanted, which was a reasonable one. Even the player’s agent said so.

“We weren’t that far apart on the guaranteed amount and the structure of the add-ons, we weren’t that far apart, it was a million pounds in reality.”

Responding to a question from a fan on Twitter, Pope said: “It sounds like the structure of the deal rather than the valuation – how much up front/add ons etc – was the issue for Town.”

Bielsa will be gutted

As is the case with most modern transfers, not all of a transfer fee is paid up front, instead being divided up into instalments and potential bonuses.

What will have Marcelo Bielsa most gutted is Hodgkinson’s admission that the two clubs weren’t far apart in coming to terms on a deal, and he would have secured the midfielder he has seemingly been after all summer given what Alan Nixon said.

In even more gutting news, Yorkshire Live recently revealed that O’Brien is now actually in talks with the Terriers over extending his contract at the club, making it that much more difficult to sign him.

Huddersfield Town writer Steven Chicken has previously talked about the midfielder having the potential to be Premier League player, and he sounds like the kind of all-action star Bielsa would have loved at Elland Road.

He said: “O’Brien is a left-footed, tough-tackling central midfielder. Former Huddersfield boss Danny Cowley often praised O’Brien as being ‘like having two players’, with the midfielder receiving particular praise from his manager and fans alike for his ability and willingness to rush back and win the ball with a clean sliding tackle whenever his side were caught on the counter-attack.

“He certainly has the potential to be (a Premier League player), if he’s not already.”

This latest update on the O’Brien saga is sure to leave Bielsa gutted.

Meanwhile, Leeds are battling Real Madrid for this starlet…

A worrying Rangers transfer claim has been made regarding Glen Kamara amid speculation over his Ibrox future…

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has dropped an ominous update ahead of the January transfer window by stating that Steven Gerrard is a ‘big, big fan’ of the Gers gem.

When asked about the potential of Villa swooping for a Rangers player, he told GIVEMESPORT:

“He’s a big fan of Kamara, a big, big fan of Kamara.”

Concern

Aston Villa have been linked with a deal for the Finland international in recent weeks and this claim from Bridge could leave fans feeling concerned about what could be to come next month.

His comment appears to imply that Gerrard, out of the players currently at Ibrox, would like to sign Kamara for his new team, although it remains to be seen whether or not they will come in with a firm offer for his services.

At this point, though, supporters may begin to worry about whether or not the ex-Gers chief will want to swoop for one of his former players and offer them the chance to play Premier League football.

They are facing the prospect of losing one of their best players midway through the season, which could be a brutal blow to Gio van Bronckhorst’s side. Kamara has been in fine form this term and his departure could weaken the side on paper.

He has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.00 in the Premiership, with Joe Aribo (7.18) the only central midfielder with a higher average rating than the ex-Arsenal man. Kamara has chipped in with one goal and three assists in the league, whilst completing an impressive 90% of his attempted passes and winning 52% of his duels.

This shows that he has been able to perform to a high standard consistently throughout the campaign, starting 15 of the 17 games. Therefore, his departure would leave a sizeable hole to be filled in the middle of the park, with Kamara a proven talent who can run games from midfield with his accurate passing and ability to dictate the tempo of matches.

Rangers fans would surely not want to see a player of his calibre depart midway through the season and that is why this claim from Bridge will leave them feeling worried. Hopefully, Ross Wilson will be able to keep any interested parties at bay and hold onto Kamara for the rest of the season, at least.

AND in other news, “Will be speaking” – Big Rangers claim made on Sky Sports that’ll leave fans delighted…

Phil Foden has provided an update on his injury situation at Manchester City, and it’s not good news for Pep Guardiola as he prepares for the start of the new Premier League season.

What’s the word?

Foden picked up a foot injury on international duty with England with summer, helping Gareth Southgate’s side to the final of the European Championship, although he was forced to sit out the game against Italy after the injury in training.

The 21-year-old has subsequently missed the entire of City’s pre-season and was absent as they lost 1-0 to Leicester City in the Community Shield last weekend.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the City academy graduate provided an update on his injury situation, saying: “It was such a shame to do it just before the Euro final. It was really unfortunate but I am working hard in the gym and hopefully, I can get back as soon as possible. I would say [it will be] around three to four weeks. Hopefully, it flies by and I can just get back on the pitch.”

A blow for Guardiola?

Foden was one of the standout performers in Guardiola’s side last season as they won the Premier League title, so it is undoubtedly a blow to have him missing when you consider that five of Man City’s first seven top-flight fixtures are against Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Leicester City, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Last season saw the England international make 28 appearances in the Premier League, contributing nine goals and five assists, which helped him average an impressive 7.14 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Guardiola made a bold prediction about the youngster’s future at City last season, saying: “He loves to play football, he lives for that and that’s why he’s so nice to coach. And I’m pretty sure he will become an incredible legend of this club. We’re going to take care of him and the rest he will do it.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“577936”]

Therefore, whilst City have a lot of squad depth, the manager will surely be worried about how his team might cope without a player of Foden’s talent given their tough start to the new Premier League season.

In other news… Man City dealt decisive transfer blow with “world-class” beast, Pep will be fuming