All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson back in 2013, one man at Manchester United has taken the brunt of the blame more than anyone else: Ed Woodward.

The executive vice-chairman of the Red Devils has long been held responsible by a majority of the club’s supporters for their apparent failings in the transfer market, and lack of real direction in regards to recruitment.

In an interview with The New York Times, Liverpool’s chief executive Peter Moore appeared to take a thinly-veiled dig at his counterpart at Old Trafford, by insisting there is a certain way about going about things.

He said: “The modern game of football still has C.E.O.s running football clubs and also doing the transfer business and negotiating with agents. That’s not how I believe a modern club should work.”

After hearing Moore’s comments, United fans flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the matter.

Many supporters of the Manchester side appeared to suggest that the Liverpool CEO got it “absolutely spot-on” with his assessment, and insisted he spoke a lot of sense.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

Everton’s defending has been suspect of late, with the Blues caught out by set-pieces at AFC Bournemouth and against Burnley, while Sheffield United held firm to withstand the pressure before hitting Marco Silva’s struggling side from a corner and later on with a fast break.

A run of four games without a point after also losing to Manchester City means the Toffees went into the international break inside the bottom three, after sitting narrowly above the drop zone the last time their men departed for duty with their countries, and they will be hoping they are long clear the next time play is interrupted.

Watch Everton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Michael Keane failed to cover himself with glory for England, though, with the 26-year-old slammed by former players like Stuart Pearce and Martin Keown after he found himself at fault for both Czech Republic goals, as the Three Lions were beaten in a qualifying fixture for the first time in more than a decade.

But not all of Everton’s international players endured a rough time over the weekend, as Lucas Digne thrived for France in a Euro 2020 Group H encounter with Gylfi Sigurdsson’s Iceland at Laugardalsvollur.

It was a performance highlighting the 28-cap left-back’s defensive resilience which Everton have lacked of late, as no player for either side completed more successful tackles than Digne. The Meaux-born defender won possession with each of his four attempted tackles, per WhoScored data, while Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann led from the front with three successful efforts each.

Digne also shone in clearing his lines, as the 26-year-old ended a 1-0 win over Sigurdsson’s Iceland with the joint-most clearances of any Les Bleus man on three. Moreover, he broke up Erik Hamren’s side’s play with two interceptions.

Ever wondered how modern day skills would cope with the world’s oldest football? Find out in the video below…

Everton’s £18m full-back also managed to display his excellence in attack with a game-high four key balls played, amid a total of 49 accurate passes from 55 balls to teammates.

Silva will be hoping Digne can repeat his efforts against Iceland last Friday with another effort like that for France against Turkey on Monday night, building a vein of form that he can carry with him back on the flight to Merseyside ahead of facing West Ham United.

Everton midfielder Andre Gomes has not started a game since he damaged his ribs in the win against Wolverhampton Wanderers back on September 1.

Coincidentally, this was the club’s last victory in the Premier League, with the Toffees losing all four league games whilst he wasn’t in the starting XI. The former Barcelona man returned to the pitch for the final 10 minutes against Burnley and fans are excited to see their man back ahead of the clash against West Ham United.

Prior to his injury, Gomes averaged 1.2 tackles and 2.2 dribbles per league fixture and showed his ability in midfield by averaging 3.5 long balls last season. His return is a timely one considering the recent injury to Fabian Delph and the poor form of Morgan Schneiderlin – the Frenchman has averaged a dismal 6.09 rating from WhoScored thus far.

Marco Silva is going to need as much help as he can get going forward, with reports stating the former Watford man has the next three games to try and save his future on Merseyside.

The return of £22m man Gomes is already a step in the right direction, and it seems the fans are ecstatic to see him back in blue…

At least we know they’re friends.

Liverpool fans are going absolutely wild on Twitter after Jurgen Klopp confirmed Alisson Becker has returned to full training.

The Reds have been without their Brazilian shot-stopper since the first game of the season, when he injured his calf while clearing a ball.

Klopp’s men have made some pretty impressive strides without their number one though, winning all seven of their Premier League games and grabbing the Super Cup trophy with a little help from Adrian.

The Spanish shot-stopper has certainly surpassed expectations as Alisson’s deputy, making a phenomenal save at Napoli and impressing in the win at Chelsea, but that isn’t stopping Reds fans from going berserk at the news their main man is back.

“With Alisson it’s still maybe, maybe not,” Klopp said in his pre-Leicester press conference.

“Yesterday he trained with the team (for the first time). But if you know goalie sessions, they are often pretty more intense than the proper football sessions. He looked really good.”

The gaffer is clearly not convinced about taking the risk against the Foxes with a two-week international break to rest up before a huge trip to Old Trafford, but try telling the fans that.

Take a look at some of their manic reactions down below…

[ad_pod ]

West Ham United must start Marko Arnautovic when they face Fulham this weekend.

The Hammers have not tasted victory in any of their previous five games, though they did hold Liverpool to a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium on February 4th.

On the chalkboard

Arnautovic has enjoyed some truly excellent form this season, scoring a total of seven goals in 18 appearances in the Premier League.

He has, however, failed to score in his last three outings since a flirtation with a transfer to China.

Manuel Pellegrini gave the Austria international the chance to start against Wolves but he struggled before picking up an injury that ruled him out of the clash with Liverpool.

Following that 1-1 draw, Arnautovic played just 22 minutes against Crystal Palace.

Now, then, is the time for West Ham to trust again and give the striker the chance to play from the outset against Fulham.

Indeed, the Irons have lost just twice in the Premier League this season when Arnautovic has scored – to Arsenal and AFC Bournemouth.

The Irons are currently 10th in the table but they appear somewhat rudderless. They are not in danger of relegation but they are also six points behind Nuno Espirito Santo’s impressive Wolves, who sit seventh and occupy the final Europa League qualification spot.

Having Arnautovic back in the team would go a long way to reigniting a fire under Pellegrini’s men.

Time to prove worth

Football FanCast reported earlier this month that Arnautovic and West Ham have agreed on one specific compromise in the striker’s new contract. The deal includes a clause that will allow the 29-year-old to leave if a bid worth £45m is tabled in the summer.

However, if he is to be the subject of any bids in the summer, he is going to have to prove his worth between now and the end of the season.

It could be a win-win for the Hammers. They could bring Arnautovic back into the fold, he could score the goals to propel the club up the table, and then there could be a major influx of cash for Pellegrini to spend in the summer.

Starting the Austrian against Fulham could be the start of a long-term strategy and would go a long way to ensuring the Irons pick up three vital points.

Indeed, Fulham are 19th and have conceded a total of 58 goals, 10 more than rock-bottom Huddersfield Town.

Arnautovic will surely be licking his lips.

[ad_pod ]

Barcelona legend Xavi has revealed that he would be open to managing in the Premier League at some point in the future.

The 39-year-old made 767 appearances for Barca before joining Al Sadd, and the former midfielder has since become the Qatari side’s manager.

Xavi has claimed that he wants to return to the Spanish giants as head coach, but the 2010 World Cup winner also has his eyes on the Premier League.

Indeed, speaking to Sky Sports, Xavi revealed that Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur would all interest him.

And a number of Spurs fans have been on social media reacting to his words.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Whilst there are some who would welcome Xavi’s arrival at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, others are very much against the idea for the time being.

It is certainly one to watch with a number of managers currently feeling the heat. A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Rangers could lose ‘a lot of experience’ this summer, with Allan McGregor, Connor Goldson and Steven Davis all poised to leave. 

That’s according to Jordan Campbell, the club’s correspondent for The Athletic.

The lowdown

As it stands, the trio will all be out of contract come 31 May. McGregor and Davis have both had two spells at Ibrox and now boast 421 and 333 appearances respectively for the club.

They’re also heavily decorated – the former has won 12 trophies at Ibrox in addition to the Player of the Year award in 2020/21, while the latter has won seven (and been named POTY twice).

Goldson, meanwhile, joined from Brighton and Hove Albion in 2018 and has featured 198 times.

The Englishman was a huge part of the squad that ended Celtic’s run of nine consecutive titles last season.

The latest

Campbell writes that McGregor, Goldson and Davis are ‘set to leave at the end of their contracts’.

He does, however, adopt a more optimistic tone on Leon Balogun and Scott Arfield, whose deals are both up at the end of the season too.

The hope is that securing extensions for those two ‘would offer some continuity’.

The verdict

McGregor, aged 40, and Davis, 37, are very much veterans. That’s reflected in their sub-£1million Transfermarkt valuations of £450,000 and £900,000.

Even if they were to stay, you’d imagine they’d only be signing a short-term extension, with retirement on the horizon.

But £7.2million-rated Goldson is yet to turn 30, and is seemingly on his way out during his prime years. Indeed, he’s attracting interest from the likes of West Ham United in the English Premier League.

He may not have claim to legendary status like the other two, but you could argue his departure will hurt the most.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has some information for Rangers fans.

Chelsea are the front-runners to sign West Ham midfielder Declan Rice during the summer transfer window, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Rice continues to shine

The 23-year-old is again enjoying a fantastic season for the Hammers, shining in the middle of the park and producing a string of influential performances.

Rice has started 23 out of 24 Premier League games for David Moyes’ side in 2021/22 to date, averaging 2.3 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game.

Speculation continues to surround the England international’s future, however, as big clubs eye up a potentially huge move in the summer – it would reportedly cost £120m to lure him away.

The Latest: Worrying Chelsea claim emerges

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones, a ‘transfer insider’, claimed Chelsea are still the favourites to land Rice at the end of the season, revealing information from sources ‘that know him very well’:

“A big decision for Declan Rice, one that he wouldn’t take easily.

“I know people that know him very well, so I get quite a good inside track on where his minds at, and he’s very, very focused and determined, but there’s no doubt his head was turned when Chelsea came sniffing, and so I still say that’s his number one landing spot.”

The Verdict: Logical next move?

As painful as it is from a West Ham perspective, it is only logical that Rice could end up back at Stamford Bridge, having spent part of his youth career there and supporting the Blues growing up.

It would afford him the opportunity of staying in London and almost guarantee Champions League football, too, although a top-four finish for Moyes’ men this season could play a big part in him staying put at the London Stadium.

It is absolutely vital that the Hammers do all they can to keep hold of someone hailed as ‘exceptional’ by Pep Guardiola, but it is going to be difficult, given his ever-growing reputation.

In other news, David Moyes is reportedly targeting a West Ham signing. Find out who the player in question is here.

Leeds United reportedly have the funds available to sign Cagliari and Uruguay midfielder Nahitan Nandez in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Constant Leeds links

Few players, if any, have been linked with the Whites more intensely than Nandez, with the 26-year-old endlessly tipped to move to Elland Road in recent months.

The 49-cap Uruguay international has been a key figure for Cagliari since joining from Boca Juniors in 2019, making 88 appearances to date for the Sardinian club.

A January exit looks possible for Nandez, though, and Leeds have again been boosted in their efforts to sign him.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Fresh update emerges

According to Cagliari News 24 [via Sport Witness], the Whites have the ‘necessary liquidity’ to get a deal over the line, even though they are yet to submit an offer for him.

Torino don’t want to pay the €25m (£20.8m) that Cagliari want for Nandez’s services, acting as a further positive for Leeds.

[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: Perfect January signing

With Kalvin Phillips out injured until at least March, it is essential that the Whites bring in at least one midfielder this month in order to fill the void left by arguably their most important player, as well as bolstering an area of the squad where they are rather light.

Of all the midfielders to have been linked with Leeds, Nandez arguably looks the most tailor-made to come in and be a hugely successful signing, with plenty of high-level experience down the years but also the prime period of his career possibly ahead of him still at the age of 26.

Nandez has chipped in with two assists and averaged 1.5 dribbles per game in Serie A this season, showing he possesses creativity, not to mention winning 2.4 aerial duels and two tackles per match.

The Uruguayan is also renowned for his tremendous work rate, a quality which will surely endear him to the infamously demanding Marcelo Bielsa, so that is why he could be perfect for Leeds.

In other news, one Leeds player has been linked with a move to a big-name club. Find out who it is here.