All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Despite having plenty of competition in attacking areas, Brendan Rodgers is reportedly aiming to sign another striker in the summer.

Jamie Vardy, Kelechi Iheanacho and Ayoze Perez can all lead the line for the Foxes’ but The Athletic have revealed that that an alternative striker is on the Foxes wishlist, with Villarreal man Gerard Moreno being amongst the candidates according to Fichajes.

He could be the ideal man to finally fire the club back into the UEFA Champions League.

Moreno, now 29, is currently in the midst of one of the most lethal seasons of his professional career.

The forward, rated at £31.5m, has hit 23 goals in 32 matches throughout the campaign – adding to that with a hat-trick at the weekend for the Yellow Submarine against Granada.

It is form that has seen Villarreal president Fernando Roig label Moreno as “perfect” for the way his team operate.

For context, that haul would put him clear at the top of the goalscoring charts at the King Power Stadium, with top scorer Vardy on just 14 for the campaign.

Whilst Brendan Rodgers’ men have only drawn blanks in five league games this season, that added fire power could see them continue to re-establish themselves in the top four, with Manchester United and Manchester City being the only sides to have scored more than Leicester in 2020/21.

Moreno would also present a useful alternative option for Rodgers with the 10-cap Spaniard having won far more aerial duels, 2.1 per game according to WhoScored, than his opposite numbers at the King Power Stadium.

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Should Leicester gain European football, Moreno could be an excellent man to turn to having netted 12 times in just 24 appearances in UEFA competitions.

Out of contract in just over two years, the Spaniard then could be the exact attacking reinforcement that Rodgers and indeed Leicester are looking for.

It’s a move director of football, Jon Rudkin, should be all over.

AND in more news, have a look at which current Celtic star the Foxes must also bring to the King Power Statdium…

It’s been a long, old journey for Adam Forshaw, but the midfielder finally looks set to make his comeback from injury at Leeds United.

The 5 foot 9 ace has been out of action for Marcelo Bielsa’s side since September 2019 with a hip injury, but has recently made steady progress in his bid to return before the end of the Premier League season.

He played 84 minutes of the U23s title-clinching Premier League 2 clash against Aston Villa last Friday, and will surely be given a few more run outs with the youth side before his eventual return to the first-team squad.

And in a Q&A for The Athletic’s Leeds coverage of the clash against Liverpool in the Premier League, Phil Hay delivered a couple of key updates on Forshaw and where things stand.

When asked whether he would be included on the bench, he said: “That’s something to look out for. If he doesn’t, he won’t be far away because he’s been making very good progress in the past four or five weeks – the sort of progress which makes Leeds think he’s finally over the worst.

And then, in a response to a question about what his return could mean for the club’s summer transfer plans, he revealed: “They would have to think carefully about that because Forshaw is competition for Phillips and Bielsa has always rated him extremely highly.”

Bielsa himself meanwhile has opened the door to the 29-year-old coming back into his first-team plans recently, saying: “He has basically been not playing for two seasons and to be able to play 90 minutes at a high competition after being healthy – there is still a while to go before you’re ready for that.

“He’s healthy, and has two months left of the season to prove that he is finally over his issues. We all hope it will be like this, because he is a very important player and he has made a massive effort to overcome the situation that he’s been through.”

Given the long road that the £20k-a-week earning ace has walked to getting to this point here, Bielsa will be intent not to rush him back anytime soon.

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But, given that he is well on his way to making his return, the time to unleash Forshaw in the Premier League is surely near.

Meanwhile, Leeds must land this Championship star…

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have been giving their thoughts on a possible big-money move for Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham on social media.

Dean Smith and John Terry remain huge admirers of the former Villa loanee, according to the Birmingham Mail.

Abraham’s Chelsea struggles under Tuchel

Abraham has only started three league games under Thomas Tuchel, with the new Blues boss preferring Olivier Giroud to the Englishman. The 23-year-old has still managed to net 12 times in all competitions this season, though, with his current Stamford Bridge deal running until 2023.

The Birmingham Mail asked Football.London’s Chelsea reporter Adam Newson all about Abraham and the possibility of a return to the Midlands materialising.

Newson believes that any deal for Abraham would have to exceed the £28m Villa spent on Ollie Watkins last summer and would depend on Chelsea bringing in a striker of their own.

Villa fans react

@AVFC_News shared the Q&A with Newson on Twitter, asking supporters if they would like to see Abraham arrive in a club-record deal.

Here is what these Villa fans had to say in response, with one labelling Abraham as the ‘perfect’ player to feature alongside Watkins and Jack Grealish.

“Without doubt! Young, hungry, natural finisher, works hard, perfect to go up alongside Ollie and Jack!!”

Credit: @StevieHanks

“In a heartbeat!”

Credit: @AVillan55378820

“YES, absolutely”

Credit: @OTriane

“YES!”

Credit: @LasseMange

“100% – no brainer”

Credit: @GarethJDTrax

“I’d sign him up but need a few more players on top”

Credit: @Paul79822179

In other news: Villa handed potential transfer boost due to Premier League giants’ interest in £50m-valued star, find out more here. 

According to a report by Sport Italia TV journalist Gianluigi Longari, writing on Twitter, West Ham United lodged an inquiry over Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic last summer – with GSB once eyeing a move for the 6 foot 5 powerhouse as this transfer news emerges. 

Milenkovic, who has reportedly attracted interest from the likes of Tottenham (Fabrizio Romano via WeAreTottenhamTV) – is now attracting Manchester United’s attention amid ‘difficult’ contract negotiations with his current club.

West Ham inquired for Milenkovic

This is according to Longari’s information, and whilst revealing the Red Devils’ interest in signing Milenkovic, the journalist also claims that GSB and West Ham lodged an inquiry for him last summer.

Once likened to legendary Premier League defender Nemanja Vidic, the Serbian stands at a towering 6 foot 5 and arguably holds the potential to become a world class centre-back at just 23-years-old.

Milenkovic’s former coach Ivan Tomic described the colossal defender as a ‘beast’ and journalist Dejan Stankovic labelled him ‘fearless’ (ESPN) – leaving little wonder why West Ham were allegedly interested.

However, there is no report of that interest being current, with Man United instead on the look out for his signature.

Transfer Tavern take

David Moyes has had no shortage of class centre-back options at his disposal this season, with the likes of Craig Dawson, Angelo Ogbonna (currently injured), Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena all arguably impressing for West Ham at points over 2020/2021.

Seemingly the last position GSB need to strengthen at this present moment, this update that they lodged an inquiry for Milenkovic last summer comes as intriguing one.

In other news: West Ham fans blasted this ace against Man City, find out more here.

Just if you thought things couldn’t get any worse for Celtic, they’ve now been rocked with more bad news.

It has been an unforgiving season for the Bhoys, one where they’re on the verge of losing their grasp on the Premiership title.

The crown is now all but Rangers’ and they could win in it in the Old Firm derby next weekend. It would be a horrific way for the Hoops to surrender their dominance but it would be typical of their arduous year.

One person they’ll hope of having fit in time for that encounter is Greg Taylor.

The left-back won’t be fit enough to partake this Sunday, however. He limped off after just nine minutes of being on the field during Neil Lennon’s final game in charge over Ross County.

Taylor missed last weekend’s win over Aberdeen and, in a fresh blow for the Bhoys, he is still missing.

Speaking ahead of the match with Dundee, Kennedy said: “Greg’s still injured. Obviously, he picked up a thigh injury against Ross County.

“He’s not trained this week, so we’ll still be missing him.”

With Uruguay international Diego Laxalt primed and ready to deputise on the left-hand side of defence, it doesn’t look like the greatest of setbacks on paper.

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That being said, Taylor has been a terrific influence over the last few months, proving to be one of a few reliable players in a tortuous campaign at Parkhead.

The Celtic defender picked up a crucial assist in the 2-1 win over St Johnstone, while he’s been improving all the time in other areas of his play.

In his last seven starts for the Hoops prior the Ross County game, he has won 16 tackles at a rate of 2.2 per game. In Taylor’s last ten outings before then, he has provided 21 key passes at a rate of 2.1 per match.

Those numbers are eye-catching and it only goes to prove how big a miss he could be on Sunday.

When they face Dundee at lunchtime, Kennedy will do so without one of the club’s most consistent players in 2021.

That is a big blow to everyone at Celtic, especially the interim manager.

AND in other news, Forget Christie: Kennedy must axe “soul-destroying” Celtic flop who made just 5 passes…

Former Celtic striker Frank McAvennie has exclusively told Football FanCast that he doesn’t believe on-loan attacker Mohamed Elyounoussi has done enough to warrant a permanent move to Paradise this summer.

Elyounoussi made the switch to Celtic Park from Southampton on a season-long loan deal in August 2019, and following an impressive first campaign in Glasgow, saw that extended by a further year.The on-loan Saints attacker has struck 14 times in all competitions for the Hoops, including six in European competition, but ex-Celtic frontman McAvennie hasn’t been overly impressed with the 26-year-old, accusing him of hiding in matches.His contract at Southampton expires next summer, and he’s rumoured to be available on a cut-price deal at the end of the season, although McAvennie thinks Celtic should look elsewhere.Asked whether he thinks Celtic should secure a permanent deal for the Norwegian, he told Football FanCast:“I don’t think so. For me, he’s not done enough. He has scored goals, but he’s a strange one because he’s such a talent. But at Celtic you need to do it week in, week out. The fans want to see you giving everything. The same as every other club, they like players trying, but as long as you’re putting an effort in, any fan will accept that.“But when he’s not playing well he tends to stay out of the game and stay on the sidelines. I would like to see him coming in, but he’s been here long enough and hasn’t shown it for me.“Not for the wages he’d be on anyway!”According to Spotrac, Elyounoussi is earning £60,000-a-week at Southampton, which would surely be out of Celtic’s reach.

It’s safe to say that the January transfer window has been a rather drab affair for Celtic.

Considering they’re such a distance behind Rangers in their quest for ten in a row, you’d have expected them to be a bit more active in the market.

That being said, they have left all of their business until the very last minute.

Neil Lennon admitted before their clash with Hamilton this week that the club were on the verge of signing two new players.

The names of which haven’t been revealed but despite that, we’ve put together a predicted XI of how their starting XI could look once deadline day is done and dusted.

We’re tipping the Bhoys to make as many as three new signings in the remaining days of the window.

Two of those additions come at the back where recruitments have been needed all season long. The Hoops shipped 19 strikes in just six Europa League outings which tells you all you need to know of their plight defensively.

With that in mind, we reckon they’ll add to their ranks at left-back where Josh Doig is being tracked by the Hoops. Celtic, Leicester and Manchester City are all eyeing a move for the Hibernian youngster and if Lennon wins the race, he should slot straight in on the left-hand side.

Another transfer is in the middle of the back four. Motherwell’s Declan Gallagher has been interesting the Glaswegians this month and dreams of a move to Celtic. If he was signed, it would be unsurprising if he replaced the error-prone Shane Duffy instantly.

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A final change to Celtic’s XI sees Giannelli Imbula slot into their midfield next to Ismaila Soro. It’s been suggested in recent days that the former Stoke man has been offered to the Hoops on a free transfer.

He’s out of contract at the moment so could be a straightforward signing to wrap up in the coming days. That being said, if he did come to Glasgow, it would surely be the end of the road for Lennon favourite Scott Brown.

Crucially, however, is that Odsonne Edouard leads the line still. He has been one of the strikers targeted by West Ham United over the last week or so but we think he’ll remain with Celtic at least until the end of the season.

AND in other news, Celtic struck genius deal with £10k-p/w titan who’s “grabbing the bull by the horns”…

This is a perplexing period for Sunderland, one that won’t end for another week.

The Academy of Light has been closed due to COVID-19 until the 27th December so the players and staff will experience a rare Christmas at home.

Although the players won’t be busy, senior club officials will be drawing up a shortlist of January targets.

What’s the word?

Sunderland have one clear ambition for the upcoming transfer window – to sign someone who can stretch the play.

Jack Diamond has helped Lee Johnson in that aspect but it remains a priority to find a goal scorer besides Charlie Wyke.

Could they find that in the form of a Premier League talent? Quite possibly. Prospective buyer William Storey revealed this week that he has ambitions of bringing in a select group of U23 players currently at sides in the Premier League. That’s presuming he seals a deal with Stewart Donald.

The Sunderland Echo speculated who might be on the Black Cats’ list heading into January and one name that stood out was Arsenal youngster Folarin Balogun.

The Echo explained that a number of Championship clubs would be interested in the striker’s services but he was certainly in the mould of player that Sunderland would be looking at.

Superb acquisition

Make no mistake about it, Balogun is still relatively untested at professional level.

However, the early signs we’ve seen are phenomenal. The American-born forward has scored twice for the Gunners in the Europa League this term, netting against Dundalk and Molde while he has found the net regularly for Arsenal’s youth sides.

The 19-year-old has bagged 38 times in 41 outings for the U18s and has developed well at U23 level too, finding the net on 17 occasions in the same number of games throughout his career.

Balogun’s playing days are still embryonic but he’s been compared to some of the best attackers we’ve seen in the English game.

Speaking about the teenager on BT Sport this season (via The Daily Mail), Martin Keown compared him to an ex-Sunderland player: “The way he linked up, that is a great turn. You try to compare, is it Andy Cole or Ian Wright? There is that sort of movement about him. I know those are big-name players and if he can live up to that he will have some career.”

That’s an incredibly exciting quote and leads us to believe he could fix one of Johnson’s biggest issues. Mikel Arteta described the player as “really lively” earlier this term and he brings pace and movement in abundance – something Wyke, Will Grigg and Danny Graham don’t necessarily offer.

In the EFL trophy this term, Balogun has amassed 1.5 dribbles per game which usurps every single player at Sunderland barring Diamond.

Possessing the ability to run in behind and stretch defences, he’d be a fabulous capture.

AND in other news, Storey would be staring at a Rodwell-like DISASTER if Sunderland sign ace with “big energy”…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Dean Windass hinted that Wolves should consider a move for former Chelsea striker Diego Costa.

The Spaniard had his contract with Atletico Madrid mutually terminated last month and as a result, he’s now available for clubs to sign on a free transfer.

Wolves are one of the sides reportedly interested in the forward but according to Fabrizio Romano, the forward only has one offer on the table at the moment – from a team in Saudi Arabia.

Tottenham and Leeds have also been mentioned in the same breath as Costa but it looks as though he’ll take some time to make a decision before throwing himself back into football immediately.

It’s thought the Old Gold are on the hunt for a new striker with Raul Jimenez currently absent through injury and thus, Windass thinks that Costa would fit the bill at Molineux.

When asked which Premier League sides should consider a move for Costa, Windass told Football FanCast: “Wolves could [be a good] fit, obviously, with Jimenez fracturing his skull. That could be a good fit.”

Wolves signed Fabio Silva for £35.6m in the summer so any January transfer will presumably have to be done at cut-price.

Costa may cost a pretty penny in terms of his weekly salary but the club would do little wrong by acquiring him on a free transfer.

The 24-cap Spain international has already made 89 appearances in the Premier League, scoring 52 goals in the process.

His record this season isn’t so impressive, however. The 32-year-old netted twice in seven appearances for Atletico before he was allowed to end his contract in the Spanish capital.

AND in other news, 70 aerials won: Shi can find Wolves’ perfect Jimenez heir with move for £23k-p/w beast…

Fans of Liverpool have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which James Pearce relayed an article of his regarding the recent comments made by Roy Keane.

In his recent article for The Athletic, Pearce responded to the former Manchester United midfielder’s claim that Liverpool are ‘bad champions’ following the Reds’ 4-1 loss at home to Manchester City, with Pearce labelling the 49-year-old a ‘shock jock’, as well as claiming that the former Republic of Ireland international’s input is ‘not entertaining’ but rather ‘tiresome’.

However, after the journalist relayed his article on Twitter, fans of Liverpool flocked to have their say on the matter, with many, rather surprisingly, appearing to be in agreement with Keane, with a number of them taking aim at Jurgen Klopp and the club’s owners for their apparent poor performances this season.

So, what exactly did these Liverpool fans have to say in reaction to James Pearce’s post on Twitter?

“Klopp is the one to blame. This is bottling of the highest order.”

@florida_FSGOUT

“I do think you’ve got to look at our demise. This has been slowly coming since the original lockdown was lifted for football. Didn’t Dortmund have the same problems after 3 or 4 years? Maybe teams can’t physically play the way Klopp wants for more than a couple of seasons.”

@grahamcopping05

“If Klopp can stop playing Milner in midfield we will do better and also Curtis Jones should be playing every minute.”

@lvpl_muktar

“Although there are very valid reasons, for me, Klopp’s lack of tactical awareness has to be an issue. The fact that he is still reluctant to change things is a real concern.”

@Mr_ITellYah

“We do not show hunger or desire to win by all means as in last season. Only a few players are consistently giving their top performance like Robbo & Fab. Yes, many players came out say we will fight for the championship but actions speak louder. Tons of poor decisions by the manager as well.”

@Ericccccccc2

“Every season it is always late in making decisions in the transfer market, it always happens until now… hopefully it won’t happen again. Improve the academy.”

@mochyu

“It’s simply down to lack of investment in the first team in 2018 and 2019.”

@DavidElliott720

“If Klopp replaced Lovren you wouldn’t have this problem. We tried to outsmart common sense.”

@BobanovBobby

In other Liverpool news, this ‘catastrophic’ claim from James Pearce has shocked many fans, find out more here!