All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Some West Ham United fans are far from happy with a picture of four of the club’s players showing off a new range of Hammers merchandise.

The 2020/21 campaign was a magnificent one for the Irons as they finished in sixth place in the Premier League table, meaning they will be competing in the Europa League group stages next term. As such, preparations for the next season are already underway, both on and off the pitch.

As David Moyes and the board look to bring in new players, a new line of what appears to be West Ham training merchandise has been released. A photo including Aaron Cresswell, Declan Rice, Jarrod Bowen and Mark Noble has emerged sporting the new gear, and it has not gone down well with some supporters.

The image was shared on Twitter by @WestHam_Central with the caption “These are awful”, and it attracted plenty of attention from supporters. These took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the photo.

Let’s see what these West Ham fans had to say about the image

“certainly are #horrid.”

Credit: @bolyenjohnny

“Nobes is fuming”

Credit: @MHoldgate93

“Yikes”

Credit: @GotHammered1895

“Nope”

Credit: @CooperfectUTB

“We all support England as well as our own teams but it’s embarrassing we only have two players that are possible selections…and they come up with this. Lol”

Credit: @freyaanne

“That couldn’t look more plastic if they tried”

Credit: @JackPar78026231

In other news, many West Ham fans want the club to sign this striker.

Callum Wilson may not be a ‘main player’ at Newcastle United going forward, insider Dean Jones has told GiveMeSport. 

The lowdown

Wilson hasn’t featured for Newcastle in 2022, having sustained a calf injury in the 1-1 draw with Manchester United at the end of December.

Prior to that, he’d started every game for which he was available in the early months of the campaign.

Despite his lengthy absence, Wilson remains the Magpies’ top scorer with six goals, and he also led the way last season with 12.

The Englishman said recently that he hoped to be back in action by the end of this month, or the beginning of May.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-5/” title=”Newcastle news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The latest

Jones says that Newcastle are keen to get Wilson back in the side, but raised doubts about his longevity at St James’ Park.

“They obviously want him back, but I don’t think Callum Wilson is going to be a main player in this team next season, to be honest,” he said.

The verdict

This comes as something of a surprise given Wilson’s goalscoring exploits.

Graeme Jones, who took charge of Newcastle in the brief period between Steve Bruce’s sacking and Eddie Howe’s arrival, has labelled the ‘fantastic’ no. 9 ‘the best matchday finisher’ he’s coached.

What’s more, his £25million replacement Chris Wood has struggled, scoring only one non-penalty goal across his first 14 appearances.

However, the Magpies seem to have their eyes on recruiting younger talent in the position.

They’ve been linked with 19-year-old Reims striker Hugo Ekitike and 22-year-old Benfica hitman Darwin Nunez, and these may be the kind of forwards they want to build around.

In other news, Chris Waugh has a key update on Matt Targett.

Celtic could splash the cash on a “completely different squad” over the coming years.  

That’s according of Paddy Kenny, who was talking to Football Insider after reports suggested the Hoops are wanted in an all-British league.

According to The Sun, Celtic and their Glasgow rivals Rangers would both jump at the chance to move divisions, with the proposal to be backed by FIFA, UEFA and the UK Government.

Kenny was giving his opinion on the latest major reveal. The former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper shared how he thought the Hoops might fare in the English Premier League and has tipped the club to invest in better players as a result of a financial increase. The 42-year-old told Football Insider:

“I think they’d be the bottom half of the Premier League or top half of the Championship. They could be a yo-yo club, who knows?

“But then again, that’s based on the squad and finances that they’ve got now.

“But if they were playing in the Premier League they’d have better finances and spend them on better players and a completely different squad.

“They are an absolutely massive club and I’m sure they would get a lot more investment if they were in the Premier League compared to the Scottish league.

“No disrespect to the Scottish league, of course.”

Transfer Tavern take

Scottish manager David Moyes, currently in charge of West Ham, recently backed plans for the two Glasgow clubs to join a British league. Should such a proposal materialise, we’re with Kenny in believing that the Hoops would build a completely different squad.

It wouldn’t happen overnight, of course, but Celtic would need to bolster and add proven quality to their squad if they were to face a number of England’s elite clubs on a regular basis.

You would expect any proposal to take time to officially get the green light, but if it does, Celtic fans could be in for an exciting future, especially with the money involved in the Premier League.

In other news: Huge Celtic update emerges on £12k-p/w star; Lawwell and McKay may be set for blunder – find out more here. 

Southampton were linked with a move for Tottenham Hotspur youngster Japhet Tanganga in January, and with the defender now reportedly available on loan, Ralph Hasenhuttl should bring him to St Mary’s.

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports, Spurs are keen to loan out the 22-year-old, with both Southampton and Burnley having shown an interest in him previously, which suggests that those on the Saints board will be keeping a close eye on his situation with the north London club.

The report suggests that while Galatasaray have made a loan approach for the Spurs academy graduate, he would prefer a loan move to a Premier League club, which certainly opens the door to a switch to St Mary’s.

Southampton have enjoyed success in loaning players from Spurs in the past, as Kyle Walker-Peters established himself as a regular in Hasenhuttl’s side during his loan spell at the club in the 2019/20 season, which convinced the Austrian to make the defender’s move permanent last summer.

Would Tanganga be a good signing?

Although Tanganga cannot boast much top-flight experience, with just 12 Premier League appearances to his name, he could be a solid backup option for Hasenhuttl to have in defence next season.

The Englishman has featured at centre-back, right-back and left-back in his senior career thus far, so he could comfortably cover for Walker-Peters and new signing Romain Perraud in the full-back positions, an area where Southampton desperately need to add some depth ahead of the new season.

He would also arguably be an upgrade on current backup options Yan Valery and Moussa Djenepo, considering that the Frenchman struggled for game-time on loan at Birmingham City last term whilst the Malian winger is far from a natural at left-back but has been forced to feature there in pre-season.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

Therefore, now that the “amazing” Tanganga is seemingly available for loan, Martin Semmens should definitely consider bringing him to Southampton this summer.

In other news… Hasenhuttl dealt potential blow with “outstanding” Saints beast

Express and Star journalist Luke Hatfield believes that Aston Villa midfielder Conor Hourihane will want to play week in, week out and may have to move on from the club for that to happen.

Birmingham Live also reported that Hourihane is hopeful of a new deal at the club, but Aston Villa want to move Hourihane on in late August with manager Dean Smith keen to develop some of the youngsters amongst the Villa ranks.

The report also suggests that the Championship will likely be the destination for Hourihane, with The Athletic reporting that West Brom and Sheffield United are interested.

£30,000-a-week man Hourihane has entered the final year of his contract at Villa Park with Transfermarkt valuing the Republic of Ireland international at £3.15m.

Hourihane, who is comfortable playing as a central midfielder or further forward as an attacking midfielder, spent the majority of last season out on loan at Swansea City where he played 24 matches for the club and helped them reach the play-off final.

After a good season with Swansea where Hourihane featured regularly, Hatfield believes that he will want to continue playing regular football, telling Football FanCast: “I think for Hourihane it’s very much a position where he wants to play week in, week out.

“Obviously he was a vital player for Villa in getting promoted to the Premier League and that first season really good over a set piece too, but I’m not too sure whether Villa have pushed a little bit too far for him.

“He obviously wanted an opportunity to play with Swansea and got that and did well. I think probably for him and for Villa, it’s best if he was to find a club where he can play and potentially move on in a permanent deal.”

Newcastle United could help transform their club’s defence by signing Fulham centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo this summer.

What’s the story?

With Steve Bruce’s side having sealed Premier League safety this season, all eyes will be on how the club will look to strengthen the squad ahead of the new campaign.

And, according to The Athletic, the Magpies have got their eye on the 23-year-old Adarabioyo, with the former Manchester City defender understood to be open to leaving Craven Cottage following his side’s relegation.

The report does add, however, that Newcastle could face significant transfer competition for him from fellow Premier League side Arsenal.

Premier League proven

With the Magpies having conceded 62 goals this season in the Premier League – only Southampton and bottom side Sheffield United have let in more – it’s no surprise the club are eyeing a move for Adarabioyo this summer.

And while the centre-back might have been playing for a Fulham side that got relegated, that certainly doesn’t take away from how impressive he has been at Craven Cottage, or how good he could potentially become at Newcastle – you only have to look at Liverpool’s poaching of the Magpies’ own Gini Wijnaldum to see that there is plenty of top talent at sides who go down.

Having been described as a “high quality, class player” by his former boss at Blackburn, Tony Mowbray, Adarabioyo has got the kind of pedigree that could really help the Magpies out.

Mowbray said: “The reason we brought him was because of his attributes. He’s 6ft 5in, he’s very very quick, his distribution is as a good as any centre-back in the division.”

And, when you look at his performances this season for Fulham and compare him to what Newcastle have currently got in terms of their centre-back options, then Adarabioyo simply blows them all away.

As per Whoscored, his combination of 1.2 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game in the top-flight is better than the likes of Jamaal Lascelles, Fabian Schar, Ciaran Clark and Federico Fernandez, with the latter being the only one to better his tackling stats.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/newcastle-steve-bruce-premier-league-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-st-james-park-joelinton-shelvey-max-aarons” title=”Read the latest Newcastle transfer rumours and news!”]

The former City starlet is also significantly better than any of Newcastle’s defensive options when it comes to playing out from the back, and even anyone in the entire Magpies squad – his 56.7 average passes per game at an accuracy of 85.9% would rank him top among all of the Tyneside club’s players.

It’s exactly why Bruce could help transform the Newcastle defence with the signing of the 23-year-old.

Meanwhile, Steve Bruce is eyeing a move for this Premier League starlet…

Glasgow Rangers ace Kai Kennedy has been named in the UEFA Youth League Team of the Year for the 2019/20 season.

The Lowdown: Kennedy shines in Youth League

The Ibrox starlet enjoyed himself during the 2019/20 UEFA Youth League campaign, managing three assists in five games in the competition (Transfermarkt).

Those performances appear to have earned him particular praise from European football’s governing body.

The Latest: Kennedy in TOTY

UEFA have named Kennedy in their Youth League Team of the Year for the 2019/20 campaign (UEFA via The Daily Record).

He has been named alongside players from Real Madrid, Juventus and Ajax, while Croatian defender Joseph Gvardiol has represented his country’s at this summer’s European Championship.

The Verdict: Knocking on the door

Kennedy has previously been compared to Gers legend Davie Cooper by John Robertson (Glasgow Live), but he has had some issues with the Ibrox hierarchy in the past. He was said to be pushing for a move away from the club, refusing to sign a new contract (Football Insider) last summer amid interest from the likes of Manchester City and Barcelona.

Ultimately he remained at Ibrox and he is now starting to knock on the door of Steven Gerrard’s first team squad. Last season, he impressed in a loan spell with Raith Rovers, scoring once and providing four assists in 16 league matches. Clearly blessed with plenty of ability judging by his UEFA recognition, Gerrard may feel that Kennedy has earned the right to compete for a first team place at Ibrox next season.

In other news, Rangers ramp up their interest in this 27-year-old.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left fuming as some early team news emerged on Ryan Jack ahead of their game at home to Hearts on Saturday.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match at Ibrox, Steven Gerrard has now revealed that Jack ‘will be back in a couple of weeks’, meaning that he is going to miss yet another fixture.

These are words all too familiar to Light Blues supporters with regards to the midfielder, of whom Gerrard claimed was a ‘couple of weeks’ way from being integrated back into the group last month.

Jack is an important player for the Teddy Bears, making 19 appearances in the Scottish Premiership on their way to the title last term, scoring two goals and supplying one assist (Transfermarkt).

Thus, it is understandable to see several Gers growing more impatient with regards to when exactly he will back.

Rangers Fans on Jack Team News

These RFC fans fumed as the Team News from Gerrard regarding Jack was shared on Twitter:

“Friday ruined”

Credit: @smithy_1872

“Jack has been a couple of weeks away for the last 3 months”

Credit: @Ross_Herkes1

“Feel like I’ve heard this sentence for 3 months”

Credit: @JacobMcArthur18

“Jack back “in a couple of weeks” – that seems to be the update every time.”

Credit: @Ggoggsie

“Said it many times…. Horrendous decision to waste a Europa squad space on him! Rossiteresque”

Credit: @bluedougie

“Swear Jack has been a few weeks away from returning for about 6 months. The new Jordan Rossiter.”

Credit: @Shanksy1872

In other news, find out what club update has Gers gushing here!

Everton have been linked with a move for Inter forward Alexis Sanchez as they look to sign a replacement for the departed James Rodriguez.

What’s the story?

According to InterLive.it (as relayed by the Liverpool ECHO), the Toffees are interested in signing the highly-rated 32-year-old in the January window, with Rafa Benitez keen to add further attacking reinforcements to his first-team squad.

The report states that Sanchez is becoming frustrated with his lack of opportunities under new manager Simone Inzaghi and Everton could offer a potential swap deal for the versatile forward’s signature.

It’s claimed that the Premier League outfit would be willing to offer unwanted striker Cenk Tosun in the opposite direction to sweeten the deal, but that the Nerazzurri are only interested in a cash deal for the South American’s services.

Everton could replace Rodriguez

After former Real Madrid playmaker Rodriguez departed Goodison Park over the summer, Benitez was left extremely lightweight in the final third of the pitch.

Injuries to the likes of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have exposed the Spaniard’s threadbare forward line, with back-to-back defeats now increasing the pressure for director of football Marcel Brands to address the issue in the winter transfer window.

Therefore, Sanchez’s apparent availability could be the ideal solution to Everton’s current issues and the player’s own concerns over his game time.

During his three-and-a-half-year stay at Arsenal, the Chile international bagged 80 goals and provided 45 assists in 166 appearances for the Gunners, winning the FA Cup twice along the way as he became one of English football’s most revered stars.

His outstanding performances at the Emirates Stadium caught the eye of several impressed onlookers, including Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

“He is a player that can play in several positions: left, right, central. He is a fighter with character and spirit, and he is a winner,” said Guardiola back in 2016. “He is a class, class player, but now I think he is playing really well. With Chile he has won two South American cups, that shows what a good player he is.”

But things have not quite worked out for Sanchez since leaving north London. Spells at Manchester United and Inter have failed to bring out the best in the £4.5m-rated beast, but Merseyside could be the ideal destination to revive his career.

And, in other news…Forget Pickford: Everton liability who lost 73% of his duels let Rafa down v Watford 

Kalvin Phillips could leave Leeds United at the end of next season, according to former West Ham and Scotland striker Frank McAvennie.

The Lowdown: Phillips shines for England

England enjoyed a memorable Euro 2020 campaign, eventually losing to Italy in the final but largely doing themselves proud in the tournament.

Phillips was exceptional in the competition, standing out in the middle of the park and taking his Leeds form with him to the international stage.

The 25-year-old’s performances may have made a host of clubs sit up and take notice, meaning the Whites could struggle to keep hold of him in the years to come.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359346″]

The Latest: Pundit makes bold prediction

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie even claimed that a deal could be in place to allow Phillips to leave Elland Road next summer:

“He was the surprise package of the Euros. To be a starter? Wow, I didn’t see that coming. I think he’ll get another year at Leeds.

“He’ll be wanting a new contract I’d imagine, he’s a superstar now. He’s shown the world what he can do, there will be clubs interested.

“There might be some sort of agreement in place. He could go with the club’s blessing next year. He will make them a lot of money but they won’t want to lose him.

“Personally, I wouldn’t want to leave Leeds this summer but if a bid comes in you never know. I think he’ll stay for one more year, then we’ll see him move.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-9/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Verdict: Does he have a point?

While this is a bold prediction, there will be understandable concern that Phillips may end up wanting a fresh challenge at a club challenging for silverware consistently.

The midfielder’s current Leeds deal doesn’t expire until 2024, however, so a huge bid would be needed to prise him away from the Whites with the club in an extremely strong negotiating position.

For now, Phillips needs to focus on helping Marcelo Bielsa’s side push for a European finish next season, with the England man arguably his team’s most important player.

Perhaps qualification for the Europa League could tempt him to stay longer than McAvennie predicts.

In other news, a pundit has dropped a verdict on one potential Leeds signing. Find out who it is here.