All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Many West Ham United fans are far from happy after reliable club insider ExWHUemployee revealed that the Hammers are not close to signing any senior players and are instead looking at youth arrivals.

David Moyes led the Irons to a magnificent sixth-placed finish in the Premier League last season despite battling relegation the previous year, and they will duly be competing in the Europa League this coming season. However, if they are to compete on four separate fronts, they must move their transfer business along, as they are yet to make a new summer signing.

Hammers supporters will have been hoping for a positive update from ExWHUemployee, but he has instead revealed that the Irons are not close to signing any senior players, tweeting: “mainly youth players more concrete at this point” in response to a query about possible incomings.

ExWHUemployee’s update on Twitter, and it attracted plenty of attention from West Ham fans, many of whom then vented on social media. Some took aim at the club’s much-maligned GSB ownership over the apparent transfer stance.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the club’s transfer plans

“Hahahahaha – club is a joke”

Credit: @RichardKnott2

“Embarrassing”

Credit: @thorpe9214

“Oh I give up”

Credit: @IanCullyMorga2

“Again, GSB out should not even be in any doubt.”

Credit: @camwestham

“15th place finish this season with no squad depth, thanks @davidgold, son’s crying.”

Credit: @NthnFrnkln

“God I really hate those slimey owners”

Credit: @WestHam_Central

In other news, some West Ham fans were far from happy with this transfer bid.

With Newcastle United 19th in the Premier League and deep in a relegation dogfight, Eddie Howe will be desperate to acquire as many signings this window as possible with the backing of PIF.

One particular area of weakness for the Magpies is in midfield, which could do with some major reinforcements. Having recently been linked with a potential loan move for Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek, the Tyneside club should now swoop for the Dutchman.

What’s the latest?

According to the Manchester Evening News, Van de Beek has been offered to Newcastle as well as Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund for the remainder of the season.

The 24-year-old is still struggling for game time at Old Trafford under interim boss Ralf Rangnick, having made just 14 appearances all season for the Red Devils. Since joining from Dutch giants Ajax in September 2020, Van de Beek has made just 50 appearances for United, despite glimpses of brilliance and potential runs in the team.

After a Champions League win over Istanbul Basaksehir last season, the midfielder received plenty of plaudits, with former United player Owen Hargreaves stating: “I thought Van de Beek was close to perfect. He is so unselfish, he can just fit in and play the right balls everywhere.”

However, as a result of his lack of club game time, the midfielder has also lost his place in the Netherlands setup. Van de Beek has failed to make the last three Oranje squads and, with the World Cup in November, he will be desperate for regular football to regain his place under Louis van Gaal.

Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t seem likely to get it at Manchester United, so a loan move may be the best solution. If he is to become available, then Eddie Howe must swoop for the 24-year-old’s signature.

Howe must swoop for Van de Beek

To say that Newcastle are currently in a predicament is an understatement. The Tyneside club are deep in a relegation battle and kicked off the New Year with a 1-0 home defeat to League One side Cambridge United in the FA Cup, despite fielding a relatively strong team.

The lack of quality midfield options will certainly be a cause for concern for Howe, but also makes it clear for the Englishman where he needs to add players this window.

The likes of Jonjo Shelvey, Sean Longstaff and Joe Willock have had underwhelming campaigns thus far, with the trio totalling a combined three goal involvements in 40 Premier League appearances. That sort of output from three midfield players needs to be improved.

Back when Van de Beek was playing regularly at Ajax, he recorded 14 or more goal involvements in three successive Eredivisie seasons, also netting five Champions League goals in that time. Those figures suggest that he would be a major upgrade on the likes of Shelvey, Longstaff and Willock.

Valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, a loan move for the Dutch midfielder may be sensible for the short-term. However, should Newcastle survive in the top flight and the Red Devils keep failing to offer him regular game-time, then a permanent move to St James’ Park may prove possible.

AND in other news, Newcastle are also eyeing a move for this player who’s been dubbed the “new Vidic”

Newcastle United would need a complete disaster to unfold in order to suffer relegation this season, as the appointment of Eddie Howe has turned their season around – with the Magpies currently sitting 15th in the Premier League table.

And, the club could now be set for a further boost over their remaining games.

What’s the latest?

Eddie Howe took to his pre-match press conference ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Leicester City to give an important update on both Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson.

Howe confirmed on Trippier: “Kieran, I think, is very slightly ahead of schedule. He’s beginning to run back on the grass with his boots on, so that’s a great sign for us.”

Adding a further promising update on Wilson: “Callum’s the same. He’s gradually building up to where he wants to be which is great to see.

“Personally, they’re OK because they’re both in a good place. They’re both improving in line with probably what we expected.”

Howe will be buzzingBoth players have made a great impact at St James’ Park during their time at the club, so Howe will be buzzing that they will be back in training and likely back on the pitch before the end of the season.Wilson has struggled with his fitness throughout his time in the North East, but has still bagged 18 goals and registered five assists in 43 appearances so far, with a goal contribution every 147 minutes played – an incredibly impressive feat considering he has spent 257 days on the injury table since joining in 2020.Trippier joined in January and was integral in the four Premier League outings he has made so far, with two goals from left-back in the 318 minutes he has played. Indeed, it was a huge disappointment when the influential 31-year-old broke his left metatarsal against Aston Villa back in February.Whilst it’s highly unlikely that the pair will be back imminently, their respective returns to the squad for training at Darsley Park and picking up some minutes in the last few games of the campaign would be a huge boost to see out the season.However, the Magpies will take on Leicester City without the duo on Sunday afternoon – with Howe certainly hoping that his team can pick up some form to further influence their move away from the relegation zone.Indeed, a win would put them on 37 points, something that could see the Magpies finish the weekend as high as 12th – if results go their way.AND in other news: Newcastle could finally axe shocking £55k-p/w liability with £40.5m-rated “tank”

Celtic have tabled an offer for Gamba Osaka midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi, according to The Athletic’s Kieran Devlin.

The Lowdown: Ideguchi profiled

Ideguchi appears to be one of three Japanese targets for Ange Postecoglou in the New Year alongside Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-18/” title=”Celtic updates!!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The 25-year-old can play in a central or attacking midfield role and is valued at £720,000 by Transfermarkt.

Ideguchi has made 182 appearances for his current employers, 41 of which have come in 2021. He also has 13 caps to his name for his country, and it seems as if the Hoops are stepping up their interest in the former Leeds United man.

The Latest: Devlin’s claim

Devlin shared a story on Thursday morning ahead of the Hoops’ Europa League clash with Real Betis.

Within his report, he said ‘Celtic are believed to have tabled an offer for midfielder Ideguchi’, with Gamba Osaka ‘willing’ to allow Ideguchi to enter talks with the Hoops.

Devlin’s in-depth piece on Ideguchi is available to view here, with Japanese journalist Alan Gibson suggesting in the piece the midfielder is ‘ready’ for ‘Ange-ball’.

The Verdict: Starting to take shape…

Postecoglou has recently admitted that the club are on schedule with January signings, and this latest update backs up his claim.

Should Ideguchi make the move to Parkhead, he’d give the Hoops boss another versatile option in midfield, which seems to be needed as Postecoglou has relied heavily on Callum McGregor, David Turnbull and Tom Rogic so far this season.

He has plenty of experience in Japan, so Postecoglou will know just what he could bring to Celtic, and it seems as if the Hoops have stepped up their attempts to secure Ideguchi’s services with an offer now on the table.

In other news: Sky Sports journalist drops Celtic injury update on ‘brilliant’ star. 

Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas has shared some transfer news out of Tottenham Hotspur involving Borussia Monchengladbach star Matthias Ginter.

The Lowdown: Conte makes demands?

The Lilywhites and transfer chief Fabio Paratici, according to reports, are operating under the orders of manager Antonio Conte as the Spurs head coach makes summer window demands behind-the-scenes.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-newest-updates/” title=”Tottenham newest updates…” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Most recently, it has been claimed that Conte has personally requested the signing of a left-sided centre-half (Calciomercato), as well as Juventus midfielder and USA international Weston McKennie (La Gazzetta dello Sport via Sport Witness).

The former Chelsea manager, it appears, is seeking to re-shape the Spurs squad in his own image whilst gifting his new side the best chance of success for his first full campaign.

Now, as relayed by Thomas, it appears Tottenham and Conte are eyeing a new target in soon-to-be free agent Ginter.

The Latest: Sky reporter makes Ginter claim…

According to Sky sources, Spurs, and by extension their manager, are now eyeing the 28-year-old alongside an array of top clubs.

Ginter has already confirmed his intention to leave Gladbach on a free this summer as his contract nears expiry.

Subsequently, this has alerted Tottenham, alongside the likes of Aston Villa, Juventus and London rivals West Ham.

“Aston Villa among the clubs interested in Matthias Ginter on a free transfer, acc. to Sky Germany,” he explained (via Twitter).

“Separately, I’m aware he has been watched by a lot of top clubs this season including Juventus, Tottenham and West Ham.”

The Verdict: Make a move?

As Conte reportedly earmarks the signing of a central defender as a top summer priority, as backed by The Athletic, there are few better than Ginter on a potential Bosman deal.

Described as an ‘underrated’ player by former Germany boss Joachim Low, the international’s estimated £21.6 million valuation can be totally bypassed this summer – an opportunity Tottenham surely must consider.

According to WhoScored, only Gladbach keeper Yann Sommer has played more league minutes than mainstay Ginter.

The towering 6 foot 3 ace has also managed the second-most clearances per 90 (3) out of their squad in that time, all whilst coming in as Adi Hütter’s fourth-best Bundesliga performer by average match rating (6.83, WhoScored).

An accomplished and proven German top flight ace, we won’t be surprised to see more Spurs reports emerge on Ginter as the summer window nears.

In other news: Tottenham official sent to club as Paratici now eyes ‘imperious’ ex-Man City man for Conte! Find out more here.

Everton slumped to their third consecutive Premier League defeat after going down 2-1 at Molineux to an in-form Wolverhampton Wanderers side.

The Toffees were hoping to bounce back from a disappointing few weeks, but first-half goals from Max Kilman and Raul Jimenez were enough to send Bruno Lage’s charges into seventh place in the top-flight table.

It was an entertaining encounter that the hosts dominated in the opening period, and Kilman’s first Wolves goal via a back-post header was reward for their early control.

And things went from bad to worse for Everton just after the half-hour mark. Versatile defender Ben Godfrey attempted a back pass that inadvertently slipped in Jimenez, who dinked the ball expertly over an on-rushing Jordan Pickford.

It proved to be a fatal blow for the Blues and compounded Godfrey’s miserable night after struggling to deal with the hosts’ attacking movement all evening.

Journalist Josh Bunting tweeted about the incident leading to Wolves’ winning strike, lamenting Benitez’s side and Godfrey in particular for their poor play.

“Everton have been absolutely dreadful, 2-0 Wolves and they’ve deserved it they’ve played Everton off the park. Everton also making it far too easy for Wolves to get shots in at goal. Ben Godfrey is really struggling for form right now another mistake that he has been punished for,” he wrote.

As per SofaScore, the England international was awarded a match rating of just six out of 10, by far the lowest total received by any player on the pitch.

Throughout the 90 minutes, Godfrey lost seven of his 13 duels, was dribbled past by an opposition forward on two occasions and made one very costly error leading directly to a goal, highlighting his underwhelming display.

But the 23-year-old was also disappointing when in possession too. He achieved a passing accuracy of just 75%, lost possession 11 times, and failed to pick out a teammate with his only attempted cross.

The youngster was fielded in an unfamiliar left-back role due to Lucas Digne’s enforced absence, but he’ll be hoping to put in a much-improved showing when taking on Tottenham Hotspur next time out.

And, in other news…“Quite keen…”: ESPN journalist drops exciting Everton update, fans will be buzzing

Tottenham Hotspur are expected to target a new forward during the January transfer window…

What’s the word?

That’s according to football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, who delivered a fresh claim to supporters during a recent Q&A.

When asked if an additional striker would be a priority in the upcoming window, he replied:

“Definitely.

“Dane Scarlett will get minutes here and there until then, and that will help the 17-year-old’s development, but it’s one area of the squad where too much pressure is being put on two players to share the load and in [Harry] Kane and [Heung-min] Son. They’re players who are too key to lose to injuries through overuse.

“Then it’s over to that age-old issue of finding a striker of the required quality in the January window who is willing to come and play back-up to Kane.”

Much needed addition

Indeed, another frontman is exactly what Nuno Santo needs heading into the second half of the season, especially considering the fact that he was reportedly keen to deploy a two-man attack upon arrival in north London.

Either way, it’s the one position Spurs lack serious depth in.

An injury to Kane could seriously curtail their campaign, which is the last thing they’ll want after clinching three straight victories in all competitions, in which the England international has found his scoring boots with four goals.

It’s a situation familiar to the club. In January 2020, he picked up a lengthy injury and Spurs soon crashed out of the FA Cup and the Champions League, and also slipped rapidly down the table.

Last season, former Lilywhites boss Jose Mourinho had a suitable and cost-effective backup in Benfica loanee Carlos Vinicius, who has since signed for PSV Eindhoven.

Whilst in previous years, the north Londoners have been stacked in the attacking department. At one point, Spurs had the services of Robbie Keane, Peter Crouch, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Emmanuel Adebayor in the very same squad.

Of course, it’s a more difficult task these days as you have to find someone willing to play second fiddle to Kane but opportunities wouldn’t be limited. Spurs are still in all domestic cup competitions and are among the favourites to secure the UEFA Europa Conference League, so there are plenty of fixtures ahead.

Therefore, this latest development should leave many around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium absolutely buzzing and excited ahead of January.

New sporting director Fabio Paratici has already shown his muscle in the transfer market, signing the likes of Emerson, Bryan Gil and Cristian Romero, so he could well deliver once again with the addition of a new forward.

Whether Spurs manage to secure that man remains to be seen but it’s certainly an encouraging prospect.

AND in other news, Forget Dier: £60m-rated Spurs star who lost possession 14x endured a nightmare at Newcastle…

After picking up one point from a possible six from their opening two Premier League games of the new campaign, Crystal Palace head to Vicarage Road this evening to take on Watford in the Carabao Cup.

The Eagles were held to a goalless draw by newly-promoted Brentford last time out, a performance which offered a marked improvement on their opening-day defeat at the hands of Chelsea.

However, Patrick Vieira’s men have failed to score in their 180 minutes of top-flight action so far this season, something that will be a great concern for the new manager.

Vieira has openly admitted he’s looking to bolster his options in the final third of the pitch following the departures of Andros Townsend and Michy Batshuayi this summer, leading to several stars being linked with a move to the capital club.

But part of the solution could already be within south London. French striker Jean-Philippe Mateta arrived at Palace last January from Bundesliga outfit Mainz with a sizeable reputation following his impressive exploits at the MEWA Arena.

He bagged 27 goals and provided five assists in 71 appearances for Die Nullfünfer, earning several plaudits in the process.

“For a player with such impressive athletic potential, Jean-Philippe has a rare ability to get in behind opposition defences and beat players one-on-one,” summarised France U21 coach Sylvain Ripoll (as relayed by Bundesliga.com), who called Mateta up for the first time in October 2018. “And there’s still a lot of room for improvement.”

The 24-year-old struggled to break into the starting XI under former Eagles boss Roy Hodgson, though, scoring just one goal in his seven outings during the final months of the experienced tactician’s reign.

Mateta would have been hoping for a fresh start under Vieira then, and his compatriot selected him in his first competitive starting lineup at Stamford Bridge just over a week ago.

Nevertheless, Mateta lasted just 57 minutes before being substituted and failed to come off the bench against Brentford, despite Palace struggling to create chances as they went in search of a winning goal.

Therefore, Vieira must unleash the £11.7m-rated gem in this evening’s cup encounter. Away from the spotlight of the Premier League, the pacey frontman could thrive and showcase his potential to be the striker Palace have craved over the last few years.

Adding a proven goalscorer to the club’s ranks is a priority for Vieira, but if he entrusts Mateta tonight, then he may discover one already at his disposal and if the striker can grab a goal, it will do his confidence the world of good.

And, in other news…David Ornstein drops exciting Palace transfer update that’ll leave fans delighted

Fabrizio Romano says Liverpool are in the hunt for Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria.

What’s the talk?

Zakaria has been linked with a move to Anfield in January with the Bundesliga outfit considering selling him for cash before losing him for free in the summer when his contract expires.

Romano has taken to social media and claimed that Liverpool are involved in the race for the Swiss international, having asked for information from his new agent Hasan Cetinkaya.

In full, he said: “Denis Zakaria has received many approaches in the last weeks, out of contract in 2022. He recently changed his agent – Bayern have joined the race, also Liverpool asked for information since he’s with Hasan Cetinkaya.”

Great signing

Zakaria has been in good form for Gladbach so far this season, making 12 appearances in the Bundesliga and scoring twice, while registering an assist too. According to WhoScored, he is the second-highest-rated player at the club so far this season for players with three or more appearances, with an average rating of 6.99.

The 25-year-old’s high energy style would fit right in at Anfield, with a great passing range and good ability to dribble forward part of his wide skillset too. He has averaged 1.6 successful dribbles so far this season from central midfield, while he boasts a successful pass completion rate of 89.2%. That tally would place him second in the Liverpool squad, only behind Virgil van Dijk for players to start more than four times this term.

With Jordan Henderson and Thiago entering their 30’s and Naby Keita’s consistent fitness issues, central midfield is a position that Klopp could look to strengthen in the upcoming transfer window and the Swiss dynamo seems to fit the bill.

Zakaria being available on a free transfer at the end of the season is certainly attractive to top clubs too, but in order to get an advantage in the race they could look to make a cut-price offer in January for the £24.3m-rated star.

Thus, Reds fans will surely be buzzing by the proposition of his arrival, with some claiming he would be excellent for rotating with Fabinho in the holding role while others also think he could cover for Henderson and Thiago in the more advanced roles.

After all, if signing a player compared to Zinedine Zidane and Michel Platini won’t get you excited, nothing will.

AND in other news, Divock Origi’s masterclass against AC Milan.

Derby County have reportedly registered their interest in signing Manchester United midfielder James Garner, according to The Athletic (Wednesday 11th August 2021).

What’s the story?

The Rams had problems heading into the 2021/22 Championship campaign, with Wayne Rooney struggling for senior depth in his first-team squad.

Derby named a youthful substitutes bench during pre-season and their season opener against Huddersfield Town, but they have added some much-needed depth to their team in recent weeks.

However, they’re seemingly keen to continue to strengthen, with The Athletic claiming that Rooney is keen on raiding his former club for a potential agreement with James Garner.

Garner spent the 2020/21 season on loan with Nottingham Forest, and his short-term future at Old Trafford remains ‘up in the air’ heading into the new Premier League campaign.

‘Next Michael Carrick’

Garner spent the first half of last season on loan with Watford but found regular minutes hard to come by with Xisco Munoz’s side, who already have a considerable number of options in their midfield, which limited Garner’s game time.

That saw him briefly return to Old Trafford with Manchester United, before going on to sign for Nottingham Forest, who gave him first-team games at the City Ground.

Garner repaid that faith shown in him by Chris Hughton, by turning out with a number of strong performances for the Reds, as they finished 17th in the Championship table.

The midfielder had an average Whoscored rating of 6.98 for Nottingham Forest last term, which put him top of the list of their best performers from last year’s campaign.

Garner averaged two tackles per game, as well as an average of 1.7 interceptions per game, which shows that he can offer the ideal protection to a Derby County defence that is yet to keep a clean sheet in all competitions this term.

Forest are believed to be keen on re-signing Garner on a temporary basis this summer, although they’ve been joined by Derby County in the race to land the 20-year-old’s signature.

Garner was once labelled as ‘the next Michael Carrick’ by Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, after the midfielder came on as a substitute against Crystal Palace during the 2018/19 season.

“I believe he’s got the chance to have a great future, he knows we believe in him, we’ve got great faith in him as the next Michael Carrick.”

Derby County could be in the market for another midfielder in the near future, with Graeme Shinnie being linked with a move to League One side Ipswich Town before the summer transfer window reaches a conclusion.

So, it makes perfect sense for the Rams to use Rooney’s contacts at Manchester United for a potential deal to sign Garner, as he’s shown that he can perform to a more than good enough standard in the second-tier of English football.

He’ll be keen to further his development with a loan move elsewhere, and if Derby can offer him regular game time, then you would imagine they’ll have a good chance of landing his signature.

However, competition to strike a deal to sign Garner is fierce and the Rams will have to do all they can to convince him to sign for the club this summer.

Wayne Rooney’s side are set to take on newly-promoted Peterborough United in their second match of the 2021/22 Championship season, in what could potentially be a tricky test against Posh at London Road.

AND in other news, this star could be set for a Derby County exit…