All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Rangers have been hit with a major Old Firm setback over Ibrox centre-forward Alfredo Morelos…

Huge blow

The Daily Record have published an image shared on social media of the Colombian striker leaving an airport on crutches this week.

It remains to be seen how serious the blow is, with the publication claiming that it could even end his season as he is set to see a specialist.

Fuming

Gio van Bronckhorst will be fuming with this news for multiple reasons.

Morelos went away with his country in January and was forced to miss the 3-0 defeat to Celtic at Parkhead, despite not playing a single minute of football during that international break. This meant that Rangers suffered badly in his absence, whilst Colombia gained no benefit themselves as they opted against giving him another cap.

Therefore, Van Bronckhorst will surely have been frustrated by the 25-year-old’s call-up for the March international break in case a similar situation played out and Morelos came back with his confidence knocked.

Instead, he has come back with a potentially season-ending injury, which will leave the head coach infuriated and ruing international breaks. The striker looks set to miss the clash with the Hoops on Sunday at Ibrox, at the very least, and this is a huge blow for the Gers as he is their go-to man at the top of the pitch.

Morelos has scored 11 goals in the Premiership this season, four more than any other Rangers player, and has also provided seven assists – a tally that only James Tavernier can beat. They will no doubt miss his quality in the final third in what could be a decisive game at the top of the table, with Celtic currently three points clear of the Gers heading into the match.

Van Bronckhorst will also be fuming as this blow could mean that Morelos is out for a number of important games across multiple competitions. Rangers face Portuguese outfit Braga in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final next Thursday and could now be without the striker for that match.

In Europe this season, Morelos has averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.13. He has scored four goals in eight starts and will be a huge miss if he is out for next week’s clash, which is why the Gers boss will be sweating on his fitness in the coming days as the club look to find out how long the 25-year-old will be ruled out of action.

AND in other news, Rangers had a major disaster on “complete” 243 G/A ace who’s “like Harry Potter”…

Wolves will head into the summer market with the need to add more bodies to their rather small ranks, something that has needed overseeing ever since the days of Nuno Santo.

The likes of Adama Traore and Trincao have rather unclear futures in the Midlands but it looks as though a potential replacement is in the minds of Jeff Shi and co.

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato, Wolves are one of the teams plotting a move to sign Sevilla winger Lucas Ocampos this summer.

They will face a battle with Premier League rivals West Ham to secure his signature in what could be a blockbuster deal.

It’s thought the Argentine winger’s release clause stands at a mighty £58m, although it seems unlikely a fee such as that will be required to land his services.

Terrorising Wolves

If Wolves can secure a deal for Ocampos, they could finally replace Diogo Jota in their ranks at Molineux.

The attacker left for Liverpool in the summer of 2020 and has quickly become one of the most feared prospects in the Premier League.

Jota has found the net on 20 occasions in 41 outings throughout the current campaign.

Ocampos has beat the goalkeeper eight times himself, while also registering four assists so his numbers aren’t quite as mesmerising. However, there are certainly similarities between the two.

Dubbed “electric” by Fede Prami, a journalist and River Plate fan, the Argentina international has shown his dazzling trickery with 1.6 dribbles per game this tally, a statistic that is rather synonymous with Jota’s mazy abilities.

Furthermore, he has been fouled on 1.8 occasions per match, demonstrating that he loves to draw defenders in and win opportunities up the field for his team.

Wolves have seen first-hand just how devastating he can be, as he tore Matt Doherty apart when Sevilla met Wolves in the Europa League back in 2020.

The 26-year-old scored the goal which separated the two sides, on the night and completed an eye-catching five dribbles during the contest.

Ocampos also provided two crosses and managed four shots as Doherty had a night to forget.

The Irishman could only succeed with 55% of his passes and failed to block a single shot from the boot of Ocampos. He did manage four successful tackles but that was representative of what the Sevilla winger was doing to him down the flanks.

On that evidence, he’d be a rather exciting signing for the Old Gold.

AND in other news, Lage can axe “toothless” Wolves flop with swoop for “breathtaking” £28.8m-rated star…

[ad_pod ]

Blackburn Rovers produced a woeful first half performance against Middlesbrough at Ewood Park on Sunday. Boro were good value for their 1-0 half-time lead, courtesy of a Britt Assombalonga strike. Despite a second half improvement, Rovers couldn’t overturn the deficit and slumped to their fourth consecutive Championship defeat.

After the game, Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray gave his verdict on his side’s first half display.

What he said

As quoted by the Lancashire Telegraph, Mowbray was damning in his assessment of his team’s performance.

The 55-year-old said, “I didn’t recognise many of them first half I would have to say…We didn’t compete, I’m not sure where it came from.”

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

Mowbray acknowledged that his side showed more spirit and quality after the break, but the game was lost in the opening 45 minutes, “we nearly sneaked something in the second half which was much better, but the first half we don’t see want any performances of that level ever again.”

Rovers are currently 14th in Championship and probably safe from relegation fears, but Mowbray must arrest his side’s dismal run of form soon. His comments after Sunday’s defeat indicate the frustration he is feeling with his squad.

What he meant

Mowbray’s words can be considered as a warning to his squad. The likes of Jack Rodwell and Corry Evans need to improve. There is some talent in this Blackburn squad, but they aren’t showing it.

Mowbray will hope that his public condemnation of their first half display elicits a positive response from the group. 

In the opening period against Middlesbrough, Rovers didn’t manage a single shot on target and were penned back in their own territory for much of the half. In a home game, that simply isn’t acceptable. Mowbray’s words need to have their intended effect, for the sake of the remainder of Blackburn’s season.

Manchester United welcomes Leicester City to Old Trafford in their return to the Premier League after the international break and Ralf Rangnick’s side put in a less than inspiring performance in their 1-1 draw with the Foxes.

The Red Devils just about controlled possession over the course of the game, with 54% of the ball and two more shots on target than their opponents, but they were unable to deliver the crucial win they needed to keep them firmly in the top four race.

They find themselves four points behind Arsenal, who are yet to play this weekend, and the fourth-placed Gunners could go seven points clear of United if they win on Monday night, with one extra game still in hand too.

Despite having two more shots on target, the home side were unable to convert their chances, with Leicester going 1-0 up through Kelechi Iheanacho in the 63rd minute, although United were quick to respond with Fred netting the equaliser just three minutes after.

The game was full of controversial decisions which will leave fans talking long after the game, with Scott McTominay making a questionable challenge on James Maddison minutes into the second half and a goal disallowed by Maddison after VAR picked up an Iheanacho foul on Raphael Varane in the build-up.

One player who struggled to perform for United today was Anthony Elanga, who failed to make an impact throughout the game and cost them their last chance when Marcus Rashford was brought down in the box in an odd mix-up from the youngster, who was caught offside tangling himself up with his strike partner.

According to SofaScore, Elanga – who was dubbed a “great talent” by Swedish compatriot Zlatan Ibrahimović – was rated the worst player in the team (6.4) behind Paul Pogba and Alex Telles after losing the ball once every three touches, failed to accurately place any of his three crosses and was caught offside twice throughout the match.

Ultimately the 19-year-old’s performance was more of a hinderance than a help in the forward line at Old Trafford this evening, and Rangnick will surely be exchanging words with the young attacker about his positioning and mistakes throughout the game.

United have a huge challenge on their hands to gain a spot in the top four to secure Champions League football next season and will now need to rely on Arsenal dropping points to have a chance at stealing fourth at the end of the season. There is no room for error anymore and Elanga’s performance this evening will have only further contributed to a season of despair for the Red Devils.

In other news: Rangnick must wield the axe on “embarrassing” £180k-p/w MUFC dud this summer

Vice-captain, loyal servant and arguably a club legend, Leeds United defender Luke Ayling is something of a hero around Elland Road.

But having amassed 217 appearances and secured a Championship winners medal during his time at the west Yorkshire outfit, it could be time to move on.

There’s no denying that this season has been appalling – stopping just short of disastrous – as it appears as if new manager Jesse Marsch has steered the Whites to safety, having been involved in the relegation dogfight for the past few months.

A four-game unbeaten run, which includes wins over basement boys Norwich City and relegation rivals Watford, has seen Leeds move nine points clear of Burnley with six matches left to play.

They may have just done it.

However, the team is still the leakiest defence in the Premier League, having conceded a whopping 68 goals from their 32 outings – an average of 2.1 goals let in per game.

And when you’re having to score three goals every week to stand a chance at winning – without last season’s top goalscorer Patrick Bamford too – then it’s no wonder the Yorkshiremen have found themselves in a precarious position at times.

It’s a backline that has largely been unaltered since promotion from the second flight and there have to be question marks over whether big players like Ayling can consistently cut the mustard at this level.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-marsch-raphinha-dest-philhay” title=”Read the latest Leeds news!”]

Marsch ought to be ruthless this off-season by trying to secure a better option and that’s not through any fault of his own but Ayling has looked out of his depth at times.

During the recent win over the Hornets, commentator and former Wales international David Phillips described the 30-year-old’s defending as “awful”, whilst his seasonal 6.56 average WhoScored rating is bettered by eight other Leeds players right now.

No one is dribbled past more than Ayling either, letting his man run by 1.6 times per game and when you’re coming up against some of the best left-wingers in the division – ranging from Heung-min Son to Sadio Mane and Raheem Sterling – it’s going to cause plenty of trouble for his defensive counterparts.

Former manager Marcelo Bielsa was a big admirer of the full-back, especially as he could often slot in at centre-half for him. He even once waxed lyrical about his talents in this regard. He told reporters:

“He was quick, he was agile, he defended well, he headed well, he used the ball well, he transmitted serenity to the rest of the team.”

Just because he has been at the club for the best part of six years, doesn’t mean Marsch owes him anything. If a better option can be secured, then he must look to axe the Leeds favourite for the benefit of him becoming a successful manager at Elland Road.

The £35k-per-week ace just isn’t good enough for the big time, at least in a team that shouldn’t be fighting to keep their place in the division. A ruthless decision, but the right one.

AND in other news, Phil Hay drops Robin Koch update amid Leeds exit rumours…

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has revealed that Aston Villa are “confident” of making two more new signings in this January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Steven Gerrard’s side have already enjoyed a successful first few weeks of the transfer window thus far, signing the likes of Lucas Digne and Philippe Coutinho and watching both of them deliver the goods in recent games in the Premier League.

Now, Evans has indicated that Villa’s work in the transfer market is not done just yet.

Writing on Twitter, he said: “Gerrard has identified defensive midfield as the priority and had Rodrigo Bentancur watched in person on Sunday night. #AVFC know the fee required to get him. Villa are confident of getting a DM in before the deadline + a back-up centre-half.”

Fans will be excited

Talk about the impact a couple of new signings can make.

Coutinho marked his debut for the club by netting the all-important equaliser against Manchester United a couple of weeks ago, before Digne got in on the action by supplying the assist for Emi Buendia’s winner against Everton at the weekend.

It’s all changed the mood at Villa Park, and set the club up for a very exciting end to the second-half of the Premier League season.

Evans’ update that Villa are still keen on bringing in two new signings, and that they are “confident” of bringing in a new holding midfielder – Bentancur being the man in the frame at the moment – is sure to have fans buzzing.

Gerrard has come in and lifted spirits since the disappointing end to Dean Smith’s tenure at the club, and the two marquee additions of Coutinho and Digne have just galvanised things.

Certainly, the Villa manager has a major pull when it comes to convincing potential new players to join, and the fans will be hoping he can work his magic once again with Bentancur.

Meanwhile, Villa are set to launch a move for this star…

Manchester United journalist Samuel Luckhurst has taken a swipe at three Manchester United defenders for their role in Arsenal’s opener on Saturday. 

The lowdown

United travelled to The Emirates Stadium for the lunchtime clash knowing that they could boost their chances of a top-four finish with victory against their rivals.

But it was a disastrous start as they fell behind within three minutes courtesy of a goal from Arsenal left-back Nuno Tavares.

Granit Xhaka crossed the ball into the United penalty area, and neither Raphael Varane nor Alex Telles were able to clear the danger. Bukayo Saka gathered at the back post and looked to bend a shot into the far corner, with Tavares on hand to turn home the rebound after David de Gea’s save.

The Portuguese full-back was able to beat compatriot Diogo Dalot to the ball. Arsenal would ultimately win the game 3-1, with Bukayo Saka and Granit Xhaka scoring either side of a Cristiano Ronaldo effort and a Bruno Fernandes penalty miss.

The latest

Luckhurst, chief United writer for the Manchester Evening News, lamented the ‘feeble defending across the back four’ for Tavares’ goal.

He thought it was ‘bad’ from Varane and even ‘worse’ from left-back Telles.

Dalot also came in for criticism, with Luckhurst describing him as a ‘hologram’.

The verdict

Luckhurst wasn’t the only one to criticise Dalot. At half time, BT Sport pundit Martin Keown said the 23-year-old ‘completely switched off’ by allowing Tavares to ‘ghost in’ and score.

Ralf Rangnick had handed the £16.2million-rated right-back a third consecutive start, and fifth in the last six Premier League matches.

But will his apparent loss of concentration cost him his place with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, benched on Saturday, waiting in the wings?

In other news, Manchester United already have an Ajax target. 

Aston Villa winger Jaden Philogene-Bidace has impressed in the Championship thus far after joining Stoke City on loan in January for the rest of the season.

The 20-year-old has scored once in nine league appearances for a Potters side that have seen their form dramatically dip whilst the Englishman has been at the Bet365 Stadium, winning just three of their last 17 league matches.

However, according to SofaScore, the winger is currently averaging a 6.79 rating, a solid figure for the youngster’s first taste of regular first-team football.

Philogene-Bidace has experienced some first-team football for Villa this season though, receiving a brief cameo in the 2-0 Premier League win over Newcastle earlier this season whilst also appearing twice in the EFL Cup and briefly against Manchester United in the FA Cup.

There’s no doubt that manager Steven Gerrard rates the young winger and a strong end to the Championship season with Stoke could see the Englishman involved more frequently with the first-team next season.

In the Pipeline

Having spent heavily on forwards Danny Ings (£25m), Leon Bailey (£25m) and Emi Buendia (£38m) last summer, Aston Villa are still waiting to see any justification for these transfer fees.

Ings has netted five goals in what’s been a mixed campaign for the Englishman whilst wingers Bailey and Buendia have scored a combined three goals with the former facing numerous injury-related setbacks.

The Jamaica international has managed just four Premier League starts in claret and blue since his move from Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen, giving the 24-year-old more of an excuse for his slow start to life at Villa Park.

As for Buendia, the Argentinian has made 28 appearances in all competitions, scoring just twice whilst registering four assists, making each goal contribution worth £6.33m.

The addition of Philippe Coutinho on loan from Barcelona has made an instant impact, with the Brazilian scoring four goals and providing three assists in ten appearances and could make his stay permanent with the West Midlands club reportedly in talks with the Spanish giants.

However, with a lack of output in the final third from both Bailey and Buendia, there could certainly be a squad role available for Philogene-Bidace next term.

The youngster, who scored a staggering eight goals in six U23 appearances before his loan move, has previously been labelled as “the real deal” by reporters when playing for Villa’s youth setup.

Moreover, former coach Ahmed Abdulla explained: “He’s a right footer but he plays off the left. He can come inside or go on the outside. The model winger.

“He hugs the touchline and can beat his man. (He’s) Very confident and very light on his feet and skips past tackles, not one of them that gets hit and goes down. He bounces off tackles.”

There’s plenty of excitement surrounding Philogene-Bidace right now and there’s no doubt that Gerrard will be keeping a very close eye on the 20-year-old winger during pre-season this summer.

In other news: Gerrard may already have his Ings upgrade in Aston Villa gem who’s “some finisher”

Aston Villa were one of the busier Premier League clubs in terms of their business throughout the recent  January transfer window, with four new senior players brought in and some existing squad members moved out on loan to other clubs.

Now that the dust has settled and the window has closed, it seems as though some positive news has emerged regarding one of Villa’s new winter recruits which could bode well for the club when the summer transfer window opens.

Speaking on a recent edition of Rio Ferdinand’s FIVE podcast (via Birmingham Live), journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano was talking about Philippe Coutinho’s current situation at the club.

The journalist said: “He’s started very well. I’m told also from some people into the club that in training, he seems really happy, super happy with Steven Gerrard, super happy with the atmosphere.

“Who’s close to Coutinho? Agents. They say they never saw Philippe happy and ready to fight as they see him right now.”

Villa signed the Brazilian on loan from Barcelona until the end of the current season, with an option to make it permanent in the summer for a fee of £33m.

Although he has only played two games in a Villa shirt – with the first seeing the 29-year-old score a crucial equaliser in the 2-2 draw against Manchester United before completing 74 minutes in their 1-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park – fans will surely be delighted to hear that Coutinho is apparently very happy at the club.

While there’s still a considerable amount of time left until the summer transfer window opens, this bodes well for Villa’s hopes of securing a permanent deal for him if they think it would be worth doing so.

Moving forward, if Coutinho remains happy in his new surroundings at Villa, is playing regularly in the Premier League under the guidance of his former Liverpool team-mate and can add some more goals and assists to his tally before the end of the season, he could make it easy for the club to decide on whether or not to sign him permanently.

In other news: Lange heading for unforgivable Aston Villa disaster, Gerrard would surely be furious

Crystal Palace will look to sign 18-year-old Derby County prospect Malcolm Ebiowei this summer with the winger out of contract in June.

What’s the story?

That’s according to The Sun, who claim that the Eagles want to sign another Rams youngster after securing the signature of 19-year-old striker Luke Plange in January.

Plange was loaned back to Wayne Rooney’s side for the remainder of the season, but couldn’t prevent Derby from miraculously avoiding relegation to League One after having a total of 21 points deducted earlier this season.

Ebiowei has featured in 14 of the Rams’ last 15 Championship matches, starting the last nine, and looks to be a real prospect.

In the pipeline

Like with Plange, Palace boss Patrick Vieira may look to loan out Ebiowei next season if he is to favour a move to south London, with the Frenchman seeing the Derby duo as long-term options.

The English forward recorded his first senior assist on Saturday, setting up Craig Forsyth as the already-relegated Rams were subject to a rare home defeat against Bristol City.

After the match, first-team development coach Justin Walker labelled the youngster as “a breath of fresh air” and declared that he has the “X-factor.”

Ebiowei had fluttered between the U18s and U23s before his first-team call-up, making a combined 13 appearances for the Derbyshire outfit’s youth sides, scoring seven goals in seven U18 Premier League appearances this term.

Known for his skill and pace, the 18-year-old could prove to be a direct replacement for Palace forward Jordan Ayew, with the Eagles still yet to exercise the option of extending the Ghanaian’s contract by a year.

Despite an impressive first season under the reign of Vieira, the Frenchman’s side have struggled for goals outside of the contributions of Wilfried Zaha and Conor Gallagher, who have netted 12 and eight times across all competitions respectively this season.

The out of favour Odsonne Edouard hasn’t scored since January whilst Jean-Philippe Mateta has found form in the second half of the season.

As for Ayew and striker Christian Benteke, the duo have netted a combined six goals.

With Gallagher likely to return to parent club Chelsea and Zaha’s contract set to expire in 2023, Palace need fresh blood with bags of potential to come through the door at Selhurst Park.

Therefore, the decision to sign Ebiowei, especially on a free, could save chairman Steve Parish millions as opposed to dipping into the European transfer market.

AND in other news: Cost £0, now worth £15.3m: Parish struck gold with “fantastic” £25k-p/w Palace dynamo