All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Lots of Everton fans have welcomed an update from the club on Jean-Philippe Gbamin.

The Toffees’ official Twitter page announced that the former Mainz ace is back in training with the first team squad after a lengthy spell out with injury.

Gbamin has not been able to play for the Toffees since August 2019, and so it has come as a much welcome relief to all associated with Everton that he is back in training and may well play a part for Carlo Ancelotti’s team for the rest of the season.

The midfielder will also be a relieved man himself, as he may have been questioning whether he would ever be able to play football again following such a long spell out of action

Everton fans on Gbamin update

These Everton supporters hailed the update on Twitter, with one fan claiming that they were ‘delighted’ while others went as far as to call it ‘amazing’ and a bigger boost to the club than the recently-approved new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock:

“Amazing to see JPG back with the @Everton squad, hard work and determination will get deserved rewards and here’s hoping we can see him grace the Goodison pitch sooner rather than later, can’t wait to see what he can achieve under Ancelotti #EFC”

Credit: @efcbigdunc

“Such wholesome content, let’s go JPG”

Credit: @SmoothieJD

“Gbamin do his leg stretches leaning against the imaginary wall! Brilliant to see him training he gets some games in the run up to summer then ready and raring for next season show us what he can do! Been such a hard time for him! Made up for him!”

Credit: @toptoffeegirl

“Absolutely delighted for him”

Credit: @Richlloyd1984

“Bigger than Bramley Moore this”

Credit: @Vicaz22

“Absolutely buzzing for this lad, hope he kicks on now and stays injury free. Could be a big player for us in the run in.”

Credit: @ItsOnlyJk

In other news, find out what Alisher Usmanov news has been lauded by numerous Everton fans!

Leicester City travel to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton on Saturday evening, and the match could be the perfect time for Brendan Rodgers to blood an exciting youngster.

Sidnei Tavares has been afforded a couple of brief cameos in recent weeks, appearing off the bench in both the UEFA Europa League and Premier League.

He was introduced late on in Leicester’s last league outing – the 1-1 draw against Burnley at Turf Moor – but it’s now time for his first start.

With Leicester having suffered a plethora of injury woes this season, they have been limited in their options in midfield.

Dennis Praet was ruled out long-term following an injury picked up against Stoke City, whilst James Maddison has also recently been restricted to the sidelines with a hip problem. Ayoze Perez could have deputised but he too has been ruled out.

That means Leicester have been relying on Youri Tielemans. The Belgian midfielder has played in all but two of Leicester’s games in all competitions this season. The last time he didn’t appear was in a 1-0 defeat to Zorya Luhansk way back at the start of December.

Of course, the midfielder has been one of the Foxes’ most reliable players this season, posting their third-highest WhoScored average match rating – hence why he has been selected so much by Rodgers.

However, Portugal underage international Tavares could help take the burden off of the former AS Monaco man’s shoulders.

Traditionally an attacking midfielder, he has solid statistics in the Foxes’ youth ranks, netting 12 goals and providing six assists in appearances for various age groups.

His talent has certainly been noticed in recent years, too. Barcelona have been rumoured to be considering a move for the midfielder, whilst Foxes manager Brendan Rodgers said recently that he has “big potential”.

After all, the east Midlanders have enjoyed plenty of success with their youth ranks in recent years, with the likes of Harvey Barnes, Ben Chilwell, Hamza Choudhury and Luke Thomas all breaking into the firs team squad.

Should Rodgers elect to give Tielemans a well-earned rest against Brighton this weekend, Tavares could well be the perfect replacement and also potentially become the next star off of the King Power Stadium production line.

AND in more news, have a look at why we believe Leicester could do better than signing Orkun Kokcu.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Southampton midfielder Carlton Palmer has warned his old club about selling star players Danny Ings and Jannik Vestergaard to Tottenham this summer, and believes the former may have an “agreement” already with the north London side.

According to The Mirror, Jose Mourinho is considering making a move for Vestergaard once the transfer window opens, while Eurosport have credited the north London outfit with an interest in Ings.

While a lot still has to happen before any of these potential transfers materialise, the links are a worrying sign for Southampton, who have sold the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane and Luke Shaw to Premier League rivals in previous windows.

And Palmer believes it is not sustainable for the Saints to continue selling key assets every time one of the division’s big boys come knocking.

“It’s not sustainable for anybody to sell their best players,” the retired England international exclusively told FFC when discussing Tottenham’s reported interest in both Ings and Vestergaard.

“I think Danny’s gone off the boil. I think if reading between the lines from how I see it, it almost seems as if Danny’s got an agreement with Spurs, that’s just the way I feel. Listen, I don’t blame him. If you’re looking at Southampton, you’re looking at Spurs, Spurs are going to always be at the top end of the table and they’re going to be challenging for major honours. I don’t blame him.”

Ings starred for Southampton last season, finishing the 2019/20 Premier League campaign with an impressive 22 goals to his name, while Vestergaard has made a good name for himself in defence this term.

The Danish defender is currently winning 3.6 aerial duels per league game, the highest average in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad (via WhoScored), and is also making the most clearances out of all of his team-mates (4). Furthermore, losing both players would have to come as a blow to the south coast outfit.

If one of Neil Lennon’s New Year resolutions was to revive Celtic, then he is currently doing a bad job.

The Hoops are without a win in 2021, and are 23 points behind their fierce rivals.

It has been a season to forget and judging by their record of seven victories in the last 22 matches, it’s time for Lennon to go.

He’s claimed that he won’t leave of his own accord, and thus, the only way he’ll walk through the exit door is if Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawwell give the Northern Irishman his marching orders.

For the good of the club, it needs to happen as soon as possible. Eddie Howe has been linked with the hotseat but now another name has entered the conversation.

The Mirror reported this weekend that after leaving Chinese club Dalian Professional, Rafael Benitez is in the frame to succeed Lennon at Parkhead.

This would be an eye-catching appointment, one that could completely revitalise the Hoops in a whole host of ways.

Now 60 years of age, the Spaniard is well travelled and has a glistening CV – one that looks a lot more eye-catching than Lennon’s.

He has won the Champions League, UEFA Cup and the Europa League, while he’s also proven victorious in the Club World Cup. This is a coach with a stellar reputation, someone who has become recognised as a fabulous motivator.

Speaking about his spell under Benitez, Harry Kewell noted his ability to get players to agree with him no matter what: “He was the master of you walking into his office thinking…I know this is what I am going to say…and you’d walk out agreeing to everything he said,” the Australian began.

“Rafa Benitez was fantastic, but he’d say do this and I’d say but what about this way, and he’d respond – ‘fantastic but this is what I want you to do,” Kewell concluded.

For a Celtic side who look as though they’re being given an easy ride by Lennon right now, this would be game-changing. It feels like nothing the current Hoops boss says works and it wouldn’t be unreasonable to suggest he’s lost parts of the dressing room.

Yet, Benitez is someone that looks for solutions and can adapt well to his surroundings. The very fact he went from Real Madrid to Newcastle shows he offers a vast array of different qualities.

Though, it’s his meticulous use of analytics that could be the most beneficial for Celtic. It was revealed last year by Simon Ferry that Lennon was remarkably still using Brendan Rodgers’ training sessions. That detrimental method, however, could all change if Benitez walks through the door.

At Newcastle, Benitez installed a very particular brand of training, a highly organised intense affair.

His sessions would usually last 60-90 minutes, with a firm emphasis on exercises related to game preparation and tactics. 80% of the session would be work with the ball, while the other 20% would purely be on fitness. This type of organisation would be perfect for the Bhoys. After all, Lennon is hardly a mastermind when it comes to the training pitch.

The former Liverpool boss has also used analytics to his advantage. At Anfield, he used a Spanish tool called Amisco. It has since merged with Prozone and Opta but Benitez would collect as much analysis and statistics as possible to then feed down to his players.

Newcastle players and staff were fed intricate levels of detail when he was in the northeast of England. Assessing how their opponents lined-up for corners in previous seasons is a prime example.

Although he’d be exceptional at Lennoxtown, it is surely his reputation that would command the most respect.

There is a certain aura about the 60-year-old, one that could add fresh energy to Celtic. If Desmond can lure him to Glasgow, it would be one of his finest hours yet.

AND in other news, Hammond could revive Celtic by swooping for terrifying gem with 15 goals in 9 games…

Many Arsenal fans were left slamming the display of Emile Smith Rowe in their 1-1 draw versus Benfica in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night.

The tie was technically their away leg although it was played in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome in what ended up being a frustrating game for Mikel Arteta and his men.

The Emirates Stadium faithful were largely dominant but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang especially missed a few big chances that would have made the second leg much more comfortable.

Bukayo Saka saved the Gunners’ blushes after captain Pizzi put the hosts in front from the penalty spot.

Smith Rowe was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area and so gave away the pen in what was not his best night by his standards.

The 20-year-old lost out on no fewer than four of his duels and also failed to record a single shot, dribble, key pass, accurate cross or long ball, while he also lost possession 11 times, earning him a very measly 5.9 overall rating on Sofascore, the lowest out of any player to have set foot on the pitch.

Arsenal fan reaction to Smith Rowe display

These Gooners slammed his performance on Twitter, with one AFC supporter even going as far as to say that he was ‘clueless’ while another claimed that he ‘needs to be shipped off to the Championship’:

“We needed to slow the game and avoid a loss because our attack had lost ideas. Smith Rowe was tired and clueless, Auba gave up, Pepe and Martinelli looked exposed, Saka and Odegaard did not have any more tricks. There was no killer power. Tierney and Cedric could not make runs.”

Credit: @EngineerOmari

“Smith Rowe needs to be shipped off to the Championship again. Only rated because he’s from fail end and runs around like a horse.”

Credit: @lucxidreams

“Arsenal fan but it was a pen. Dumb decision from Smith Rowe”

Credit: @32mtizzy

“Arsenal’s creative spark Martin Ødegaard dropped a very good performance against a team playing such a low block. However, performances from other creators such as Emile Smith Rowe and Hector Bellerin from full back were average or simply poor.”

Credit: @AnalysingAFC

“Smith Rowe was poor and stop with the Bellerin agenda”

Credit: @clockend_scott

“Smith Rowe was poor.”

Credit: @riyadinho19

In other news, find out who was slammed by Arsenal fans for his display versus Aston Villa here!

Steve Bruce must agree to sell Dwight Gayle in the January transfer window amid reports Fulham are keen to sign the Newcastle United striker to save their season.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, the Craven Cottage natives are looking into the possibility of luring Gayle to south west London this month rather than waiting until his contract expires in the summer.

Fulham have been long-term admirers of Gayle and believe the 31-year-old can help keep the club in the Premier League, with Scott Parker short on alternatives to Aleksandar Mitrovic.

The Cottagers have discussed a potential offer which will see Newcastle net a small fee in the January market that will increase should the attacker help Parker retain his side’s top-flight status.

Clubs from the Middle East including Qatari outfits Al-Gharafa and Al-Duhail are also monitoring Gayle’s situation with his £40,000-per-week deal set to expire at the end of the season, while West Bromwich Albion would rather wait until his contract concludes.

Fulham currently sit three points from safety after four-straight draws but hold two games in hand over 17th-placed Brighton and Hove Albion, yet have struggled in front of the goal with only relegation-rivals Sheffield United, Burnley and West Brom scoring less thus far.

Should Newcastle sell Gayle?

Newcastle must listen to Fulham’s offer should the Craven Cottage natives step forward with a formal bid this month as Gayle has ransacked Mike Ashley’s pockets since being signed for £10m in 2016, whilst showing throughout his time at St. James’ Park that he cannot be trusted to help take the Magpies higher up the Premier League table.

Bruce will likely need convincing having frequently lauded Gayle and stating recently that he hopes the striker will put pen to paper a new contract, while believing the former Crystal Palace frontman – who has earned £9.5m since joining the Toon – has been unlucky with injuries.

“Dwight’s been unfortunate with his injuries, but he knows what I think about him as a player – he’s a goalscorer,” Bruce said, via quotes by BT. “How good it was to see him work tirelessly to get here. At the back end of last season, he was really on fire and he’s had an awful knee injury, but he’s got back.”

Gayle made his first appearance of the season in any competition during December’s 2-1 win over West Brom, in which he scored the winning effort, but has failed to find the back of the net in his following three outings and was an unused substitute in Newcastle’s last two games.

The 31-year-old had missed the first few months of the campaign with a knee injury, adding to calf and hamstring issues sustained during the 2019/20 season that restricted Gayle to 20 Premier League games in which he contributed four goals.

Bruce is unlikely to see much more from Gayle over the remainder of the term so must bin the striker while options are on the table, or be held accountable for the £7m-rated dud walking away for free.

AND in other news, Steve Bruce could discover Newcastle’s next Steven Taylor in a Magpies target tipped for “a tremendous career”…

Just when you thought Celtic may have turned a corner with their 2-0 win over Hamilton last time out, Neil Lennon’s side found a way to sink even lower.

The Hoops fell to a woeful 2-1 defeat to St Mirren at Celtic Park on Saturday afternoon, and whether the manager takes most of the blame, or the players, it was an all-round woeful day.

Despite boasting a whopping 68% of the possession, Celtic could only muster a paltry three shots on target, two less than the visitors. And whilst Shane Duffy will once again be in the headlines after being at fault for one of St Mirren’s goals, Leigh Griffiths will have some explaining to do as well.

The striker, who scored against Hamilton, looked way off the pace, struggling to get himself involved into the game. He had just 17 touches of the ball, which was by far the lowest of any starter for the Hoops, and made just a measly seven accurate passes out of the ten that he attempted.

But perhaps most worryingly for Lennon, is that Griffiths didn’t even look to make himself a nuisance for the St Mirren defence, instead looking lethargic and disinterested – he competed in just one duel, and lost that, and made no tackles, interceptions or clearances whatsoever, showing no signs of wanting to press from the front or work hard.

Even despite it being a disappointing campaign overall for the striker, he has still managed to win 1.7 duels per match in the Scottish Premiership – a number he was nowhere close to getting on Saturday.

In the end, Lennon had seen enough, and even despite seeing his side trailing at the half-time break, he saw fit to take his centre-forward off and replace him with Tom Rogic.

If ever there was a statement of just how badly wrong things have gone at Celtic Park, then the club’s abject display at home to a side who are 20 points below them in the table said it all.

Duffy might well be the go-to man to blame, especially given his recent awful performances, but Griffiths was arguably just as bad if not worse on Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Peter Lawwell can deliver perfect parting gift to Celtic with this signing…

Johan Lange must bite the bullet and look to sell Aston Villa forward Anwar El Ghazi in January after he has rarely featured under Dean Smith this season.

What’s the word?

According to Birmingham Live, El Ghazi could look to seek assurances over his Villa Park future ahead of the mid-season window with the Dutchman clocking up just 34-minutes of Premier League football thus far this term.

El Ghazi is yet to start a top-flight fixture and failed to offer a great impact in the Birmingham-based outfit’s Carabao Cup efforts, either, with just one assist to his name coming against Championship side Bristol City in September.

The 25-year-old has previously been a favourite of Smith with appearances in 34 matches following the Villans’ promotion to the Premier League, but has found game time harder to secure after the summer arrival of Bertrand Traore and form of Trezeguet.

Smith has also promoted Under 23s talent Jaden Philogene-Bidace to train with the first-team, while Villa have high-hopes for Louie Barry to make the grade in the not-too-distant future.

Time to bite the bullet

All things considered, Lange must bite the bullet and, alongside Smith, inform El Ghazi that his days as an Aston Villa regular are in the past and that the £40,000-per-week forward should look to find a new club in January.

Smith has shown this season that he is comfortable with not fielding El Ghazi regularly in the Premier League, with the Villans boss even omitting the 2019 permanent arrival from his matchday plans in three squads to date.

El Ghazi has struggled to offer an effective outlet in attack, as well, with the £7.2million-rated flop rarely involved once on the field in the 2-1 home defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion last month and taking just 12 touches at West Ham United on Monday night.

He completed just five passes at the London Stadium as the Villans strove to find an equalising goal, while offering zero shots, tackles, interceptions, key balls and one cross, per WhoScored.

Smith has not had difficulties seeing an offensive threat from his other forward options this season, with Trezeguet offering 15 shots – only Ollie Watkins has more (19) – Douglas Luiz boasting more successful dribbles (5 to 2), Matt Target providing more key balls (10 to 1) and Ross Barkley delivering a higher number of accurate crosses (9 to 1), per SofaScore, than El Ghazi.

If Lange can agree a suitable fee for the £8m signing, expect to see El Ghazi moved on in the winter.

AND in other news: “It’s the perfect fit” – Exclusive: Pundit urges Wes Edens to sign 26-y/o superstar for Aston Villa.

This has been a strange season for Wolves and with the transfer window due to open imminently, it could get a lot worse.

But why is that the case?

What’s the word?

Wolves have had a rollercoaster few weeks, beating Arsenal and Chelsea but being defeated by Liverpool, Aston Villa and Burnley.

Without Raul Jimenez, they are missing their talisman but that shouldn’t be their main concern at the moment, it should be Adama Traore.

Reports emerged a few weeks ago that the Old Gold had become frustrated with the Spaniard’s contract situation and the latest news now claims he could exit.

According to 90min, Leeds are interested in signing Traore and he could be reunited with Victor Orta, the Whites’ director of football who worked alongside him at Middlesbrough.

Having already sold Diogo Jota in the last market, it would not be the greatest idea to lose another of their prized assets.

Who will benefit?

If Wolves do indeed sell Traore, someone who could cost Leeds around £40m, then they need to unleash a specific player lurking in the academy.

That happens to be winger Theo Corbeanu, an 18-year-old talent with the world at his feet. Like Traore, he is a frightening attacker capable of beating opponents, scoring goals and assisting them for his teammates.

So far this term, the Romanian has four goals and one assist in nine Premier League 2 outings, behind hailed considerably along the way.

U23 boss James Collins said earlier this year: “He’s athletic, tall, can head it, can defend, can dribble past people and score, he can shoot, he can pass, he’s both footed, he’s got a bit of everything.”

Collins then added: “Theo can be anything he wants to be. He’s an outstanding prospect.”

He may not have come through La Masia as Traore did, but Corbeanu clearly has immense qualities, ones that have great similarities to a host of players in Wolves’ attack.

Just think of Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence for instance. These types of tricky individuals thrive instantly in Nuno Santo’s team.

Corbeanu could do the same if unleashed.

AND in other news, Wolves liability who LOST 83.4% of his duels will have Nuno fuming…

Tottenham Hotspur may have been dealt one devastating blow ahead of their return from international duty next week.

In their last Premier League outing, a late 1-0 victory over West Brom, resurgent midfielder Tanguy Ndombele came off injured just after the hour mark despite showing glimpses of his £55m quality.

It probably wasn’t a move that Jose Mourinho would have wanted to make with the Frenchman starting six of their eight league outings so far this season.

Ndombele was in cruise control at the Hawthorns, recording four key passes from 26 accurate attempts as well as pulling off a successful dribble, per SofaScore.

After a rocky start to life in north London, the former Lyon star has come on leaps and bounds this season under the Special One, who has noted this already.

He believes his box-to-box enforcer is merely scratching the surface despite many impressive showings, he said: “I still think he can do better. His potential is huge.”

However, Spurs may be without the £36m-rated beast when they return to action in just over a week’s time, against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

Football.London reporter Alasdair Gold told fans in his weekly YouTube show that his ankle knock “didn’t look good” for him as it originally looked like the “worst thing ever” when he hit the deck. He also suggested that Ndombele appeared to be in a lot of pain, claiming the midfielder was “shrieking.”

This would be a killer blow as the “phenomenal” Ndombele has played a key part this campaign, Mourinho said after the EFL Cup win over Chelsea that he was “playing amazing.”

Without him, there’s a chance that Harry Winks is recalled back into the starting XI. He has been wholly underwhelming so far this season, so that’s not what Spurs need.

Hopefully, Ndombele recovers during the final week of this international break, in time for a mega clash against City.

AND in other news, £36m-rated Spurs passenger once dubbed “perfect” by Poch at career crossroads…