All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Everton are reportedly closing in on the signing of Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey as new manager Rafael Benitez begins to make his mark on the first-team squad.

What’s the story?

The Toffees are one of a number of Premier League sides who have been linked with a move for the 30-year-old in recent weeks, with Crystal Palace and Newcastle United also credited with an interest.

However, it appears as though Everton have moved ahead of their domestic rivals in the race for Ramsey’s signature, with Italian outlet Calciomercato claiming he is “increasingly likely” to sign for the Goodison Park outfit.

The report also states that doors will “reopen” for the Wales international in January after he turned down several opportunities to leave Turin over the summer as the Blues prepare to “welcome” the creative talent to the club.

Everton fans will be buzzing

News that Ramsey could soon be joining Benitez’s revolution on Merseyside will surely have large sections of the club’s supporters buzzing with excitement.

His current contract doesn’t expire until the summer of 2023, but rumours suggest the Italian giants are eager to get his £187,000-per-week wages off their books over the winter window after falling down the pecking order under Massimiliano Allegri.

In a recent interview, Ramsey expressed his displeasure at how Juve staff have managed him regarding his persistent injury issues, claiming the national team setup knows how to get the best out of him.

“Philosophy and training methods are different in Juve compared to those carried out with the Wales national team,” said Ramsey.

“In the national team, there are people who have been used to managing me for years and who know how to bring out the best in me, helping me to play many consecutive matches, as I was able to demonstrate at Euro 2020.

“I feel good when I am managed correctly and when I have the opportunity to play regularly,” Ramsey concluded, leaving Juventus’ hierarchy reportedly open to his exit.

During his career, the former Arsenal ace has secured three FA Cups, one Serie A title and one Italian Cup, illustrating the quality that he would bring to Everton, and he could be an ideal replacement for the departed James Rodriguez.

With his potential successor already in the pipeline after just a matter of weeks, supporters will surely be thrilled. He is a proven Premier League talent who has thrived on the continental and international stages.

And, in other news…Signed for £1.7m, now worth £13.5m: Brands struck gold for Everton with £57k-p/w beast 

Sunderland moved to the top of the League One table with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday on Thursday night.

The Black Cats are on 49 points after 24 matches and lead the pack, although Rotherham and Wigan would both move above them if they win their games in hand on Lee Johnson’s side.

Ross Stewart scored a hat-trick against the Owls to take him to 15 goals in 24 games, as he continue to enjoy a superb season in front of goal.

Forget Stewart

Whilst the Scottish forward may be banging in the goals for Sunderland, another player who is having an outstanding season is versatile beast Luke O’Nien.

The 27-year-old has played as both a defensive midfielder and a left-back this term, having played central midfield, right-back and centre-back in the 2020/21 campaign. This shows that he is a player on whom Johnson can rely to fill a multitude of roles on the pitch, making him a valuable asset for the club as he can plug a number of gaps and is capable of coming in and producing a good performance.

In League One this season, the ex-Wycombe man has averaged an exceptional SofaScore rating of 7.11. He has kept up a high standard in his displays week in, week out despite needing to change position at times to fill in for other players, which highlights his consistency, quality and versatility.

O’Nien was previously hailed by ex-Sunderland manager Jack Ross, who said: “He ticked a lot of boxes and then even when we did one-v-one stuff in training, he is awkward to get past, he is physical, competitive, and he doesn’t like people going by him.

“He has been a revelation in that respect, and credit to him for how he has faced that challenge.”

His performances this season have lived up to these comments, as he has completed 30 tackles in 16 matches in League One whilst also making 22 interceptions. He has won 134 duels overall this season, averaging 8.3 won per match, while winning an impressive 65% of the battles he has competed, as per SofaScore.

He has also been able to contribute in possession. As per SofaScore, he has created 0.9 chances per game and scored twice, whilst having 64 touches of the ball per match. Although he is not a prolific scorer or creator, he is able to chip in alongside the outstanding defensive work that he puts in every week, therefore making a vital contribution to helping Sunderland lead the way in League One going into 2022.

AND in other news, Big Fat Sunderland quiz of 2021 – how many questions can you get right?

As per reliable source The Athletic, an update from West Ham has emerged regarding central defender Angelo Ogbonna. 

The lowdown: Current situation

The 33-year-old was an ever-present in David Moyes’ starting line up during the opening weeks of the 2021/22 campaign and had played every Premier League minute prior to being injured against Liverpool at the London Stadium back in November.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-newest-updates/” title=”West Ham newest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Since then the experienced Italian has undergone successful surgery on a cruciate ligament injury but remains unlikely to make a full return to competitive action before the end of the season.

Out of contract in the summer (Transfermarkt), there had been questions as to whether Ogbonna might’ve played his final game for the club.

The latest: New deal incoming

According to the report, having returned to ‘light training’ the club are looking to reward the 13-cap Italy ace with a prolonged stay.

Therefore, West Ham are ‘expected to activate the one-year option’ to extend Ogbonna’s deal beyond the end of the ongoing season.

The east Londoners are also believed to be set to open ‘preliminary talks’ over a new contract for the man once described as ‘top-class’ by Garth Crooks following a team of the week worthy display against Everton.

The verdict: No brainer

Whilst it remains to be seen how the 6ft 2ins centre-back will come back from what was a serious injury, Ogbonna’s unerring quality was there for all to see as the ex-Juventus man helped Moyes’ side towards three clean sheets in 11 league outings early on.

Recruitment chief Rob Newman will be looking to further add to the defensive ranks, particularly as Issa Diop seems destined to move on to pastures new, but tying down the experienced Italian is undoubtedly a smart place to start the summer business.

Potential incomings aside, Ogbonna will be 34 when the new season begins and could be used in a rotation with fellow reliable veteran Craig Dawson to partner Kurt Zouma as West Ham attempt to fight on multiple trophy fronts once again.

In other news: Find out who the three worst West Ham players were against Burnley. 

Reliable transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed the latest on Everton left-back Lucas Digne’s future at Goodison Park with the Frenchman heavily linked with an exit this window.

What’s the story?

Romano has confirmed that Digne will be leaving the Merseyside club this month, tweeting: “Lucas Digne will leave Everton, never been in doubt. Three Premier League clubs interested, next week will be key.”

Digne has been linked with a handful of Premier League clubs, including the aforementioned Newcastle and Chelsea, after falling out with Everton manager Rafa Benitez.

The quarrel has meant that the 28-year-old hasn’t played a minute of football for the Toffees since their 4-1 home derby defeat to Liverpool on 1 December.

The left-back has also reportedly requested for the Merseyside club to allow him to leave Goodison Park this window.

Everton fans will be sweating

Since arriving in the North-West three-and-a-half years ago from Barcelona, Digne has become a fan favourite on the blue side of Merseyside and Everton fans will be gutted to see him depart if a move is able to materialise.

Benitez has been able to bring a replacement in already with 22-year-old Ukrainian left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko joining from Dinamo Kyiv last week.

However, Toffees supporters haven’t been pleased by the breakdown of the manager and Digne’s relationship, with Everton columnist Michael Ball making his feelings towards the situation known after Everton lost 3-2 to Brighton last weekend, stating:

“One of the most baffling decisions Rafa Benitez made for Everton’s defeat to Brighton was selecting Lucas Digne as an unused substitute.

“We’ve got a current international for world champions France in the squad but he’s not in the team.

“Rafa’s stubbornness has once again backfired on him. It’s not the first time it’s happened, he’s done this at previous clubs.

“He’s putting his own pride above the health of our football club. I think from this moment, the fans have now lost trust in him.”

This decision, among many others made by the Spaniard since being appointed in the summer has led to discontent among the Goodison faithful.

Digne’s imminent exit is made all the worse by Mykolenko’s shaky first showing this weekend, being dribbled past twice, losing possession 22 times and completing just 67% of his passes on debut.

As a result, the club’s fanbase will undoubtedly be sweating over the situation even more.

In other news, Everton have been linked with this well-known forward…

Glasgow Rangers simply got the job done at home to Livingston on Wednesday night with a 1-0 win at Ibrox thanks to a late goal from Scott Arfield.

It was enough to give them all three points in the end, thus keeping them firmly in the driving seat for another Premiership title.

Some of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team may have been left disappointed with their own individual performances though, and The Transfer Tavern have used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) were for the hosts on the night:

Glen Kamara (6.9)

Admittedly jointly-rated with Calvin Bassey, James Sands and Alex Lowry in terms of rating (6.9), Kamara ranks in third here as Sands did not finish the game, Bassey ultimately kept a clean sheet as a central defender, and Lowry is an 18-year-old who made his first appearance in the Premiership.

As for Kamara, he did not boss the midfield as he usually does, losing out on eight of his duels in total – the joint-highest out of his team-mates – while he also made no clearances or interceptions.

The Finland international was also guilty of losing possession of the ball 14 times, the fifth-most out of any Rangers player, as per SofaScore.

Scott Wright (6.8)

Wright ranks second with a 6.8 rating given by SofaScore.

The winger lost five duels and failed to record a single successful dribble, while he was also unsuccessful with three of his four crosses and lost possession 13 times in total.

On top of those figures, some members of the Ibrox faithful were particularly critical of his performance on the night.

Cedric Itten (6.7)

With a 6.7 overall rating, Itten was ranked as the Light Blues’ worst player of those who featured for 45 minutes or more.

The striker was beaten in four of his six duels and never managed a shot on target, while he also gave the ball away six times, as per SofaScore.

With the likes of Kemar Roofe on the bench and Alfredo Morelos to come back, he may now find his starting place under threat.

In other news, find out what team news was lauded by these Gers fans

[ad_pod ]

Arsenal fans have taken to Twitter to react after the club was linked with a move for Sevilla midfielder Ever Banega, as reported by The Mirror.

The Argentina international worked under Unai Emery during their time together with the Spanish side, winning the Europa League, and now the Gunners boss is keen to be reunited with the 30-year-old yet again – Emery also coached Banega at Valencia.

Banega reportedly has a £17m release clause and is the north London-based club’s preferred choice to replace Aaron Ramsey – a deal could not be struck in January, however, due to a lack of funds in north London (as per the aforementioned report).

Arsenal are in need of a new midfielder after losing Welsh international Ramsey to Juventus. However, with Banega turning 31 in June, perhaps the ageing midfielder is not the right solution for the Gunners.

Let’s see how Arsenal supporters reacted on Twitter to the news concerning Banega…

Everton will be aiming to end a run of three consecutive defeats when they host Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park on Sunday.

The Toffees’ fast start to the season has come to an abrupt halt in recent weeks, with injuries to several key players threatening to derail their campaign.

With Richarlison, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Yerry Mina all experiencing lengthy spells on the sidelines in recent weeks, Rafael Benitez has struggled to find the solutions to their enforced absences.

While youngster Anthony Gordon and the returning Fabian Delph have offered glimpses of hope, there are many more fringe players who have failed to step up to the mark.

One of those who has been unable to assert himself at Everton during the opening 10 Premier League games of 2021/22 is Alex Iwobi.

The £19.8m-rated flop scored his first league goal of the season against Wolves last time out, but that strike wasn’t enough to mask another hugely underwhelming display.

Goodison News reporter Nick Ware was also unconvinced by Iwobi’s performance at Molineux and was critical of the 25-year-old when dishing out his player ratings.

“Took his goal well, which raises his rating slightly. But can Benitez justify starting him ahead of Anthony Gordon? The fact that the Nigeria international was still substituted 10 minutes after his goal sums up how effective he really was during the game,” Ware wrote after awarding him a six out of 10.

Iwobi’s underlying numbers also illustrate his below-par showing against the Midlands outfit. As per SofaScore, he completed just 19 passes throughout his 78 minutes on the pitch, had only 32 touches of the ball and lost 50% of his duels.

The Wolves game wasn’t an isolated poor performance, either. As per WhoScored, he is a lowly 15th in the hierarchy of average ratings for the season so far in Benitez’s squad, with just five other players to have started a league match for Everton in 2021/22 ranking lower.

It’s been a frustrating few years for the former Arsenal academy graduate since arriving at Everton in August 2019, with the Liverpool Echo’s Sports Editor David Prentice highlighting his “embarrassing” contributions during a defeat to Southampton last season.

With no sign of Iwobi’s form dramatically changing any time soon, Benitez must axe him over the weekend, duly giving his team the best chance of getting a positive result against Antonio Conte’s Spurs.

In other news… Benitez may unearth an Everton gem in “skilful” 18 y/o prodigy, he’s an “intelligent” player 

Aston Villa could strike gold with Liverpool star Joe Gomez amid Luke Hatfield’s recent transfer claim.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports, Steven Gerrard has got his sights set on the England international, and The Express and Star’s Hatfield has suggested that it’s a move that would certainly get the approval of the Villa Park support.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “Joe Gomez would throw the cat amongst the pigeons because he would back himself and Villa fans would be really excited by that signing.”

Would be a statement signing for Villa

The 24-year-old’s extensive experience of playing in the Premier League for a side like Liverpool, and competing in the Champions League year-in and year-out makes him the kind of marquee signing who would make a big statement at Villa Park.

While his big injury has kept him out of the Liverpool team, and epitomising the definition of ‘out of sight, out of mind’, Gomez remains a valued member of the squad and someone who Jurgen Klopp highly rates.

He said: “Since he is playing as a centre-half again – his natural position – together with (Virgil van Dijk) there is exceptional. He is a sensational footballer, which is good.

“He has outstanding speed, which helps us a lot to keep our last line high; he is a really good challenger; good in one-on-one situations; football-wise, I said already, good. The package is really nice.”

The £27m-rated star would fancy his chances of staking a claim for a first-team spot at Villa Park and would add to the impressive English centre-back contingent the club already have in the likes of Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings.

As Klopp says, Gomez’s speed marks him out as a more unique centre-back, and that could fit in perfectly if Gerrard wants to have Villa pressing from the front and playing with a high line.

If Villa could lure Gomez away from Anfield, it would be a major signing.

Meanwhile, Gerrard has confirmed a major Villa blow…

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Konrad Laimer, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

German outlet Sport Bild claim the 24-year-old’s performances for RB Leipzig this season have caught the eye of several Premier League teams, including the north Londoners.

It’s thought that the Austria international originally caught the eye of Spurs scouts during their two-legged Champions League clash in 2020 and he has remained on the radar ever since.

Laimer will soon enter the final 12 months of his current contract, though the Bundesliga outfit are keen to tie him down to an extension but that will not happen until the end of the season, and the player himself has left his future open to interpretation.

Bye-bye Winks

You’d imagine that a move for any new midfield option would push Harry Winks even further down the pecking order and it could even lead to his inevitable departure.

He’s currently sat behind winter signing Rodrigo Bentancur, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp under manager Antonio Conte.

Leeds United reportedly rejected the chance to sign the Englishman on loan during the January transfer window, whilst Football Insider pundit Alan Hutton has urged Winks to leave his boyhood club for the benefit of his career.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-martinez-dybala-spence-conte-2” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

“If he can’t get into that side, he’s got to move on,” he said.

Despite being lauded as a “reliable” option by the Italian head coach, Laimer would be a considerable upgrade and would offer better suitability to the system in north London.

Aside from his passing ability, Winks offers very little to Spurs, whether that’s defensively or in the attack.

As per FBRef, he’s averaged only 1.61 tackles and 1.43 interceptions per 90 throughout the course of his domestic league career at the Lilywhites, which is fewer than that of Laimer (4.8 tackles and interceptions per 90) during his time in Saxony.

Elsewhere, Winks is lacking in the final third, averaging only 0.73 dribbles, 0.74 penalty box entries and 4.69 pressures per 90, leading to a disappointing xG+A of 0.08.

Thus, the £91k-per-week midfielder is effectively just passing the ball sideways and backwards without really getting involved defensively or in the attack either.

By comparison, the £23.4m-rated Laimer – who bagged his fourth and fifth goals of the season at the weekend – is a world apart, averaging 0.2 xG+A, 1.05 penalty box entries, 1.4 successful dribbles and 9.94 pressures per 90 across the course of his Bundesliga career, also via FBRef.

Once as “incredibly aggressive on the ball” by his former boss Adi Hutter and compared to former Conte star N’Golo Kante, Laimer would appear to suit the Italian’s system down to a tee as he expects that sort of energy and work rate in the engine room at all times, especially when there’s just the two players.

‘Dirty work’ could be his middle name, according to Bundesliga.com, and that’s not something you’d associate with Winks, so perhaps this move could see the Spurs boss finally axe the long-serving, struggling academy graduate.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold drops Sergio Reguilon update…

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United’s reported transfer interest in Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko.

What’s the talk?

According to The Northern Echo, the Magpies could make an ‘ambitious’ swoop for the Ukraine international in the January transfer window.

The report claims that the Toon Army could move for Zinchenko if he continues to play a supporting role at the Etihad Stadium in the coming weeks.

Time to axe Ritchie

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe must secure a deal to sign the left-back as it could allow him to axe Matt Ritchie from the starting XI.

The Scottish full-back has been in dire form since the start of last season, and the prospective signing of Zinchenko could leave him on the bench or playing further up the field. He has averaged a poor WhoScored rating of 6.60 in the Premier League this season, slightly down from the 6.64 he managed in the 2020/21 campaign, showing that he has been unable to consistently turn in impressive performances in the top flight.

Meanwhile, Zinchenko averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.84 in 20 Premier League appearances for Man City last season, with his score weighed down slightly by five of those games coming as a substitute. At the European Championship in the summer, he averaged a superb score of 6.98 in five matches as he made four tackles and interceptions per game in helping Ukraine to the quarter-finals.

City boss Pep Guardiola previously hailed the 24-year-old’s ‘exceptional’ quality and pointed out the standard of player he is able to handle as a defender.

The Spaniard said: “He is always focused, always concentrated. As a left-back he fights against [Mohamed] Salah, [Marcus] Rashford, [Angel] Di Maria – the toughest opponents and he doesn’t make mistakes. His quality with the ball is exceptional, we know it…”

This shows that the £25.2m-rated beast has the ability to perform consistently at the top level to a good standard, in comparison to Ritchie’s sub-par displays for the Magpies over the last 18 months. Therefore, signing Zinchenko could allow Howe to axe the Scot from the starting XI and potentially leave him on the bench in a reserve role, with the Ukrainian hopefully becoming a regular in the team.

It is now down to PIF and Howe to make sure that they can convince him to make the switch to Tyneside. He has not started a single league match for City this season and the prospect of playing week in, week out could potentially be tempting for the 24-year-old.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Wilson: Newcastle can seal dream deal in “unbelievably important” 38-goal gem…