All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Player potential can be both prosperous and dangerous.

On one hand, if a player is to reach their maximum skill evolvement, their club can benefit no-end, financially speaking.

Though, if a player fails to hit the heights that their hype holds them accountable to, it can be a damaging affair for their employers.

Wolves are unique in the fact that their saga with former Portuguese and now Angolan footballer, Helder Costa leant more towards the former and more prosperous scenario, rather than the latter.

Costa profit

Costa emerged from the high profile Benfica youth system at the age of 18, in the same age group as Ivan Cavaleiro and Bernardo Silva.

After making his debut for the Lisbon side’s B-team in 2012, he would go onto represent them 72 times, scoring 15 goals. Ultimately, he failed to make the grade for the Benfica first-team, making just one appearance.

After a failed loan-spell at La Liga side Deportivo de La Coruna, he made the brave switch to pastures new to link-up with fellow Benfica graduates Silva and Cavaleiro at Monaco.

Despite teeing up a young Kylian Mbappe for the Frenchman’s first-ever league goal, Costa would go on to play a total of 28 games for the Ligue 1 side, scoring five goals, with Monaco loaded with depth options in Kylian Mbappe, Thomas Lemar and Bernardo Silva.

It wasn’t all bad though as Helder Costa moved on a season-long loan to Championship side at the time Wolverhampton Wanderers in what was his best season ever in terms of end product, with a total of 18 goal contributions in 35 appearances. 

Wolves made the transfer permanent, with the Old Gold side splashing out £13m for Costa’s services to break their club-record transfer fee at the time in January 2017.

Ultimately, the attacker was not able replicate his ten goals and eight assists that he showed the season prior, but still chipped in with a solid five goals and six assists to help Wolves top the Championship and gain promotion to the Premier League.

After one season in the Premier League, Costa joined Leeds United on loan in the Championship and after helping them to promotion, made the deal permanent with Leeds forking out £16m but he was soon dubbed a “massive flop” by pundit Noel Whelan.

He featured 22 times in the Premier League for Bielsa’s side the following season (2020/2021) yet Leeds offloaded him to Valencia the following campaign after just one appearance, in what was a strange deal at the time.

With 28-year-old Costa fighting to turn his loan move at Valencia into a permanent deal, he is now valued at just £7.2m, with Wolves’ decision to sell in 2019 looking ingenious.

In other news – Wolves eyeing “all-round” 26y/o regarded as “most complete ever” with fans buzzing…

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has reportedly now told his friends that he would like to leave Everton in the summer, with Arsenal being his preferred destination.

The Lowdown: Big interest

It has been reported that both the Gunners and Newcastle United have now made enquiries over the possibility of signing Calvert-Lewin this summer, who is almost certain to leave Goodison Park if they are relegated from the Premier League.

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His season has been plagued by injuries, but the striker has shown his credentials in previous campaigns on Merseyside (one of the best‘ in his position.

The Latest: Arsenal preferred

As per Football Insider, a recruitment source has revealed that Calvert-Lewin is now ‘likely’ to leave the Toffees in the summer, whether they end up getting relegated or not.

He has ‘told friends’ that he would prefer to move to Arsenal over Newcastle, implying that he would be happy to move on from the Blues.

The Verdict: Sell

Given that Calvert-Lewin is seemingly unhappy at EFC with his willingness to move, added on top of his injury problems, the summer may now be the best time for the board to cash in.

An England international at 25 years of age, the former Sheffield United ace should still command a big fee in today’s market, regardless of whether the club end up relegated.

Calvert-Lewin would not be easy to replace, but with the likes of Richarlison still in the squad, they could then use that money to strengthen in other areas of the pitch.

In other news, find out who has now been talked about as a potential Frank Lampard replacement here!

Wolves right-back Nelson Semedo could return for his side’s Premier League clash with Newcastle United, according to injury expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Semedo missing recently

The Portuguese ace has been out of action since the 2-1 defeat away to Arsenal in late February, having picked up a hamstring injury.

Prior to that setback, Semedo had started 23 Premier League matches for the Wanderers, proving to be an important part of Bruno Lage’s plans.

With Wolves visiting Newcastle on Friday evening, an injury boost may have emerged in the hours leading up to kick-off.

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The Latest: Dinnery makes key claim

Taking to Twitter, Dinnery, an injury analyst who runs the Premier Injuries site, claimed Semedo is in line to make a return to the side at St James’ Park:

“Nelson Semedo is training at a ‘good level’ and the right-back is in contention for the trip to St James’ Park.”

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The Verdict: Last-minute boost

This is a welcome boost for Wolves, and while Semedo may not be deemed match fit enough to start, the update suggests he will be able to play a key role between now and the end of the season.

Having the 28-year-old back in the fold means Jonny could revert to his preferred left-back role, giving the side an ideal balance in the two full-back positions.

Lage needs as many key men available in the final weeks of the season and Semedo certainly falls into that bracket, having averaged 2.3 tackles per game in the league this season. Only Toti (4.0) and Rayan Ait-Nouri (2.9) have a higher average.

In other news, Wolves are in a four-way battle to sign one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Everton podcaster Lee McClean has been left slamming Jonjoe Kenny after they lost 2-1 away at West Ham United in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Lowdown: Damaging defeat

It was yet another damaging defeat for the Goodison Park faithful, after Mason Holgate’s equaliser was cancelled out by Jarrod Bowen.

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Aaron Cresswell gave the hosts the lead in the first half with a stunning free-kick, and when the Merseyside club had some hope after Holgate scored, it was very quickly taken away from them as Bowen’s goal was followed by a second yellow card for Michael Keane.

The Latest: McClean slams Kenny

Taking to Twitter, McClean, founding member and co-host of renowned Toffees podcast A View From The Bullens, took aim at Kenny in particular after his performance with a brutally simple summary: “Kenny isn’t very good at football.”

The Verdict: Very poor

Kenny was beyond poor against the Hammers, losing out on all three of his duels, while he also failed to record any successful dribbles, tackles or accurate long balls (SofaScore).

The right-back was also guilty of giving possession away no fewer than 13 times, the joint-most out of any of his teammates, and may now be looking over his shoulder for a consistent starting place under Frank Lampard.

Seamus Coleman (illness) and Nathan Patterson (injury) both missed out this afternoon, but will be looking to hold the right-back spot ahead of Kenny for the relegation battle ahead.

In other news, find out what ‘staggering’ Blues update has now left this former BBC man stunned here!

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Mike Dean has been removed as the fourth official for Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League clash with Chelsea on Wednesday night.

Dean had been selected as an official for the clash at Stamford Bridge, but has been removed following his confrontation with Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino in the aftermath of Saturday’s clash with Burnley.

Indeed, Pochettino angrily approached Dean after the final whistle at Turf Moor, with the Spurs manager unhappy with a number of decisions.

Indeed, the corner which led to Burnley’s opening goal should have been a goal kick, while Pochettino also appeared to be unhappy with a number of challenges from the home side in what was a 2-1 Tottenham defeat.

Pochettino has since been charged by the Football Association and has until February 28 to respond.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

The Tottenham fans, though, are at least pleased that Dean has been switched from their match to the clash between Manchester City and West Ham United.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Newcastle United are reportedly now moving to sign Issa Diop before the January transfer window shuts.

The Lowdown: Centre-back still needed

Despite the good business that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium have done so far this window, a central defender has still not been signed.

They have been strongly linked with moves for Brighton and Hove Albion duo Adam Webster and Dan Burn, and with just a few more days left in the month, expect the new owners to be very busy on their phones as the clock ticks down.

And now, according to reports from the player’s homeland, it is another Premier League club that the Magpies are plotting to raid.

The Latest: Diop move

As per L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), the North East club are now ‘making moves’ to sign Diop, and there have been ‘discussions in recent hours’ with the player’s camp over a potential switch.

They ‘considered’ signing the West Ham United centre-back at the start of the window before moving on to other targets, but now it looks as if they have gone back in for him.

The Verdict: Get it done

With the clock ticking by, the Tyneside outfit just need to get this deal done as soon as possible.

Diop would be an upgrade on what Eddie Howe currently has at his disposal, as he is currently averaging more tackles and passes at a higher success than Ciaran Clark, Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles in the Premier League so far this season (WhoScored), and is at a good age at 25.

With his six-foot-four frame, the Frenchman is a bit of a beast, and Jose Mourinho even went as far as to dub him a ‘monster‘ back in 2018, after dominating duels against his Manchester United team.

Nonetheless, with his added experience of playing in the top flight, Diop would be a very smart signing.

In other news, find out what exciting transfer update Keith Downie has dropped here!

Manchester United are getting close to securing the appointment of Erik ten Hag to take over at Old Trafford this summer, however their transfer targets are proving more difficult to convince joining the club with a new update on one potential move.

What’s the word?

According to The Mirror, Harry Kane is set to snub Manchester United’s advancements this summer to stay at Tottenham Hotspur with Antonio Conte.

The report suggests that ten Hag has made the England captain his ‘top striker target’ to sign upon his arrival when the transfer window opens on June 10th, but Kane would prefer to remain as the main man under his new Italian manager following their huge chance of Champions League football next season.

ten Hag will be disappointed

As mentioned in the report, ten Hag had set Kane as his top target for the Man United forward line this summer, so to already lose the chance of signing the striker will sure be hugely disappointing to the Dutch coach ahead of his arrival at the club.

The £200k-p/w star who was hailed “world class” by Antonio Conte, had a slow start to his season, only scoring and assisting once in his first 13 Premier League games but has been back to his best since his new Italian manager arrived at the club in November.

Under Conte’s guidance, Kane has been phenomenal scoring 15 goals and contributing eight assists, with his link up play being one of his most commendable attributes in the second half of this season delivering five assists in the last three league games.

This attacking output is something that Manchester United are desperate for, and ten Hag clearly values the impact and quality that the Spurs striker could add to his new squad next season, but with Rangnick failing to secure a comfortable position in the top four this snub could be a common theme for the club during the transfer window.

If Man United don’t qualify for Champions League football it could lead to a major set-back in the 52 year old manager’s ability to build the team he wants to lead at Old Trafford, with top players like Kane preferring to play in the prestigious European competition.

In other news: Imagine him & Ten Hag: Man Utd could unearth Pogba 2.0 in “versatile” £100k-p/w dynamo

It’s time for Leeds United to move on from Tyler Roberts this summer.

Even in the absence of leading talisman Patrick Bamford, the Wales international has struggled for minutes – even academy duo Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood appear to sit ahead of him in the pecking order under American boss Jesse Marsch.

But that should hardly come as a surprise, given the form of the 23-year-old since the Yorkshire giants returned to the promised land of the Premier League.

Although, overall, a record of nine goals and ten assists across 108 appearances is not good reading for a forward.

Just two of those direct contributions have come this season, where he has featured in 23 top-flight games, as per Transfermarkt. Roberts has not started a game for the Whites since the 3-1 win over Burnley back in January – a game in which he failed to score.

Leeds actually looked the better side and found the net twice after his early bath on the hour mark, which is rather telling.

He has now been absent from Marsch’s matchday squad in three straight games due to injury and has made only four substitute appearances in 2022.

According to talkSPORT and Football Insider pundit Gabby Agbonlahor, Roberts will “be in the Championship” next season as “he’s not a Premier League player.”

Also slammed by the former Villa frontman for being “shocking” and “not good enough”, the former West Bromwich Albion youth product is surely nearing the exit door in this new era at Elland Road.

Thought to be earning wages in the region of £45k-per-week, Roberts has been absolutely stealing a living from the club.

When you factor in the initial £2.5m it cost to prise him away from the Baggies in January 2018, the Welshman has cost chairman Andrea Radrizzani and the club’s coffers in excess of £12m – and that’s only going to rise as he’s under contract until the summer of 2024.

Signed a year after the Italian’s arrival at Leeds, it’s fair to suggest that Roberts has been one of the worst signings under his leadership. He’s certainly not someone that Marsch should persist with past the summer.

Amid links to RB Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson, it could only be a matter of time before the 23-year-old is moved on, justifiably so, too.

AND in other news, Forget Joffy: Leeds must seal bargain swoop for teen prodigy with 40 goals this season…

Rangers will be looking to make it back-to-back wins in the Premiership as Gio van Bronckhorst’s side return to action at Ibrox tonight.

The Gers bounced back from their 3-0 defeat to Celtic in the Old Firm with an emphatic 5-0 win over Hearts and now host Hibernian on Wednesday night.

Alfredo Morelos (two), Scott Arfield, Glen Kamara and Fashion Sakala scored the goals at the weekend, whilst Aaron Ramsey came off the bench to make his debut for the club.

How many changes will Gio make from that clash? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three alterations to the side, with Borna Barisic, Glen Kamara and Fashion Sakala all coming in.

Whilst the Gers were sublime in their win over Hearts, van Bronckhorst may want to make a few changes to keep the team fresh whilst they are playing three games a week.

At left-back, Barisic could be offered the chance to show a reaction to losing his spot at the weekend. Calvin Bassey started ahead of him, with Leon Balogun moving into a central position next to Connor Goldson, and the £6.4k-per-week gem could now be axed from the side to accommodate that Croatian international.

In the Premiership this season, he has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.30. This shows that he has been excellent for the majority of the campaign and deserves the opportunity to come back in to show that he can get back to his best after a costly error against Celtic last week.

John Lundstram should keep his place in midfield alongside Scott Arfield, but there will be a change at the base of the team with Ryan Jack having been ruled out through injury. Kamara came off the bench to score at the weekend and he could slot straight into the number six role tonight.

Finally, Sakala could come in for Joe Aribo, who lost nine of his 11 ground duels and failed to register a goal or assist. This could open the door for his Zambian teammate to come in, with the 24-year-old having scored six goals from seven Premiership starts this season.

He has also created 1.1 chances per game as he has been able to offer a big threat in the final third since arriving in the summer. Van Bronckhorst may be tempted to hand him a start on the right wing, particularly after he came off the bench to score against Hearts.

We are predicting that the rest of the team will remain the same, with Allan McGregor, James Tavernier, Goldson, Balogun, Lundstram, Arfield, Ryan Kent and Morelos keeping their places.

AND in other news, Major blow: Rangers dealt late injury twist that’ll leave Ibrox fans fuming…

Rangers saw a significant number of players make the move to Ibrox during the short reign of former manager Pedro Caixinha.

However, much like the 51-year-old’s time in charge of the Gers, not all of the players that joined the club in 2017 ended up being particularly successful at Ibrox.

One player, in particular, that ended up being a major flop for the club is midfielder Carlos Pena.

In June 2017, Rangers signed the Mexican from Guadalajara in a deal worth a reported fee of £2.2m, making him the most expensive player signed under Caixinha.

Having made just 14 appearances for the Gers across all competitions, Pena’s contract was terminated only 18 months into the four-year deal he signed with them.

Despite being labelled as a “massive player with a lot of technique and physicality” by Caixinha, Pena was also seen as a “problem” by the former Rangers boss in regards to what he ended up delivering on the pitch for the team.

Even though he managed to find the back of the net four times in the 12 league appearances he made in the 2017/18 season, it was problems off the pitch that impacted his time at the club.

According to Andy Halliday, Pena had such an issue with alcohol that he would come into training smelling of it.

Halliday said: “He was messy alright, this guy was the modern alcoholic. He would just come in stinking of bevvy all the time. Stinking of it. From the time he came in I was only there for maybe a month, but honestly he was always stinking of booze.”

After leaving Rangers in March 2019, the player has gone on to have spells at clubs in Poland, El Salvador, Mexico and Argentina.

The 32-year-old has been without a club since January.

Taking all of this into account, it’s hard to see Pena’s transfer to Rangers being anything other than disastrous.

Having shelled out a total sum of £4.3m on the player from his transfer fee and £25k-per-week wages over the 84 weeks he was at the club, this just highlights what a waste of money it was from the Gers.

In other news: Wilson could land a new £13m talent as Rangers plot bid for £180k-rated sensation