All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left slamming the display of Alfredo Morelos despite their 2-0 win in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night.

It was overall a very good performance from the team to get three points on the board at Ibrox, with Leon Balogun and Kemar Roofe the scorers in the first half.

Morelos was unlucky to hit the post for one of his chances, but was again pretty wasteful overall, not being able to score from four of his shots on goal, as his 100th goal for the Light Blues still escapes him.

The Colombia international was also guilty of losing possession of the ball on no fewer than on 13 separate occasions in total in the game, the fourth-most out of his teammates (Sofascore).

Rangers fans on Morelos display

These supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Ger even going as far as to claim that the striker was ‘horrendous’:

“Morelos? Really! Not for me….poor performance again”

Credit: @willstorrie

“Massive result, & bar a couple of defensive howlers, thoroughly deserved, more like it at times. Big Aribo unplayable at times, sensational, but Alfredo Morelos folks, absolutely horrendous. The only thing for him now is the bench I’m afraid. Imperative that Balogun is fit.”

Credit: @cozy1872

“Alfredo Morelos poor show tonight”

Credit: @michellemacrae2

“Morelos poor again, we can’t really justify starting him on Sunday.”

Credit: @Rangers_View

“Morelos having a nightmare”

Credit: @Rf1195401550

“Morelos, Roofe and Hagi have been less than satisfactory!”

Credit: @penfoldcommando

In other news, find out whose first-half display had Gers stunned here!

Paddy Kenny has given his reaction to Football Insider after some injury news involving Callum Wilson.

The Lowdown: Wilson in training

As cited by The Shields Gazette earlier this month, Steve Bruce revealed that Wilson would likely come back to training in the ‘next couple of days’.

It is hoped that he will now be fit to return to action in time for their game at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

The Latest: Kenny reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, former top-flight goalkeeper Kenny, 43, has now claimed that St. James’ Park will be rocking if Wilson is deemed fit enough to play Spurs, especially after the news that the takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium is complete:

“You can’t underestimate how big that is for them, I don’t think.

“He was out for a while last season and they struggled. They needed a goalscorer like him.

“Then he came back into the team, they had that good run towards the end of the season and they shot up to 12th in the table.

“If he is going to be fit after the international break, that’s great news for them.

“With the takeover stuff and him back, wow, St. James’ Park will be absolutely bouncing.“

The Verdict: Big boost

It will certainly be a big boost for the North East club should Wilson return to the starting eleven against Nuno Espirito Santo’s men.

The Toon Army are likely to be buzzing anyway given that the takeover has gone through, and would no doubt be voicing their support for the striker too.

The Tyneside outfit have not been able to win any of the last four matches in the Premier League without him, while only managing to score a mere four goals in that time (Transfermarkt), highlighting just how important he is to the team.

Nonetheless, he is their biggest threat in front of goal, and the Magpies will need him to play to have the best possible chance of getting all three points.

In other news, find out which ‘super-talented’ powerhouse is a realistic target for NUFC here!

Express and Star journalist Luke Hatfield believes that Aston Villa’s transfer window has been very good but would have been outstanding if they had managed to keep Jack Grealish. 

Dean Smith and sporting director Johan Lange made some terrific signings this summer with Danny Ings, Emi Buendia, Axel Tuanzebe, Leon Bailey and Ashley Young all penning deals at Villa Park.

In terms of outgoings, Villa saw a number of players depart the club either permanently or on loan during the transfer window with the most high profile of those exits being Jack Grealish to Manchester City.

He joined the Cityzens for a British record £100m and signed a six-year deal at the Etihad Stadium.

Hatfield graded Villa’s transfer window as a good to great one, telling Transfer Tavern: “Very good. I think Villa have managed to deal with a loss of such a substantial player in Jack Grealish really well, they’ve signed plenty of exciting players.  

“You could argue that they’re now more balanced this squad in comparison to the way they were last year. Jack Grealish was so relied upon by Villa, you could pretty much tell how Villa were going to play, the ball was going to go to Jack Grealish on the left flank and he was going to run the game from there.

“Now when Villa are fully fit and they’ve got the likes of Buendia, Bailey, Ings and Watkins all playing they’ve got so many more threats, so they’re a much more balanced side because of this window.

“Despite the loss of Jack Grealish in there, if they managed to keep him it would have been an outstanding window for them, but it’s still been a good to great one. 

Villa have bounced back from an opening day Premier League defeat to Watford, with a win and a draw in their next two matches against Newcastle United and Brentford.

Dean Smith’s side currently have four points and sit 11th in the league table which is where they finished last season and after a summer of good recruitment everybody connected with the club will be looking to improve on their league position this season.

Tottenham Hotspur moved into the top six in the Premier League with a win over Brentford on Thursday night, meaning Antonio Conte also maintained his unbeaten record in the top-flight.

A 12th-minute own goal from Sergi Canos and a well-taken finish from Heung-min Son sealed all three points in north London and whilst it was a vital victory, the Italian may well be concerned by the performance of Lucas Moura as he looked a little lacklustre in the final third once again.

The £22.5m-rated Brazilian winger is yet to score in the league this season and has provided just the one assist, coming against Leeds United nearly two weeks ago.

Conte has started him in every Premier League outing since arriving in N17 but he hasn’t seen any sort of substantial return from him barring that assist. It was a familiar story against the Bees.

Per SofaScore, Moura managed just one shot on target throughout the 77 minutes he was on the pitch, whilst he recorded only 15 accurate passes, in which none resulted in a key chance created.

One pass every five minutes is far from inspiring from someone who is supposed to support Son and Harry Kane in the final third and similarly, he registered just 38 touches, also losing possession 15 times.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-team-injury-team-news-updates-transfers-gossip-rumours-antonio-conte-thfc” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

That means the 29-year-old gifted the ball back to the visiting team once every 2.5 touches.

‘As always he worked hard and his pressing led to opportunities but he was just lacking that decisive quality in the opposition half,’ is how football.london’s Alasdair Gold described the former PSG dynamo in his post-match ratings column, where he graded him amongst a couple of their worst performers.

That has to be of major concern to the Italian because the Lilywhites are still amongst the poorest teams in the division when it comes to attacking play, having averaged fewer shots per game (10.4) than any other team, even rock-bottom Newcastle United and Norwich City.

Elsewhere, the passenger-like Moura failed to provide an accurate cross and lost nearly 50% of his battles up against Thomas Frank’s back-three.

As a result, Conte may want to consider the Brazilian’s involvement heading into the weekend, when Spurs host the Canaries on Sunday afternoon.

AND in other news, Conte could right Daniel Levy’s ghastly £32m transfer mistake…

Former Rangers defender Michael Ball believes Leeds United are the main suitors for Rangers’ Ryan Kent this summer. 

Kent arrived at Ibrox permanently from Liverpool in 2019, with Sky Sports reporting the deal was worth up to £7.5m.

The winger had played for Rangers on loan the season prior to his permanent move, scoring six goals and delivering four assists.

Kent has continued to go from strength to strength under Steven Gerrard, with his contribution to the team improving year on year.

He produced the best return of his career so far last term, scoring 13 goals and registering 15 assists in all competitions.

It’s no surprise, then, that he is being linked with a move away from Ibrox, with Michael Ball exclusively telling Transfer Tavern: “I think Leeds are the main suitors right now for Ryan Kent.

“Since he came to the club, it was quite a surprise the amount of money Rangers paid for Ryan, but he’s paid that back in an abundance and the fans really like him.”

Leeds United have been looking at Kent for a while, as the Scottish Sun reported that the Elland Road outfit bid £11m for the winger last summer and that they may have to up that to £15m this summer if they want to finally land their target.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein has dropped an Arsenal transfer update on Inter striker Lautaro Martinez which will leave fans buzzing.

What’s the story?

Taking to Twitter, he said: “In speaking with Inter Milan about Bellerin, Arsenal enquired on Lautaro Martinez. 23yo striker (contract 2023) is for sale & #AFC thought to have mentioned Lacazette, but #Inter need cash + hope it helps them keep Chelsea target Lukaku @TheAthleticUK #CFC.”

An accompanying article from The Athletic read: “A move has previously been considered unrealistic but The Athletic understands Arsenal have long held Lautaro in high regard. With the north London club and Inter Milan in contact about a prospective deal for Hector Bellerin, sources indicate that Arsenal have enquired about Lautaro’s availability.

“It is thought Lautaro would be interested in a move to Arsenal if Inter want to sell him.”

Arsenal fans will be buzzing

The £72m-rated Martinez has been one of the outstanding strikers in Italian football in recent seasons, and enjoyed an impressive campaign for Inter in 2020/21, with 17 goals and ten assists in Serie A alone.

Meanwhile, Barcelona star Lionel Messi is also a big fan of his Argentina teammate, telling Mundo Deportivo: “Lautaro is an impressive forward, especially because I think he is a very complete striker: he is strong, he dribbles well, he has a goal, he knows how to protect the ball.”

Messi added: “He’s spectacular. He has impressive qualities. You could tell he was going to be a great player, and he is showing that He’s very strong, really good one on one, scores a lot of goals, and in the area he fights with anyone, holds it up, he can turn, scrap to win it all on his own. He has a lot of quality. He’s very complete.”

Given his track record with Inter, Martinez would be the kind of striker signing which will surely have Arsenal fans excited. It’s exactly why Ornstein’s update that the club are in for him, and that the Argentine himself would be interested in the move if Inter want to sell him, should have the Gunners faithful buzzing.

Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano has dropped an Arsenal transfer update…

Luke Hatfield, who covers Wolves for The Express and Star, believes the club aren’t as open to selling goalkeeper Rui Patricio as reports suggest.

Patricio has been a crucial part of Wolves’ success following their promotion to the Premier League, missing just two games in total, but widespread reports believe that he could be leaving this summer.

Sky in Italy said last month that the Portuguese shotstopper, who played every minute for his nation at Euro 2020, is on the verge of signing for Roma, with the two clubs close to agreeing a price for him.

But contrast to several rumours and stories, Hatfield told Football FanCast that the Midlands outfit are keeping their cool over Patricio’s possible Wolves exit:

“I don’t think Wolves are as open to selling him as some of the reports maybe say. I think they will probably look at the offer and then will consider them.

“Obviously, goalkeepers last a little bit longer than their outfield counterparts, but maybe they look at it and say, ‘Patricio has done really well for us and let him go for x amount of money and buy someone cheaper’.”

When the reports of Patricio leaving came about, it came as a huge surprise, not least to Wolves fans.

Whilst the opportunity to work with recently-appointed Roma boss Jose Mourinho doesn’t come around often, the Italian giants aren’t even in the Champions League or Europa League, so it would appear a strange to leave the Premier League having enjoyed so much success in the last three years.

The return of Christopher Jullien will be a ‘massive’ boost for a Celtic side who look like they’re ‘missing a leader’.

That’s according to former Scotland full-back Alan Hutton, who was speaking to Football Insider.

The lowdown

Julien has been out of action since the end of December 2020 with a knee injury. It’s ruled him out of 34 matches to date.

Speaking midway through last month, manager Ange Postecoglou said that Jullien was ‘still very much on an individual programme’ and insisted Celtic were being ‘careful’.

It will be ‘a little while’ before he’s back in contention, the Australian added.

Celtic have managed to keep four clean sheets in their first 11 competitive matches of the new campaign.

The latest

Hutton says the partnership of Stephen Welsh and Carl Starfelt is unconvincing, with the former inexperienced and the latter struggling to ‘find his feet’.

He expects the composed Jullien to elevate the defence when he does eventually return.

“They must be desperate to have him back,” the former Rangers, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa man said. “I think they’re missing a leader at the moment in that centre-half pairing.

“Welsh has come in and done really well, but he’s young.

“Starfelt has only just walked through the door, he’s not found his feet yet after a difficult time at the start of the season.

“They need a calm head back there, so Celtic will be desperate for Jullien to come back.

“He’s played in those high-pressure games, and he can help bring on the centre-backs around him with his experience as well.

“He’ll be a massive part of this Celtic side, and when he’s fit he’ll come straight back in.”

The verdict

Celtic’s centre-back ranks have been doubly weakened with Jullien sidelined and Kristoffer Ajer transferred to Brentford for an initial £13.5million back in July. Those two formed a reassuring partnership.

After such a serious injury, there may also be concerns that Jullien will struggle to recapture his former levels.

It’s key for Celtic’s domestic, and indeed European, ambitions that he’s fit and firing soon.

In other news, Celtic have been linked with this attacker.

Arsenal are reportedly offering Eddie Nketiah to Leeds United this summer, with £20m enough to prise him away from the Emirates Stadium.

The Lowdown: Attacking reinforcements needed

The Whites excelled in the Premier League last season as they finished ninth, but there did seem to be too much onus on Patrick Bamford scoring the goals.

That’s not to say that the Englishman single-handedly carried Leeds’ attack, but he was the only player to reach double figures in the league.

Marcelo Bielsa may believe that a deputy to Bamford is required this summer, and Nketiah could potentially be that man.

[freshpress-quiz id=“355458″]

The Latest: Leeds offered chance to sign Nketiah

According to Football Insider, Arsenal are happy to let the young striker return to Elland Road, having enjoyed a spell on loan there in 2019/20.

Nketiah is out of contract with the Gunners in 2022, so now is the time for them to receive a hefty sum for the 22-year-old.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-copy/” title=”Latest Leeds United news! (Copy)” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Worth the money?

While Nketiah may not yet be the finished article, he is a young player with undoubted pedigree, leading the all-time scoring charts for England’s under-21s.

At 22, he has time on his side and could develop brilliantly under Bielsa, playing second fiddle to Bamford but proving to be a handy squad option.

Granted, £20m is a lot of money so there would be an element of risk, but Nketiah is an adept goalscorer who could have a bright future, while he already has ample Premier League experience under his belt and therefore should not need any great adjusting period if he moves to Elland Road.

In other news, Leeds have been handed a boost in their quest to sign one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Newcastle United are reportedly eyeing up a move to sign Alan Velasco in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Velasco impressing

Velasco is certainly impressing in his native Argentina with Independiente, so much so that he seems to be attracting plenty of interest from clubs around Europe.

Averaging no fewer than 1.8 successful dribbles per game in the Copa de la Liga Profesional (Sofascore), the 18-year-old is certainly showing plenty of confidence and flair despite being so young.

Previously dubbed as ‘the future Kun Aguero’ by the vice president of Independiente, he seemingly has the potential to become a top player, and given what Aguero managed to achieve with Manchester City, Velasco may be more than capable of delivering in the Premier League as well.

The Latest: Newcastle eye Velasco

As per Football Insider, the St. James’ Park faithful are eyeing a move to bring Velasco to the North East, but face stiff competition from Brighton and Hove Albion for his signature.

The Seagulls are reportedly preparing a new bid for the teenage talent, having had a £6m one rejected, with his current deal at Independiente set to expire on New Year’s Eve in 2023.

The Verdict: Newcastle should sign Velasco

Currently rated at £10.8m by Transfermarkt, Velasco could potentially be available on the cheap given just how much potential he has.

The Tyneside club should take advantage of this if they can, and get one over on their top-flight rivals by beating them to his signature.

Velasco has been playing men’s football since 2019, which is rather remarkable considering that he is only 18, and so he is well prepared to make the step up to the Premier League, which will demand more of him physically as well as his technical ability.

Nonetheless, the Magpies should really be pouncing on the opportunity to sign the winger at all costs, even if they plan to sell him on in a few years for a profit.

In other news, find out what advantage NUFC have in pursuit of this ‘brilliant’ target here!