All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Celtic have made contact with former Borussia Dortmund boss Lucien Favre.

That’s according to a report from Football Insider, with a Hoops source informing them the club has put the feelers out to the 63-year-old over possibly taking on the vacant post.

This comes after Eddie Howe’s representative revealed that the former Bournemouth boss isn’t planning to return to management until the summer.

Favre has been out of work since December and is considered a genuine contender to replace Neil Lennon.

The Swiss coach, who has had four managerial positions in the last 10 years, prefers a 4-2-3-1 formation – the same system as Lennon.

Transfer Tavern take

When it comes to both Favre and Howe, we think there is a standout contender for the Hoops.

Howe has had previous experience of leading a successful rebuild, with the Englishman taking Bournemouth from League Two to the Premier League in the space of six seasons.

He’s also 20 years Favre’s junior, so in the long run, could be the smarter option.

Finally, when it comes to the pair’s wage packets, Howe is the cheaper option. Favre picked up €7.5 million at Dortmund, whereas Howe collected £3 million a year on the south coast.

In other news: Transfer update emerges on £14k-p/w Celtic ace who has sights set on Hoops exit; not Edouard, find out who it is here. 

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Daniel Pinder, editor-in-chief at Get German Football News, has claimed that Milot Rashica would be a massive upgrade on what Aston Villa already have in the final third after Football Insider reported they could reignite a move for him.

It was reported last summer that Villa had agreed to meet Rashica’s £20.5 million release clause, however the deal was scuppered when the 24-year old asked for his £40,000 per week wages to be doubled.

Aston Villa have struggled for creativity in the final third during Jack Grealish’s time on the sidelines with Trezeguet, Anwar El Ghazi and Bertrand Traore not being consistent enough as they have just 13 goals between them in the Premier League this season.

Speaking on how Rashica would be an improvement on what Vill already have and how playing with someone like Grealish would help Rashica, Pinder told FFC:

“He is a versatile player who can play anywhere across the front three as he has done for Werder Bremen, and I think he would be a huge upgrade on Trezeguet and El Ghazi.

“At a team like Villa where he would have the likes of Grealish and John McGinn, I think he could do well and excel.”

Rashica has been a steady performer at Bremen since joining in 2017, with a record of 26 goals and 19 assists in 95 games for the Bundesliga outfit.

The Kosovo international has also been linked with fellow Premier League sides, Leeds United and Southampton recently.

Celtic had a real opportunity this weekend to give their fiercest rivals a reminder that they’re still here.

This has been a torrid campaign for the Hoops and it didn’t get much better on Sunday afternoon, as they drew 1-1 at Parkhead.

It’s not often an Old Firm derby has little on it but because of the circumstances, this was one that was lacking in drama and ferociousness. Scott Brown wasn’t his usual bullish self and Alfredo Morelos’s discipline was near perfect.

It was a tale of two headers as Mohamed Elyounoussi’s diving leap opened the scoring before Morelos netted a tap in for the equaliser.

Elyounoussi was particularly vibrant and deserved his goal. He was playing off the wing but found himself in a central position to score a clinical header from a few yards out.

It was an inch-perfect assist from Odsonne Edouard, who delivered the cross, but besides the Frenchman and Elyounoussi, they lacked much in terms of attacking threat from other sources.

Unfortunately, it was yet another defensive mishap that cost Celtic. It’s been the story of their season to date and on this occasion, it was Jonjoe Kenny at fault.

His back pass went out for a corner from which Morelos scored and he didn’t cover himself in too much glory with his marking either.

Yet, if we are searching for positives we need to look no further than Stephen Welsh. When Christopher Jullien was ruled out for nine months, the Bhoys needed someone to step up.

Welsh has been that man. He is still relatively inexperienced but he’s struck up a fantastic partnership with Kristoffer Ajer that provides hope for the future. He has rarely put a foot wrong during his Celtic career and he was convincing once more on Sunday.

The 21-year-old was near flawless defensively, winning 85.7% of the duels he competed in. That meant the centre-back prevailed in two tackles, one interception and three clearances.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-boupendza-mcgeady-marsch-mccarthy” title=”Latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

On top of that, Welsh didn’t make a single foul, nor was he dribbled past by a Rangers player. On a day where his partner to the right, Kenny, looked out of sorts, the young centre-back managed to keep things watertight from his perspective.

Welsh was assured in possession, completing 90% of his passes while he even found room to make one of them a key pass which led to a shooting opportunity.

The central defender has only recently come into the team this year but he rose to the task of an Old Firm derby with ease. Long may his form continue.

AND in other news, Celtic must ruthlessly axe £15k-p/w “enigma” this summer, Lenny hated him…

Curtis Jones is currently in the midst of an exhilarating breakout season with boyhood club Liverpool.

The Reds’ youngster has made 29 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring four goals and providing as many assists.

Having now firmly forged a place in Jurgen Klopp’s squad, the 20-year-old has earned plenty of praise for his performances, with the likes of former Reds’ hero Jamie Carragher labelling his displays as ‘outstanding’.

He also played a pivotal role in Liverpool’s victory at Sheffield United, scoring the opening goal when it looked likely that the reigning Premier League champions would be left frustrated.

His rise in stature within the Liverpool camp has coincided with a stark rise in his transfer valuation. Guy Rogers, founder of Five Yards, suggests that Jones is now worth ‘£50m’.

Whilst Jones certainly has the potential to become a high-valued Premier League player, caution has to be taken. At the current time, Transfermarkt value him at just over £15m – a huge disparity.

The England U21 looks likely to establish himself further in the Reds’ lineup, however, too much pressure and expectation could see him stutter – as has happened at Anfield on many occasions.

In recent times, those progressing through the club’s youth academy have faltered in very similar situations.

Names such as Jordon Ibe, Jon Flanagan, Rhian Brewster, Brad Smith and Dominic Solanke all failed to live up to the initial promise that they initially showed at Anfield.

Between them, they only made 105 league appearances for the Reds. Indeed, their five current transfer values (via Transfermarkt) only reach £25.2m – a tiny bit over half that what Jones is worth, according to Rogers.

Whilst they were never valued quite as high as the current Reds’ youngster is right now, that makes it all the more concerning. Should Jones not continue his upward trajectory, then he has the longest distance to fall from his monumental transfer valuation.

Based on his current showings in the Reds’ midfield, there is no reason why Jones couldn’t live up to that £50m billing but supporters should be cautious before piling too much pressure on the Toxteth-born star.

AND in other news, the arrival of Paulo Dybala at Anfield would signal the end for Divock Origi.

Many West Ham United fans have been left to laud some news involving Frederik Alves following a report from Football Insider.

As per the news outlet, the East London club are lining up the Denmark U21 international for a role in the first team in the 2021/22 term.

A source at the Hammers has said that he has made a big impression since his arrival and some members of the coaching staff have earmarked him for a more prominent role in the senior side as of next season.

David Moyes and his backroom staff have no doubt that the central defender is capable of playing in the Premier League, with four games for the U23s under his belt so far in this campaign.

Nonetheless, it seems as if several members of the Irons faithful are more than happy for the 21-year-old to get his chance to step up.

West Ham fan reaction to Alves news

These WHU supporters lauded the news upon learning about it on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to call it ‘excellent news’:

“Natural squad replacement for Balbuena. I like it.”

Credit: @gdizzle1981

“Takes some pressure off our current first-team defence if they know they have a promising cb like him to step up in their absence”

Credit: @_WhuBill

“Excellent news.”

Credit: @RichardGSBOUT

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear”

Credit: @Con5Sim

“Great to hear. Was worried he would be a Cardoso/Haksabanovic/Doneil Henry”

Credit: @l0ganchin

“Yeah looks the part”

Credit: @DanOCon23169711

In other news, find out what goalkeeper West Ham are reportedly eyeing here!

Liverpool are reportedly set to make Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Adama Traore their first signing ahead of the 2021/22 season.

According to reports in Spain, the Reds have agreed a deal with the Midlands outfit in a switch that would see the winger become the second player to switch Molineux for Anfield in as many years, following the transfer of Diogo Jota.

Whilst the Portuguese has been a success story with the reigning Premier League champions, signing Traore would be a huge mistake by Michael Edwards as Liverpool aim to re-establish themselves at the top.

The £31.5m-rated wideman is of course a talented player but his productivity is simply not enough to justify a big-money swoop.

In five seasons of Premier League action, Traore has only managed to accumulate five goals and 14 assists, with the vast majority of those contributions coming in his fantastic 2019/20 campaign.

The five-time Spanish international’s statistics have nose-dived since then though, having only supplied a solitary assist for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men throughout the current season.

When comparing Traore with his former teammate, Jota, during 2020/21, it is the Liverpool man who continues to come out on top.

According to WhoScored, the Portuguese ace produces more shots and passes, whilst getting dispossessed much less frequently.

Considering he would also have competition from the likes of first choices Sadio Mane and Mo Salah, as well as Jota, Xherdan Shaqiri, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and the returning Takumi Minamino for a starting berth out-wide, it is hard to envisage Traore making a significant impact on Merseyside.

Whilst Klopp might be keen to strengthen his options out wide with the “unplayable” Wolves man, Traore does not look like the correct solution.

Should they have agreed to a deal already, as reported, Edwards should do everything he can to back out as quickly as possible.

AND in more news, Liverpool should increase their bid for a Serie A starlet…

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly considering a move for Napoli centre-back Nikola Maksimovic and if he were to join the North London club, he could be an upgrade on Eric Dier.

According to Italian news outlet Spazio Napoli (via FourFourTwo), Jose Mourinho is keeping tabs on the Serbian defender, who is out of contract at the end of this season.

Spurs could even complete a cut-price deal for 29-year-old this month, although they are currently free to begin negotiations with Maksimovic with the view to signing him on a free transfer in the summer.

Mourinho’s side struggled from a defensive point of view in their defeat against Liverpool on Thursday night, with both Dier and young Joe Rodon making mistakes that led to goals, which suggests that defensive additions are necessary if the Portuguese manager does want to challenge for the title this season, or next.

Maksimovic could represent a cheap, experienced option, as he has managed 86 appearances for Napoli in his career thus far, including plenty of appearances in the Europa League and Champions League.

The Serbian’s performances in Serie A this season have earned him a 6.69 average rating, although he has been limited to just five starts, whilst Dier has averaged a 6.73 rating in the Premier League from 18 starts.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-spurs-news-and-transfer-rumours” title= Read this week’s latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more…”]

However, when given a consistent run of games in the Europa League, the Napoli centre-back has averaged a stronger 6.89 rating for his performances.

Maksimovic also scores much higher when it comes to passing when compared with Dier, registering a 94.8% pass success rate in Italy’s top-flight, whereas Dier has managed a much lower 82.2% pass accuracy on average.

The Serbian has also managed more tackles, more interceptions and fewer fouls on average than the England international, which suggests that he would be a strong addition to Mourinho’s squad.

Therefore, if Daniel Levy can complete a bargain deal for the 6 ft 4 centre-back this month, he could be the man to replace Dier in this Tottenham side, which based on recent performances from the former Sporting Lisbon man, can only be a good thing.

And, in other news… Forget Di Maria: Levy can sign Jose a goalscoring winger and he won’t cost a penny

Darren Bent has urged Aston Villa to give Douglas Luiz a new deal amid some links with a move away from Villa Park.

The defensive midfield player has reportedly been linked with a move back to his old club in Manchester City via a release clause in his contract, as the former Villa, Spurs and Sunderland striker has told Football Insider that his old team that they should give him a new contract:

“He fits that way Villa play nicely.

“He obviously sits in front of that back four, he’s disciplined, doesn’t wander too much, comfortable in possession. You need them type of players.

“We’ve seen players come into that position for Villa and not do very well but he looks comfortable, he looks assured and, for sure, he’s definitely a player that Villa need to keep hold of, because he has been very, very good.”

Luiz needs new deal to fend off City interest

Luiz needs to be given a new deal as soon as possible by Dean Smith’s side in order to fend off the reported interest from Man City.

A source from the Manchester club has previously described the Brazil international as a ‘hugely talented’ player, highlighting the fact that he has admirers back at his old team.

AVFC really need to do all that they can to persuade him to stay, given just how important he has been to their success so far in the Premier League.

Villa currently sit in ninth spot in the top flight table on 22 points, just nine points off of the top with a crucial two games in hand.

Luiz has won no fewer than 4.4 of his duels a match in England’s highest division so far this season, as well as averaging 1.3 shots, 1.3 interceptions, 1.1 clearances and one key pass per appearance (Sofascore), showing his impact on the side both attacking and defending wise.

In other news, find out the blow that Villa have been dealt in their pursuit of one transfer target here!

Southampton return to Premier League action with a tricky game against league leaders Liverpool at St Mary’s on Monday night.

After an impressive start to the 2020/21 campaign; the Saints have now failed to win any of their last four fixtures in the top-flight, with just one goal in that time.

Fortunately for the South Coast club, they are able to welcome back manager Ralph Hasenhuttl to the touchline after he missed the game against West Ham after having to self-isolate and he will be backing his side to pull off an upset against the Merseyside club on Monday.

However, it seems likely that the Austrian will make some changes to his side, with the Saints looking tired at times in their 0-0 draw with West Ham last time out.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Hasenhuttl to line his side up against Liverpool, with two changes from the side that started against the Hammers…

It was confirmed on Sunday that Alex McCarthy will have to miss the game after testing positive, so it seems likely that Fraser Forster will start in his place in goal.

There’s one change in the Southampton defence, as whilst Jack Stephens has performed well in the absence of Jannik Vestergaard recently, he is not blessed with pace and could be exploited by the lightning-fast Liverpool front three.

This allows summer signing Mohammed Salisu to make his first appearance for the Saints and with Vestergaard having labelled the 21-year-old a “big talent” earlier this season, what better way for the centre-back to prove it by showing his quality against the Champions.

There’s one change in the Southampton midfield too, as Stuart Armstrong reclaims his place in the starting XI after signing a contract extension last week and he replaces Moussa Djenepo, who has been disappointingly ineffective lately.

Che Adams and Danny Ings weren’t at their best against West Ham, but their pace and link-up play in the Saints attack could cause real problems for this makeshift Liverpool defence, so it would be a surprise if Hasenhuttl didn’t start them together up front.

And, in other news… Saints must axe 21 y/o once dubbed “fantastic” in January; he has no future under Hasenhuttl 

Southampton right-back Yan Valery’s has been linked with a loan move to Birmingham City, which could be a great opportunity for the Frenchman to rediscover his form.

It was reported earlier on deadline day that the 21-year-old could be set to join the Championship side on loan for the rest of the season, however, that move could be in jeopardy as the Saints are yet to bring in any defensive reinforcements.

Ralph Hasenhuttl has seen potential moves for Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Japhet Tanganga fall through on deadline day, which leaves just Kyle Walker-Peters as a natural right-back in the Austrian’s squad, should Valery move to Aitor Karanka’s side in the coming hours.

We saw on Saturday night’s defeat against Aston Villa that Hasenhuttl does not currently favour Valery, as James Ward-Prowse was selected ahead of the defender at right-back, with Moussa Djenepo also featuring there in the second half.

Therefore, a move to the Championship could be ideal for the Saints youngster, who has struggled for game time since Walker-Peters arrival from Spurs last January.

Valery was a regular for Southampton in the 2018/19 Premier League season, making 23 appearances, but he has been limited to just three appearances in the top-flight so far this season.

It seems as if his loan move very much depends on whether or not Southampton can bring in another defender before the 11 pm deadline, and it would be a big shame if he were to end up staying with the Saints for the rest of the season, as you worry that he could find himself back with David Horseman’s B team once Walker-Peters returns from injury.

Valery and Hasenhuttl will both surely be desperate for some defensive cover to be brought in so that the right-back can complete his move to Birmingham, where hopefully he can rediscover the form that marked him out as a really promising player a couple of seasons ago.

Therefore, Martin Semmens must act quickly to bring in the players that Hasenhuttl needs, so that Valery’s loan exit can be completed before tonight’s deadline.

And, in other news… Running out of time: Hasenhuttl suffers another blow with £23k-p/w prodigy