All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Roshane Thomas has dropped an update on West Ham United’s failed move for Duvan Zapata on transfer deadline day.

What’s the talk?

In a recent article for The Athletic, the West Ham correspondent shed further light on the Hammers’ late move for the Atalanta centre-forward, with it being said that David Moyes’ side had agreed to initially take the 30-year-old on loan – paying a £4m fee to do so – with an option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season.

However, Thomas went on to state that, despite the Serie A side agreeing to these demands and the Irons submitting a deal sheet to the Premier League, the move ultimately proved to be too late in the day to get the transfer over the line prior to Monday evening’s deadline.

West Ham must act this summer

With no new centre-forward arriving at the London Stadium in the January transfer window – despite a £58m bid for Benfica’s Darwin Nunez – West Ham are still desperately lacking any real strength in depth up top – with Michail Antonio currently being the East London side’s only recognised striker.

And, while this will undoubtedly come as a huge blow to the Hammers’ chances of securing a top-four finish in the league this season, should Zapata once again be available next summer, it would very much appear as if Moyes must do all he can to get a deal over the line for the Colombia international – as the 30-year-old looks to be the perfect match for Antonio.

Indeed, the £29.7m-rated forward has been a revelation for Atalanta since joining the club from SSC Napoli back in 2018, scoring 78 goals and registering 38 assists over his 152 appearances for the Bergamo club.

This season, the £57k-per-week striker has once again been in breathtaking form for Gian Piero Gasperini’s outfit, having already bagged nine goals, registered four assists and created three big chances over his 16 Serie A appearances – returns which have seen him average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.98.

And, with finding the back of the net clearly not being an issue, the 6 foot 2 Colombian’s physical stature is also similar to that of West Ham’s main man in attack, with Papu Gomez previously stating of the centre-forward: “Zapata’s shorts look like underwear, he is so big.

“Sometimes I don’t even want to get close to him in a match because he’s a beast and it hurts. When he is feeling good he’s like a train – you throw the ball forward and ‘ciao!'”

As such, while it was certainly a huge blow to not land the 30-year-old this winter, should a move still be on the table come the end of the season, Moyes could finally find the answer to his centre-forward woes in a move for the Atalanta hitman.

In other news: Moyes can unearth WHU’s perfect DCC alternative with 21 y/o prodigy, he’s “gold dust”

Southampton are currently in the middle of being both close to the top half of the table but also close enough to get entangled in a relegation battle, as they sit in 13th place in the Premier League right now.

Ralph Hasenhuttl will be wanting to get much more comfortable in the Saints’ league campaign before Christmas as every point matters right now and every point earned takes them a step closer to a comfortable position with less pressure as the season goes on.

Southampton have the opportunity to pick up points on several occasions against teams in a similar position to themselves but also face Liverpool at Anfield this week and Arsenal at the Emirates in just over a fortnight. Both games will be testing for the side and they will be looking to break down their opponents early in the game.

One player who will be hoping to get his chance to make an impact in not only these more challenging fixtures, but the rest of the season in general, is Nathan Tella.

The 22-year-old was tipped to be a Saints regular, but for some reason has been out of favour in Hasenhuttl’s set up for the starting line up this season.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-southampton-news” title=”Check out the latest Southampton news!”]

The manager opened about the youngster’s lack of opportunity to play in the team regularly this season but praised the “energetic” player;

“I am actually a little bit disappointed that I cannot give him more chances to play,”

“The games that we are playing at the moment are not so perfect for him, I think.

“I must say that, in the number ten position, he has a lot of good qualities. He is very energetic and he has a really good ability against the ball, running back and sprinting back.”

Southampton lost to bottom of the league, Norwich, last weekend which should have been, on paper, an easy win for the Saints, especially with the Canaries’ current record and lack of team consistency.

Alas, they beat the south coast side 2-1, and Hasenhuttl’s men went away with zero points to add to their attempt to push away from relegation conversations.

Tella’s energy and hunger for minutes, however, could be a boost to the Austrian’s current starting XI, especially ahead of Ibrahima Diallo who was used out of position on the right last time out.

Not only is that a reason to unleash him, but it will also enable the youngster to gain experience and confidence in the Premier League that could come extremely handy to the side in the latter stages of the season if they find themselves in trouble at that point.

In other news: Jack Stephens injury boost ahead of Anfield clash

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Pete O’Rourke has made a Leeds United transfer claim involving Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley.

The Lowdown: Whites ‘best placed’ to sign Barkley…

As per recent claims, the 27-year-old is a Whites transfer target ahead of the January as Bielsa eyes more options in the advanced positions.

Barkley has actually managed to impress Thomas Tuchel when called upon this season, with the German holding special praise last month, but that still hasn’t been enough to earn him more playing time. The England international has only featured in a handful of matches so far over 2021/22, prompting him to be linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge.

Backing Leeds’ interest, Fichajes reported that Bielsa and sporting director Victor Orta by extension are the ‘best placed’ side in the race to sign Barkley as they enter pole position for him.

The Latest: O’Rourke backs claim…

While he doesn’t say if Leeds are winning the race, O’Rourke has made an interesting transfer claim involving the former Everton star and Bielsa.

As per his information, speaking to GiveMeSport, Barkley is the Whites manager’s ‘immediate target’ ahead of the winter window. O’Rourke explained:

“”Barkley is Bielsa’s immediate target in the January transfer window if he can get one in.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

The £110,000-per-week midfielder could feasibly revive his career at Elland Road and regain favour with Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate as the World Cup looms next year.

Leon Osman, Barkley’s former teammate at Goodison Park, has called the player an ‘exceptional talent’, and we believe he has the ability to become a success at Leeds.

Compiling his numbers from last season, the 27-year-old averaged a consistent 1.6 key passes per 90 during his temporary stint at Aston Villa, with only Leeds star Raphinha bettering that number among Bielsa’s squad over 2021/22 (WhoScored).

It’s clear that Barkley is capable of turning it on when he’s handed the chance, and Chelsea’s forgotten man could be an astute purchase for Leeds in January.

In other news: Journalist makes Leeds managerial claim as Orta now eyes ‘supernatural’ serial winner, find out more here.

Calling Newcastle United’s 2021 a rollercoaster of emotions would be underplaying the 12 months the club has gone through this year.

From achieving survival in the Premier League thanks to Joe Willock’s sublime form on loan from Arsenal last season under Steve Bruce to PIF taking over from Mike Ashley and Eddie Howe becoming the new manager, Magpies fans have had a lot to deal with.

Newcastle are currently 19th in the Premier League table and appear on course to head down to the Championship next year, although the January transfer window is on the way and the prospect of PIF splashing the cash may be one that excites the fans.

It remains to be seen what will happen in the market next month or whether or not they will avoid the drop down to the second division, so why don’t we focus on what has already happened?

Take our huge, bumper, Newcastle quiz of 2021 and see if you can get 100% – only real fans will!

Over the last few years, Sunderland has been a rotten football club to support. They have suffered relegation twice and promotion feels like a distant dream.

Under the ownership of Stewart Donald, things went pear-shaped. They were spending vast sums of money that the club couldn’t afford and they’d become one of the laughing stocks of the EFL.

However, in 2021, there is a very different feel to the Mackems. They have won their first silverware for 48 years and after defeating Accrington 2-0 on Wednesday evening, they are now third in the table.

Lee Johnson has engineered an incredible run with the Black Cats winning seven of their last eight matches in the league.

It feels like now or never in terms of promotion and they’re building up ahead of steam at just the right time. Their win at Accrington was scrappy but they managed to get the job done as goals from Charlie Wyke and Ross Stewart sealed the points.

After their EFL Trophy final last weekend, Johnson made changes, one of which saw Jack Diamond come into the XI.

He has been one of the real winners of the new manager’s time at the Stadium of Light so far. When he came into the team properly in December, he offered something that Sunderland didn’t have; the ability to stretch opponents and get in behind.

Indeed, we saw that when he was introduced late on at Wembley on Sunday. He got the Black Cats up the pitch with his raw pace and frantic energy.

Unfortunately, he was rather disappointing against Accrington in midweek, being hauled off at half time after a very dismal opening 45 minutes.

The bitty nature of the game didn’t suit Diamond at all, and as a result, he struggled significantly to get into proceedings.

He departed the field having had just 18 touches of the ball, a number that would ultimately fall below goalkeeper Lee Burge’s tally for the evening. From those touches, he conceded possession on nine occasions, leading to a forgetful night for the youngster.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-sunderland-news-and-gossip” title=” Latest Sunderland news and gossip!”]

Strikingly, Diamond made just three passes in the entire time he was on the pitch. That is a shocking tally, one that was easily the worst of any Sunderland player to start the game.

It was telling, therefore, than his substitute scored the opening goal of the game. Diamond was replaced by Stewart at the break and the Scot popped up with a crucial debut goal.

The former has made great strides since breaking into the Mackems’ first-team but with their new signing now back from injury and immediately in the goals, he’ll need to keep a close eye over his shoulder.

Diamond will undoubtedly have better nights than this; he’ll just have to eradicate this one quickly from his mind.

AND in other news, SAFC must seal swoop for 26 y/o gem with “pace to burn”, Phillips says he’s a “threat”…

Wilfried Zaha has unsurprisingly been one of Crystal Palace’s inspirational stars throughout the current campaign.

Despite missing large swaths of the season, he has been one of the Eagles’ stand-out performers once again, scoring nine goals alone in the Premier League.

However, it could have been so different had Steve Parish sold the Ivorian to Arsenal.

Zaha has long been linked with a switch to the Emirates Stadium, with reports as recently as July 2019 suggesting that he wished to leave Selhurst Park amidst interest from the Gunners.

Even Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has made his praise of Zaha clear, previously labelling the winger as “phenomenal”.

With Ian Holloway recently appealing for Arsenal to reignite their interest, suggesting that the Londoners purchased the wrong winger when they brought in Nicolas Pepe from Lille, Palace will be glad they held firm.

His importance to Palace has never been understated, with his 45 Premier League goals the most in the club’s history – the next highest is Luka Milivojevic on just 28.

That is exemplified this season with Zaha’s goals alone being worth eight points to Crystal Palace.

Without him, Roy Hodgson’s men would be stuck on 29 points and firmly marooned in the Premier League relegation mire.

With the huge differences in revenue between the top-flight and the Championship, any demotion for a club of Palace’s size really could have been devastating.

Whilst Zaha is rated at £40.5m, the reward for another season in the Premier League is worth far more, the importance of remaining in the top-flight surely outweighs any transfer fee that they may have received for Zaha’s signature.

So, with the Eagles set to profit even more with the vital help of Zaha, the Selhurst Park hierarchy will surely be delighted that they managed to hold onto the 18-cap Ivorian despite Arsenal’s overtures.

AND in more news, read about which other transfer that the Eagles played to perfection…

Tottenham Hotspur are now eyeing a move for Inter Milan right wing-back Denzel Dumfries, according to a report by Sport Mediaset (via SportWitness).

The Lowdown: Conte’s search for a RWB

It was heavily reported that Spurs boss Antonio Conte wanted to bring in a new right wing-back in January.

Fabio Paratici was initially negotiating with Adama Traore over the proposition of playing in the position, having come close to agreeing a £20m fee with Wolves.

However, Spanish giants Barcelona swooped in at the last minute, snatching the 26-year-old out of Conte’s grasp.

As a result, the Lilywhites manager has been left with just Emerson Royal, following the season-ending injury sustained by Matt Doherty.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-copy/” title=”Tottenham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Dumfries rumours

According to a report by Sport Mediaset (translated by SportWitness), Inter may need to sell players to manage the books this summer. Therefore, Dumfries could be an option which would make significant money.

It is claimed that Bayern Munich and Tottenham would be “in the front row” for a summer transfer, as both sides are “watching him very carefully”.

Sport Mediaset further report that it would take in the region between £29.5m and £33.7m to secure the Dutchman’s services.

The Verdict: Good signing

After a shaky start to his Serie A career, Dumfries has gone on to earn comparisons with that of Inter legend Maicon, after a string of “brilliant” performances.

The Netherlands international’s underlying stats certainly illustrate this; he ranks in the 99th percentile in his position for non-penalty expected goals, non-penalty expected goals plus expected assists, touches in the attacking penalty area and progressive passes received (Europe’s top five leagues via FB Ref).

His attacking threat would complement Conte’s play-style perfectly, as he would slot in as an overlapping wing-back in Spurs’ back five.

If Paratici can get this deal across the line, we feel this would be a perfect signing for Conte.

In other news: Tottenham Hotspur: Sky Sports man drops Steven Bergwijn claim

Sheffield Wednesday will be looking to continue their unbeaten run under interim manager Neil Thompson this evening as they embark on the FA Cup fourth round.But they face an uphill task as his Owls squad head to Premier League outfit Everton having dumped League Two side Exeter City out in what was actually their last outing.The south Yorkshiremen have seen two league games postponed due to a significant virus outbreak in the Hillsborough camp, but it has given them a chance to get some key players back from injury.Similarly, the Toffees haven’t played in 12 days either, so it’ll be an interesting encounter up at Goodison Park tonight.Here’s the Owls lineup we’re predicting as well as the latest team and injury news…Veteran stopper Keiren Westwood had been nursing injury prior to the abrupt two-week break, but with the 36-year-old back in training, his experience could be vital in a cup tie like this, so he returns over Joe Wildsmith.Chey Dunkley and Julian Borner are another two who are in line to return from a spell on the treatment table, though only one is likely to come into the side as Thompson continues with his reliable back-three.The 28-year-old English colossus could slot in alongside the versatile Liam Shaw and former skipper Tom Lees, whilst Adam Reach and Moses Odubajo are named as the wing-backs.Both Barry Bannan and Joey Pelupessy will surely continue their partnership in the middle but there’s a decision to be made over the third man in the engine-room, especially as Massimo Luongo returns from a lengthy lay-off.

He’s unlikely to be risked here tonight, nor is Josh Windass, so we may well see Chelsea loanee Izzy Brown gifted a rare opportunity. He’ll surely be desperate to make a statement and there will be no place better to do it than against Everton.

Whilst we could see fellow loan ace Jack Marriott feature for the first time since early November. It would be the 26-year-old’s first start since October as he returned to Derby County for rehabilitation over a long-term calf problem.

He has impressed in training according to Thompson, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him partner Callum Paterson, who bagged the winner at Exeter.

That means there is no place for Jordan Rhodes of Elias Kachunga whilst academy trio Ryan Galvin, Alex Hunt and Ciaran Brennan are all axed from the starting XI in a total of five changes.

AND in other news,Â31 y/o “enforcer” could be a game-changing addition for Sheffield Wednesday…

West Ham United are one of several clubs eyeing up a summer move for Nahitan Nandez this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Corriere dello Sport, who claimed that the Cagliari midfielder is attracting interest once again ahead of the upcoming transfer window, with the likes of Leeds United, Inter Milan and Napoli also keen.

It’s thought that the Uruguayan’s return to form means that it will be a challenge for the Serie A outfit to keep hold of him, especially as they very nearly suffered relegation this season.

Whilst no fee is mentioned in the report, fellow Italian news outlet Calciomercato reported earlier this month that the 25-year-old would command around €35m (£30m), whilst Transfermarkt values him at just £22.5m.

Imagine him and Rice

A new midfielder should probably be the least of the Irons’ priorities this summer, especially as David Moyes desperately needs additions to his frontline, but it would be hard to pass up on a player of Nandez’s quality.

With the Hammers possibly competing in Europe next season, the 58-year-old Scotsman will need strength in depth if his side are to mount another challenge at the top end of the Premier League table, on top of not disgracing themselves in the Europa League.

The 35-cap Uruguay international is a diminutive box-to-box midfielder at 5 foot 7 but that shouldn’t mislead you about his strength as he’s a tough-tackling beast in the engine room.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-rumours-and-the-latest-gossip” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and more!”]

As per WhoScored, Nandez has averaged 1.8 tackles per game this season, on top of 1.2 dribbles, one shot and one key pass. He has even proven to be adept in the air despite his short stature, winning 1.8 aerial duels per match.

His agent Pablo Bentancur waxed lyrical about his client’s ability and, further adding to the player’s workmanlike nature, he told Calciomercato: “Nandez is certainly a great player. The fans always like him because he leaves the last drop of sweat on the pitch.”

It’s not the first time that the Hammers have been linked to the Uruguayan powerhouse either, as the ever-reliable ExWHUemployee revealed in January: “There’s a guy called Nahitan Nandez who plays for Cagliari, he’s 24, he’s a Uruguayan midfielder. I hear he’s a bit of an engine who gets up and down. He’s an option.”

Once described as a “total animal”, Nandez would be an interesting addition to Moyes’ already impressive midfield of Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek. His enigmatic presence would certainly offer a different threat as the West Ham duo are more physically imposing in the middle.

On the above evidence, he could be a dream partner to the England international as he has the ability to bring the ball forward, especially as he’s better than Soucek at doing so (0.4 key passes, 0.5 dribbles per game).

David Sullivan and co could create a formidable midfield duo by signing Nandez. It’ll be costly at £30m but it would be well worth pursuing if the Irons land themselves in Europe next term.

AND in other news, Huge blow: ExWHUemployee drops crushing West Ham injury update, Moyes will be worried…

Carlo Ancelotti has dropped news of a double injury blow for Everton as they prepare to play Manchester City in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Lowdown: Everton chasing European qualification

The Goodison Park side go into the final day knowing that they can still qualify for European competition.

They are currently three points behind sixth-placed West Ham United and would need them to lose at home to Southampton and for them to beat Pep Guardiola’s side, while bettering Tottenham’s result against Leicester City and recording a big goal swing, in order to have a chance of qualifying for the Europa League.

That scenario seems highly unlikely, but they have a good chance of qualifying for the Europa Conference League if can they better Spurs, Arsenal and Leeds United’s results.

The Latest: Everton suffer double injury blow

While it is an uphill task to go and beat the newly-crowned champions at the Etihad Stadium at the best of times, it will be made that much harder for Everton as Ancelotti has confirmed that both James Rodriguez and Seamus Coleman have been ruled out of the game through injury.

They are two players who would likely have started for the Merseyside club, but the Toffees will now have to try and get a result without the duo to call upon.

The Verdict: Rodriguez and Coleman key

As the club’s captain, Coleman will be a huge miss for Everton as he offers leadership off the pitch as well as on it. The Republic of Ireland international ranks highly in the squad in terms of average tackles (1.6), average clearances (1.3) and assists (three) per game in the top flight so far this season (Whoscored), and he will be a loss in these key areas.

Rodriguez offers a creative spark for the Blues as, with six goals and four assists in total in the league so far this term (Whoscored), he has also shown composure in front of goal, which is what Everton will need as they could to be limited in terms of chances against a Manchester City side who often dominate possession.

Both players could be a massive miss going into the match against the newly-crowned Premier League champions.

In other news, Everton are vying with Liverpool to sign this ace!