All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Sunderland fans have mostly painful memories of Ashley Fletcher so they are enjoying his calamitous miss for Middlesbrough on Wednesday.

The striker joined during the Black Cats’ relegation from the Championship in 2017/18, and catastrophically failed to deliver what was required of him as he scored just two goals in 16 games.

Watch League 1 Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

As a result, he is not the most popular man at the Stadium of Light and the opportunity to mock him has been seized upon.

For some it has provided a flashback of his stint at the club, and therefore they are not surprised by the shocking miss, despite the rebound looking easier to score.

He has been in equally disappointing form this season, and since his opening day goal against Luton he has added just one more goal than in 13 games, and that came in the League Cup.

The miss has sparked much reaction, and here is what some Sunderland fans have been saying.

Liverpool host Leicester City on Saturday as they look to continue their 100% start in the league, but a social media post has brought back bad memories from the same fixture last season.

The Foxes managed to grab a 1-1 draw on that occasion and it was part of a run of fixtures in which Jurgen Klopp’s drew three league games out of four – which ultimately cost them the Premier League title.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

As a result, fans aren’t pleased that Liverpool’s official account has posted a clip from the game, even though it shows a great passing move which resulted in Sadio Mane finding the bottom corner.

Brendan Rodgers’ side are in good form too and subsequently find themselves in third place, so they certainly have the potential to upset Reds once more by taking valuable points off them.

The Anfield outfit will be hoping to put last season’s result firmly behind them and if they manage that they will go into the international break in a buoyant mood.

Here are some of the reactions from the Anfield faithful.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

It hasn’t really been a good start to the new season for Carles Alena, one of Barcelona’s big La Masia talismans. And according to Marca, the 21-year-old could be looking towards an exit option in January already.

What’s the word, then?

The youngster was always supposed to be the next big thing at the Catalan capital.

After all, Alena was a big star back at Barcelona B where he mustered 89 appearances and looked set to join the seniors after netting 18 goals and assisting a further 14 for the younger crop of Blaugrana players.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

And that came true this season as the 21-year-old talisman was finally a part of the first-team under Ernesto Valverde. But despite a bright start to the campaign, it has quickly gone downhill.

Now, he could be on his way out come January and looking at his position at the club, that might not be such a bad idea after all.

A new chance

It’s always a big shame when an academy graduate fails to live up to the expectations and ends up leaving the club of his youth behind.

But that’s also nothing particularly new, especially at Barcelona.

Long gone are the days of the golden La Masia generations and Alena wouldn’t be the first nor the last talent having to depart and seek his fortune elsewhere, away from Catalonia.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

Seeing how we have only seen him on the pitch for 45 minutes in the entirety of the 2019/20 campaign so far, it’s pretty clear that Ernesto Valverde doesn’t really count on Alena.

He made his first and last appearance in the curtain-raiser against Athletic Bilbao back in August and then he was gone, nowhere to be seen since.

As strange as this situation is, with so many midfielders in the squad, it’s difficult to see Alena making a sudden breakthrough, even if Ivan Rakitic, the other midfielder reportedly close to the exit door, leaves in the not so distant future.

That would still leave Alena competing with five other midfield players, all of whom seem to be ahead of him in the pecking order if their tally of minutes so far this season is any indication.

As it currently stands, a January exit, either in the form of a loan or a permanent deal, could be the ideal solution to this problem.

After all, that could be the only way Alena can actually make a step forward in his career.

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Aston Villa’s time in the Premier League this season has been a struggle.

They’ve managed just one victory in five matches and their latest showing on Monday night showed there is still a lot of work to be done.

The Villans were held at home by West Ham United, who for the final 23 minutes had to play with just ten men – skipper Jack Grealish even claimed it “felt like a defeat.”

There was possibly one positive to take, though, as the club moved out of the relegation zone with the point at Villa Park.

A struggle in front of goal has seemingly been a recurring theme for manager Dean Smith, being the league’s joint-second lowest scorers, and this game was no different.

The west Midlands club managed ten shots at goal against the Hammers with only 50% of them being on target.

One player at fault was striker Wesley, who joined Villa for a club-record £22m in the summer.

He squandered a big chance to take the lead early in the match when he headed wide from close-range after Grealish’s pin-point cross.

The 22-year-old’s performance soon went downhill from there – managing just one other attempt at goal throughout the entire duration of the match.

Wesley also lost possession ten times, which no doubt aided the visitor’s ability to remain on top throughout the game – Manuel Pellegrini’s side had 53.3% possession and recorded three more shots than Villa.

The Brazilian was wholly ineffective and his failure to win any of his three aerial duels goes some way to attesting to that.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Football is a cutthroat business with jobs always on the line, but you’d imagine Smith’s position will remain pretty secure regardless of what happens this season considering he was the man to turn things around in B6.

Wesley will be doing everything he can to make amends for his poor recent performance but, based on the statistics presented above, he will have to improve to convince his manager that there is no need to delve into the market for another centre-forward.

It could be said that the summer recruit has just three months to prove his worth or his time at Villa Park could quickly be written off along with the many other failed strikers to lead the line in recent years.

At £22m, you don’t want to be mentioned in the conversation as Ross McCormack, that’s for sure.

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

As quoted by The Manchester Evening News, Fernandinho has raised a worrying concern about having to play at centre-back for Manchester City.

What did he say?

The Brazil international has been used as a make-shift centre-back in recent weeks following the long-term injury suffered by Aymeric Laporte.

The veteran midfielder shone in his unfamiliar position against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League last week, before helping keep a second consecutive clean sheet in the 8-0 thrashing of Watford in the Premier League.

Watch Manchester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

However, Fernandinho has insisted tougher tests lay ahead, and questioned whether he would be up to the task when opposition teams take the game to City.

He said: “I’m still in an adaptation process. It’s something new for me although I have known since the end of last season that playing as a centre back was a possibility.

“I’ve started training it from the beginning of this season so it’s still new, but I’m trying to learn from that experience. The way we play makes it a bit easier because we keep the ball with us most minutes. Against Shakhtar, they barely attacked behind our four-man defensive line and kept the ball mostly around the halfway line.

“But when an opponent attacks more through crosses or behind-the-line runs let’s see how I’m going to perform. I’m here to help so that’s fine. As for the future, we will see what happens. It’s better to think about now.”

Ominous

When City dominate teams – a quite regular occurrence – Fernandinho’s presence at centre-back is perhaps not as damaging to Pep Guardiola’s side. There can even be an argument that his qualities with the ball at his feet may be an advantage to the Citizens.

But when the Etihad outfit next come up against a so-called ‘big team’, it really will be fascinating to see whether the Brazilian can cope with the greater defensive demands. City’s next test against one of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ comes when they take on Liverpool at Anfield on November 10 – a potentially title-defining clash.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

Coming up against the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino will truly establish whether Fernandinho is capable of making this transition into a bona-fide centre-back.

[ad_pod ]

Crystal Palace have had a pretty unremarkable season so far and while there have been some spectacular high points – see the 3-2 win over Manchester City and Andros Townsend’s thunderbolt volley – the Selhurst Park faithful can feel disappointed that they have been unable to break their season-after-season relegation battle, considering the quality they have in all areas of the pitch.

Roy Hodgson is sometimes guilty of choosing the wrong approach or making peculiar tactical decisions but he and his players deserve credit for the extraordinary turnaround during the 17/18 season, in which a number of players stepped up to the plate and proved their value.

This season, though, there have been few remarkable performers and arguably more who have declined. Who, then, are Palace’s most improved and far removed players?

Most improved: Jeffrey Schlupp

While Aaron Wan-Bissaka has certainly been the Eagles’ most impressive and consistent player this season, the 21-year-old has been that good since his debut in February last year, while Jeffrey Schlupp has come on leaps and bounds since last campaign.

The Ghanaian is taking the label of ‘utility man’ to a whole other level – deployed at left-back, left-midfield and, more importantly, central-midfield, the former Leicester man has been the surprise package of Palace’s season.

Tucked into a three, the 26-year-old has brought rare pace and a quality finishing touch to the Palace midfield, scoring five goals – a tally that brings him level with Wilfried Zaha.

Far removed: Patrick van Aanholt

Previously keeping Schlupp out of the lineup, van Aanholt was hugely impressive last season and struck up a dangerous partnership with Zaha on the left-flank, although this campaign he has looked less confident on the ball and his defensive shortcomings are being exposed far more often.

In the 17/18 season, the nine-cap Dutchman was a scoring threat for the Eagles, striking five times in 28 league appearances – however, he has netted just once in 26 appearances in 18/19.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

When he isn’t contributing going forward, the reasoning behind starting the 28-year-old is far less convincing considering his often poor positioning on the back foot can be a liability. He can undoubtedly bounce back from this disappointing six months, although he needs to get his act together sooner rather than later.

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

As reported by The Times, Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha has decided to part ways with his agent, Will Salthouse.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the report states that Zaha, 26, has decided to cut ties with his agent following Salthouse’s failure to secure his client a move away from Selhurst Park this summer.

The Times also mentions that the Ivory Coast international cites Salthouse’s relationship with Palace chairman Steve Parish as the reason behind the decision.

Zaha was reportedly left ‘devastated’ after his attempts to leave SE25 failed, amid transfer interest from Arsenal and Everton, although he has since appeared in all four of the Eagles’ Premier League games so far this season.

Bad news for Palace

While this news may seem fairly innocuous as far as Palace fans are concerned, it should be an update that worries them regarding their hopes of keeping the attacker at the club.

Salthouse seemingly shares a good relationship with Parish, as The Times states that the football agent has been known to invest in the same businesses as the Eagles supremo.

At first glance, it appears as if Zaha has made the decision to axe his agent due to his failure to move away – by assisting his client’s exit and weakening Palace in the process, Salthouse’s relationship with Parish could have been harmed.

But with Zaha now sacking Salthouse and presumably going on to hire someone without a connection to the club’s board – thus having no personal relations to protect or think about – a new, impartial representative would perhaps be more ruthless in helping the Ivorian get his wish of moving on.

Whenever players switch agents, the chances of a move always heighten – after all, agents earn part of their keep through commission on transfers – but having furthermore removed a representative who has a direct relationship with the Palace hierarchy, this represents a blow to the club’s chances of keeping Zaha.

[ad_pod ]

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their pursuit of Marseille forward Bamba Dieng…

What’s the talk?

According to the Express, PIF are interested in a deal to sign the attacker for the Magpies and could land him on loan with an obligation to make it permanent in the summer.

The report claims that the Ligue 1 outfit are prepared to sell him for a fee in the region of £10-15m, with Newcastle, Brighton and West Ham are considering a swoop.

Howe’s own Drogba

Eddie Howe could find his own Didier Drogba by securing a deal to bring Dieng to St. James’ Park before the end of the month.

El-Hadji Diouf previously compared the forward to the Premier League and Chelsea icon whilst hailing his potential, saying:

“I knew him from the Senegal national youth teams. He’s a forward, a Didier Drogba [kind of player]. All he knows how to do is score goals. I watched him when he was with Diambars [Dieng’s former club in Senegal] and he wasn’t far off being one of the best strikers in the Senegalese league [Dieng was top scorer in the 2019/20 season, his first as a professional].

“He’s a young player who has a future. The Senegal national team has perhaps also found its own great striker. All I can say to him is that he should keep his head on his shoulders, and carry on working hard. Out of three chances, he’ll score two. He’s a striker who finishes when he’s in the box.”

Drogba scored 104 goals and provided 55 assists in 254 matches for Chelsea in the Premier League throughout his career, which shows how highly Diouf rates the young Marseille man. He is not performing to those levels yet but he could have the potential to get there and this is why he could be an excellent signing for Newcastle.

Dieng may not be the player they need to come in and save them from relegation this season, but he could be someone Howe is able to work with over time to develop him into being the next iconic centre-forward of the Premier League era if he is able to fulfil his potential.

At the age of 21, he has the world at his feet and the Magpies could bed him in slowly, allowing him to learn from the likes of Callum Wilson and Chris Wood whilst picking up Premier League experience along the way.

Jorge Sampaoli previously lauded him as an “explosive” talent and he has burst onto the scene in Ligue 1 this season, with four goals in 14 games (seven starts). He has also scored one goal in two games for Senegal at the African Cup of Nations, showing that he is starting to find his form at senior level for club and country.

This suggests that he could have the potential to score goals on a regular basis at the top level, but he is yet to show that he can do it over the course of an entire season let alone four or five. Therefore, he could be a great signing for the future and Howe could mould him into his own version of Drogba in the coming years.

AND in other news, “Hearing that NUFC have..”: Pete Graves drops big transfer twist, it’ll infuriate Howe…

Antonio Conte’s concerns at Tottenham Hotspur have been revealed after a pretty disappointing January transfer window in north London…

What’s the word?

As claimed by the Telegraph’s Matt Law on social media this week, the Lilywhites “continue to live in hope rather than expectation” which is “something Antonio Conte has made it clear he doesn’t like.”

In an accompanying column for the newspaper, the reliable reporter went onto suggest that ‘Conte hoped for a sign that Spurs share his winning ambition in the January transfer window, but there has been no real proof’ after they sealed a double swoop for Juventus duo Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski.

‘Chairman Daniel Levy and managing director Fabio Paratici are unlikely to have done enough to put supporters’ minds at rest that the 52-year will at least see out his contract that runs to the end of next season,’ he also claimed.

The Italian head coach wanted three signings. He got two. And they also missed out on two key targets in Adama Traore and Luis Diaz.

Ticking timebomb

That said, the club did well to move on figures that simply had no part to play in the remainder of the season in the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Dele Alli, for whom the writing had been very much on the wall since Conte’s arrival.

Often, under Levy, Spurs have kept hold of players way past their sell-by date, whilst there are certainly question marks over Paratici, whose first managerial appointment – Nuno Santo – faced the axe within months, whilst one of his own summer signings – Bryan Gil – departed on loan, too.

There are very much questions marks to be had surrounding the relationship of the three integral protagonists in Spurs’ quest to return to their former glory. It almost seems like this is a ticking timebomb waiting to explode and you’d imagine that failure to back Conte in the summer would be the trigger.

Paratici signing players he’s very familiar with already isn’t the best of looks either. It seems like the cheap way out after a completely disastrous pursuit of Traore, who they had been tracking since the summer – only for the player to have doubts over his role in north London.

Kulusevski and Bentancur are hardly inspiring names, nor are they going to pull up any trees at Hotspur Way but they are solid enough to keep Conte happy for the time being, especially as they are more likely to sign up to his methods than any of the departed trio mentioned above.

This claim from Law is hardly going to alleviate any of the fears that fans may have as the season rumbles on. You can’t help but feel as if we’re all expecting the Italian to not see out his contract and that’ll be on the hands of Levy and Paratici, the two who heavily chased him back in November.

Will Conte last the next six months, let alone the next 18? Only time will tell.

AND in other news, Conte could unearth his next Cesc Fabregas at Spurs in “aggressive” £22.5m-rated beast…

Celtic have made a move to bring Riley McGree to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Anthony Joseph, with the Sky Sports journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that Celtic have made an offer of an initial £2.5m for the Charlotte FC midfielder, with various add-on fees currently being finalised between the two clubs.

Joseph goes on to state that both Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough are also interested in a move for the 23-year-old, who has spent the last 14 months on loan at fellow Championship side Birmingham City.

However, Ange Postecoglou’s side are now believed to have reached an advanced stage in their discussions regarding the Australia international’s transfer this month.

In his tweet, the journalist said: “Celtic have made a move for Charlotte FC midfielder Riley McGree. Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough also expressed their interest. But talks with Celtic are understood to have reached an advanced stage on a deal worth an initial £2.5m, with various add-ons being finalised.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering how impressive McGree had been for Birmingham this season – before being recalled by Charlotte FC in December – the news that Celtic appear to be closing in on the signing of the central midfielder this month is sure to have left the Parkhead faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over his 13 Championship appearances in the current campaign, the £540k-rated man scored two goals, registered two assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.4 key passes and taking 1.8 shots per game.

The £5.7k-per-week midfielder also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making 1.3 interceptions, 1.2 tackles, 22 passes and winning 4.8 duels per fixture.

These returns saw the 23-year-old earn a rather remarkable average SofaScore match rating of 7.02, ranking him as Lee Bowyer’s sixth-best performer in the second tier of English football.

As such, it is clear for all to see that McGree would make an exceptional addition to Postecoglou’s current options in the middle of the park at Celtic, which is why the news that the Bhoys appear to be closing in on a £2.5m deal for the Australian is sure to have left everyone involved with the club extremely excited.

In other news: Ange could be set for grave Celtic error on “rock-solid” 21 y/o as Jan bids confirmed