All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

An update has emerged on Rangers gem Steven Davis, regarding his contract situation at Ibrox.

What’s the talk?

According to The Scottish Sun, the central midfielder is ‘likely’ to put pen to paper on a fresh one-year extension with the club.

He is out of contract at the end of the season and the report claims that he is set to remain at Rangers for another season, at least.

Cloud nine

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard will surely be on cloud nine with this news as it is a big boost to the club ahead of the 2022/23 campaign. As it stands, Davis will leave as a free agent at the end of the current season, but this update suggests that he will agree to stay for another year and remain a key member of the first-team squad for the head coach.

The 36-year-old is an influential figure in the Rangers midfield to this day, starting six of the club’s Premiership matches this term. He has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.99, completing 88% of his passes and winning 1.4 tackles per game.

In the 2020/21 campaign, he averaged an excellent rating of 7.06 as he played in 35 league matches. He completed 89% of his passes and made three tackles and interceptions per game, showing how efficient he is at retaining possession along with winning the ball back for the Gers.

When Davis signed his one-year extension last season, Gerrard hailed him and lauded his professionalism. The 41-year-old said: “Steven embodies professionalism and continues to set the standards required to be a Rangers player. He has been instrumental this year, playing a key role in our league success.

“Ross (Wilson) and I have enjoyed open dialogue with him, and acknowledge how he has handled this contract extension. Steven is low-maintenance and has much more to give our team, not only for the rest of this season but beyond.

“He is a role model to his team mates and continues to strive to be a better version of himself. I am very pleased to have a player with Premier League and international experience on board as we look towards next season.”

This is why the ex-Liverpool man will be left feeling delighted at the prospect of working with Davis for another season at Ibrox.

He can enjoy the midfield gem’s talents for another year and Gerrard will surely continue to select Davis in his XI if the veteran can maintain the levels he has shown in recent seasons in the Premiership.

AND in other news, Rangers hit the jackpot with “phenomenal” gem whose value has soared 697% in 2 years…

Aston Villa have been handed a major injury boost over Ollie Watkins ahead of their Premier League clash against Chelsea later today.

What’s the story?

The England international had been out of action for Villa for the opening two Premier League games before coming on as a substitute late on in the draw against Brentford last time out.

Dean Smith’s side travel to Stamford Bridge to take on the reigning Champions League holders on Saturday, and via a tweet from the club’s official social media channels, Smith said: “We should be welcoming Ollie Watkins back. We’ve also got Leon Bailey back to full fitness now. Bertrand Traore has trained the last couple of days as well. John McGinn and Jacob Ramsey have recovered from their Covid-19 situations too.”

Villa fans will be buzzing

Make no mistake about it, while Danny Ings got his Villa career off to a decent start with a goal on his debut, missing Watkins for those opening couple of games would’ve come as a massive blow to Smith.

The striker led Villa’s charge up the table last term, bagging 16 goals in all competitions (including 14 in the Premier League alone) and netting in home and away fixtures against both Liverpool and Arsenal. Such were his impressive performances in his debut campaign in the top flight that reports even suggested that the Merseyside club were interested in signing him in the summer transfer window.

Indeed, former Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor has even touted Watkins with winning the Premier League’s Golden Boot award, saying: “I think people might look at that statement and say ‘no chance’, but you look at last season, his first season in the Premier League, Watkins was scoring goals galore, he wasn’t even taking penalties and still got into double figures.

“I think if he is to win the Golden Boot he’d need to be on penalties, so we need to get El Ghazi off of them. But, he’s an outstanding striker, he’s got his England caps and he’s getting better and better with each game he plays in the Premier League.”

Dubbed a “machine” by Chris Deacon, programme editor at Watkins’ previous club Brentford, the £34m-rated star’s return is sure to have fans buzzing.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa had a transfer masterclass with this ace…

With Lee Johnson having seen his Sunderland side lose their place at the top of the League One table following their 2-2 draw on Saturday, with Tuesday night’s opponents in the Carabao Cup Wigan Athletic overtaking the Black Cats in the league standing, the 40-year-old manager would have undoubtedly been hoping for a dominant performance against the Mackems’ promotion rivals in the cup clash.

And his players did not disappoint, with goals from Nathan Broadhead and Luke O’Nien sealing a commanding 2-0 win at the DW Stadium, with the Black Cats boasting 63% possession, completing 176 more passes than the home side and winning 11 more duels than the Latics.

Furthermore, perhaps predictably when considering the result, a number of Johnson’s team highly impressed on an individual level in the clash, with Broadhead, Alex Pritchard, Corry Evans and Bailey Wright all turning in brilliant performances.

However, it was undoubtedly Sunderland’s second goalscorer in the game, O’Nien, who ran the show on the night.

80% duels won

Indeed, aside from scoring the goal that all but sealed the win for Sunderland, O’Nien’s performance in the middle of the park was one of the highest calibre, with the central midfielder impressing both going forwards and at the back.

In terms of his attacking influence, the £135k-rated man scored one goal, took a total of two shots at goal, managed 76 touches of the ball – the fourth most of any player in the fixture – and completed four long balls.

Regarding his defending, the 26-year-old won 80% of his 10 duels, made three clearances, two tackles, one interception and won two fouls over the course of his 90 minutes on the pitch.

These returns saw O’Nien earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.7, the highest score received by any player to feature in the game.

As such, should the player Jack Ross dubbed a “revelation” maintain this level of performance for the remainder of the season, he will undoubtedly go on to play a huge role in Sunderland’s push for promotion out of League One, something that, following their highly impressive display against the current third-tier table-toppers, looks increasingly likely.

In other news: Sunderland enter into fresh talks with £4.3k-p/w “nightmare”, fans will be buzzing

Manchester City reportedly sent scouts to watch Solihull Moors striker Kyle Hudlin this weekend and if he signs, he could fix a key issue in Pep Guardiola’s side.

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic’s Gregg Evans, City are taking an interest in the 20-year-old, who is the tallest outfield professional player in Britain, standing at an impressive six-foot-nine.

Championship sides Cardiff City and Middlesbrough are also credited with an interest in the giant forward, who seems likely to leave the non-league side this summer given the interest being shown in him.

Would Hudlin be a good signing for Man City?

The young striker hit nine goals in 34 appearances in non-league last season, which isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but it is clear what he would offer City should he sign.

Whilst it seems crazy to suggest that a 20-year-old from non-league could soon become a player for the Premier League champions, you could argue that he could amend a key issue in Guardiola’s squad.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-manchester-city-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Manchester City transfer rumours and news!”]

Sunday’s defeat against Tottenham Hotspur emphasised just how poor City can be when playing without a natural striker, and Hudlin would add a serious aerial presence in the opposition box that the Citizens have lacked since the days of Alvaro Negredo and Edin Dzeko.

The final minutes in north London saw City send several crosses into the box, despite their front three consisting of Gabriel Jesus, Jack Grealish and Ferran Torres at the time, none of whom can be considered much of an aerial threat considering they are all below six foot.

Therefore, if Hudlin were to sign for City and improve under the coaching of Guardiola, then he could be the ideal player to bring on in these sort of situations where the Citizens are forced into sending the ball long and playing off a target man.

Given that he is playing for Solihull Moors, he would likely cost significantly less than fellow transfer target Harry Kane this summer, so would be a relatively low-risk transfer by the club.

[freshpress-quiz id=“577936”]

Therefore, Txiki Begiristain should definitely consider bringing Hudlin to the Etihad, as he could offer Guardiola something very different in attack.

And, in other news… 71% duels lost: Shocking Man City dud was awful again in Spurs defeat

It would be hard to say that Sheffield United’s Championship campaign has got off to a good start, with Slavisa Jokanovic seeing his Blades side fall to three defeats in their opening four games of the season.

Over these four fixtures, United have picked up just one point, scored a single goal and have conceded seven, leaving them languishing in 23rd place in the table.

In fact, the club’s only win so far this season came against Carlisle United in the first round of the Carabao Cup, with Rhian Brewster’s strike enough to see the Blades through to the second round of the competition, in which they face Derby County on Tuesday night.

Considering the rather significant lack of goals scored by United so far this season, it would seem advisable for Jokanovic to change things up in his attacking lineup for what is essentially a risk-free fixture.

Indeed, despite having seven centre-forwards at his disposal, none of the strikers who have featured in either competition for United this season have done anything to cement their place in the 53-year-old’s starting XI, with Billy Sharp and Brewster (one goal each) the only players to have found the back of the net in all competitions.

As such, despite it being reported that Jokanovic is open to sanctioning his temporary departure prior to the closure of the summer transfer window next week, it would seem advisable for the Serbian to afford 18-year-old starlet Daniel Jebbison a shot in the United team against Derby tonight.

The £900k-rated forward made a real impact upon his introduction to the first team last season, scoring the winner against Everton – who are now reported to be interested in signing the youngster – in his first Premier League start. He also impressed over a few more appearances towards the end of the top-flight campaign, with Micah Richards dubbing him a “fantastic” talent.

Before deciding whether or not to send the player out on loan this summer, Jokanovic simply must give the England under-18 international a chance to impress against Derby tonight, as he could well turn out to be the answer to United’s goalscoring troubles.

In other news: Jokanovic could solve big Sheffield United issue with £24k-p/w beast who’s “like a Paul Scholes”

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United supporters have been in full voice after club insider ExWHUemployee’s update on exciting youngster Conor Coventry.

Coventry, who has impressed for West Ham throughout pre-season, has been tipped by a section of fans to be the Hammers’ next breakthrough academy star after Declan Rice.

Some comparisons to the England international have even been made, and given this is club legend Mark Noble’s last season in Claret and Blue, the 21-year-old could be useful to reinforce the defensive midfield position.

Manager David Moyes is fighting on the Europa League front as well as domestically for the 2021/2022 season but only has Rice and Tomas Soucek as natural options to sit in front of the back four.

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

ExWHUemployee (via Hammers Updates), bringing news on Coventry’s position, now claims that the starlet could in fact be allowed to go out on loan to Peterborough United.

Indeed, The Posh have submitted an offer for the midfield man and it is believed that West Ham are prepared to accept it – with the final decision resting on Coventry himself.

Discounting Manuel Lanzini, who has been utilised as a makeshift deep-lying playmaker by Moyes, it’s little wonder supporters believe Coventry should stay and fight for a senior spot this season given their lack of depth.

As a result, many fans are simply baffled that West Ham and GSB are prepared to let Coventry move away.

Find all of their best verdicts, in response to Hammers Updates who shared the news, down below.

West Ham fans erupt over Coventry update

“This is ridiculous. He needs to stay. We are terrible at transfers and he is more than ready”

Credit: @westhamhour

“This is madness”

Credit: @AndyWHU1987

“This will be utter madness if we send him out on loan. Screams of what we did to Josh Cullen last year”

Credit: @JH_Journalism

“Nah this club is actually dusted omds”

Credit: @Jackcoyi

“This can’t happen with how painfully thin our squad is right now.”

Credit: @tosman30

“Incomprehensible”

Credit: @LiamMalone12

“This would be the most dumb transfer we have sanctioned in a long time.

And that’s really saying something.”

Credit: @njp6439

“Grady last season, Conor this….our owners really do enjoy taking a swipe at the fans don’t they.”

Credit: @rustyk1971

In other news: ‘Yesssss’, ‘What we’ve been asking for’…West Ham fans flock to official club post, find out more here.

A reliable West Ham source has dropped a frustrating transfer update this week…

What’s the word?

The Irons are thought to be closing in on the signing of Fiorentina centre-back Nikola Milenkovic, who would become only their second senior addition of the summer despite the Premier League returning this weekend.

However, the deal is far from complete as negotiations with agents continue.

That’s according to ExWHUemployee, who delivered some fresh information to supporters on his ‘The West Ham Way’ Patreon page. He said:

“Talks are still ongoing with the centre backs. Milenkovic deal is still not complete because of the difficulty in dealing with agents (that’s the excuse I have been given). There doesn’t appear to have been any progression today which in itself is a worry.

“Milenkovic trained with his club today, as he did yesterday.”

Further frustration

The Serbia international is expected to cost the Hammers around £14m, whilst a move for Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma could be back on after discussions collapsed last week, as per the Evening Standard.

But with a trip to Newcastle United merely days away, it’s hard to believe that David Moyes will have the new centre-back he’s craving in time for the start of the new campaign.

Their transfer plans have been rather frustrating thus far, as seen by the fact that their only signing has been the loan arrival of Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-rumours-the-latest-gossip-and-much-more-3” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and much more!”]

The longer they do not sign Milenkovic, the more doubt and worry will start to creep in around the London Stadium and as the trustworthy ExWHUemployee says, it’s “a worry.”

Moyes has made a central defensive addition one of his recent priorities due to Angelo Ogbonna’s injury concerns, so there’s a chance that his only two available options, Craig Dawson and Issa Diop, are the two to start at St James’ Park on Sunday.

One injury to either will put the 58-year-old in a nightmarish spot once again. You only have to remember the back end of last season, where injury troubles plagued the squad and it very nearly dented their European hopes.

The Scot needs more than Milenkovic, too. A new striker to provide the perfect foil to the injury-prone Michail Antonio has to be another priority, especially as they are facing a 50-plus game campaign. The 31-year-old has never started more than 24 league games since joining the Hammers.

Plenty of supporters have been left angered by their lack of activity this window and this update does no favours to Moyes or GSB.

The wait goes on.

AND in other news, West Ham insider drops exciting transfer claim about David Moyes…

West Ham United are the latest club to enter the race to sign West Brom midfielder Matheus Pereira, according to journalist Ekrem Konur. 

What’s the story?

Pereira has caught the eye with a number of strong showings for West Brom in recent seasons, and it appears as though that hasn’t gone unnoticed.

The 25-year-old signed for the Baggies in 2020, and was on hand to provide 20 assists for West Brom in his first season with the club, as they clinched promotion into the Premier League.

He has followed that up with an impressive season in the top-flight, as Pereira netted 12 goals, and was on hand to provide six assists for his team-mates, although his efforts weren’t quite enough, as they were relegated into the Championship after just one season back in the top-flight.

The likes of Leicester City, Leeds United, Norwich City and Brentford had all been credited with interest in signing Pereira this summer, although a formal bid was yet to be made.

West Brom will be fighting a losing battle to keep Pereira

West Ham United are the latest club to enter that race to strike a deal with West Brom for Pereira’s services, as the Hammers look to find an alternative option to Jesse Lingard.

Lingard spent the second-half of the 2020/21 season on loan with David Moyes’ side, and netted nine goals in 16 appearances for the London-based side, as they finished sixth in the Premier League table, qualifying for European football next term in the process.

But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sees Lingard as part of his plans at Manchester United next season, which will mean that West Ham will target an alternative option this summer, as they look to add depth to their current options in attacking areas.

Pereira is seemingly the player that they’re keen on signing, with the midfielder evidently making a good impression with West Brom last term.

West Brom will surely know that they’re likely to be fighting a losing battle to keep Pereira at the Hawthorns this summer, with the prospect of playing Premier League football potentially being too good of an opportunity to turn down for any player, as you want to be competing at the highest possible level.

West Ham can certainly provide that, and with the added extra of European football being on offer, you would imagine that the Hammers will be in pole position to strike a deal to sign Pereira this summer.

The midfielder had previously received praise from former West Brom boss Sam Allardyce, who tipped him to be one of the best players in the Premier League.

“I have worked with some world class players in my time.

“I can’t say Matheus is world class but he certainly has the potential to be a top class Premier League player if he continues developing.”

Pereira had an average Whoscored rating of 6.96 for West Brom in the 2020/21 season, which put him joint-top alongside Baggies loanee Okay Yokuslu.

This latest update should be worrying news to many around the Hawthorns.

Many Everton fans have been left buzzing as a transfer update emerged on Glen Kamara.

As per a report from earlier in the week from Eurosport, which has since been shared by Toffee TV on their Twitter page, the Goodison Park outfit are among a number of clubs pursuing the Rangers midfielder in the summer transfer window.

Brentford, Watford and an unnamed team in Russia are also interested in his signature after impressing at Euro 2020 with Finland.

Kamara ranked highly among his Finnish teammates in terms of average tackles (1.3), interceptions (3.3), passes (52.3), pass success (87.9%) and long balls (1.7) per game in the group stages (Whoscored), where they had to play the world’s highest-ranked team in Belgium and eventual semi-finalists Denmark.

The Toffees would have no doubt been keeping an eye on his performances, and it seems that a lot of their supporters want the club to snap him up.

Everton fans on Kamara transfer update

These fans were buzzing as the transfer update was shared on Twitter, with one Evertonian saying that Kamara is an ‘excellent’ player:

“He’s not the easiest on the eye in possession, but on the occasions I watched Rangers I was very impressed with him. Reminded me a lot of Doucoure. Ticks a lot of the boxes we need ticking, even if he’s not a stand out signing.”

Credit: @Holdentheblue

“Watched a lot of Rangers this year and he’s an excellent player.”

Credit: @LouLinzi

“Really good footballer actually”

Credit: @EvertonViking

“Decent player”

Credit: @CragOnTour

“Oikein! Let’s do it!”

Credit: @VilleBille

“Strengthens Everton and weakens Rangers. Yes please”

Credit: @TiarnanEFC32

In other news, find out which Champions League ace Rafa Benitez has asked Everton to sign

Birmingham City are interested in signing Wolverhampton Wanderers ace Dion Sanderson on a loan deal this summer [The Athletic via Birmingham Live].

The Lowdown: Wolverhampton Wanderers get ready for 2021/22

Looking towards 2021/22, many supporters up and down the country will be intrigued to see how newly appointed Wolves manager Bruno Lage re-structures his squad ahead of the forthcoming campaign.

Despite starting the window in earnest by acquiring Yerson Mosquera and Rayan Ait Nouri permanently, the likes of Rui Patricio and Ruben Vinagre have left the club so it would not be a surprise to see more outgoings.

The Latest: Sanderson targeted by Birmingham City; multiple clubs keen

Birmingham City are said to be keen on securing 21-year-old Sanderson on loan for the upcoming season [Birmingham Live].

Sheffield United, Sunderland, Newcastle United and Millwall are also in the running for his signature.

The Wolverhampton-born defender signed a new contract at the Premier League club last year, keeping himself in the West Midlands until summer 2022 [Wolverhampton Wanderers FC Official].

The Verdict: Sanderson loan is best case for Wolves

Encouragingly, this news could provide plenty of positivity for the Wolverhampton Wanderers faithful.

Evidently a talented defender, affording Sanderson the opportunity to learn and develop in the Sky Bet Championship this year would further increase his first-team chances in the long term, rather than losing him permanently to the likes of Newcastle, who have had a bid rejected.

In 2020/21, he spent the term on loan at North-East giants Sunderland, making 27 appearances for the Sky Bet League one side [Transfermarkt].

Furthermore, he impressed across the campaign with his propensity to disposing of dangerous attacking situations, making 2.7 clearances per game within this timeframe [WhoScored].

In his 1841 minutes completed for both Sunderland and Wolves, he recorded an impressive passing accuracy of 81.6% [WhoScored].

Once labelled as ‘an absolute Rolls-Royce’ by Black Cats manager Lee Johnson, he could well still have a future at the heart of the Wolves defence, so we feel a temporary move to earn more experience one division up from his last loan would be perfect.

In other news, a former Wolves assistant has advised a player on his future.