All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

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It was revealed in an interview with The Express last September that Raul Jimenez narrowly missed out on joining West Ham United, and Irons fans on Twitter are regretting missing out on him following his latest display for Wolverhampton Wanderers.

While rumours at the time in 2015 suggested the Mexico international overslept and missed his flight to London, he confirmed via The Express that the real reason he joined Benfica instead was because that was a permanent move, while any deal with the Hammers would have been a loan one.

The 27-year-old, who completed a club-record £30m transfer to Molineux last week following a hugely successful temporary spell, scored a brilliant goal in the FA Cup semi-final against Watford on Sunday.

It looked as though it would be the winning goal until the final seconds, and even though the centre-forward was on the losing side his all-round game was once again one of the highlights for Nuno Santo’s men and didn’t go unnoticed by West Ham supporters on social media.

One labelled him as “the one that got away”, while another simply described failing to bring him to the capital as “the West Ham way”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Mesut Ozil has established himself as one of the most mercurial talents in the Premier League since he joined Arsenal from Real Madrid in 2013.

The enigmatic playmaker has the ability to be a world beater on his day but consistency has eluded him throughout his time in English football.

It’s a theme which supporters from Arsenal and elsewhere have picked up on, and now fans have taken to Twitter to underline his erratic form following a tweet made by talkSPORT.

The media outlet asked fans to name which player had the biggest gap from their best and worst performances, provoking plenty of responses in the comment section.

Some fans labelled the likes of Moussa Sissoko and Eden Hazard, both of whom have displayed strong levels of inconsistency in their respective careers, but Ozil was a name who consistently cropped up.

It’s fair to say that the ex Germany international showed tangible signs against Napoli that he is close to hitting top form, with his neat footwork and seamless ability to link the play enhancing the Gunners potency in the final-third.

But, as the fans have alluded to, it may now be some time before his next positive display.

Here’s what fans had to say about Ozil in response to the talkSPORT tweet…

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Fernando Llorente led the line for Tottenham Hotspur in Tuesday’s Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion.

Llorente scored the goal which ultimately saw Spurs book their spot in the semi-finals of the Champions League at the expense of Manchester City.

However, the club’s supporters were still not very pleased with the Spaniard during and after Tuesday’s game with Brighton.

It was a tough night for Llorente – a 2017 arrival from Swansea City – as he was up against two central defenders who are very, very strong in the air.

Some may have claimed that Spurs are actually better off without Harry Kane given their results and performances when he has been out of action in 2019.

Llorente struggled to make his mark against the Seagulls, though, and there was also a rare appearance off the bench for a certain Vincent Janssen.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

It seems likely that Llorente will be leaving Tottenham on a free transfer this summer when his contract expires, and the latest messages from the fans suggests that not too many will be bothered.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Rafa Benitez has once again secured Premier League football for Newcastle next season, something he should be heavily rewarded for this summer. Whether he is or not is another question. Eugh. 

Indeed, with his contract situation still far from settled, the Magpies’ top brass must prove their admiration for the Spaniard by giving him exactly what he needs during the upcoming transfer window. That’s obvious. To everyone but those who make the decisions on Tyneside.

Right now, it’s touch and go as to whether he will extend his stay at St. James’ Park but by making substantial promises, there is no reason why he wouldn’t.

Mike Ashley himself surely now realises what a brilliant manager Newcastle have and should consequently understand the need to support him financially.

One signing the Magpies were linked (via TEAMtalk over the course of the summer) and then again by Football Insider this week  was Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck and he is a player Benitez would surely be happy with because he’s a goalscorer and Mike Ashley might be equally as delighted with because he is on a free.

A match made in heaven, right? A free, experienced goalscorer.

Well, reports in the summer did suggest the club were even prepared to take on his sizeable £100kp/w salary and, while we wouldn’t blame any Toon fan for being cynical on that front, the signing of Miguel Almiron in January could well have opened the floodgates.

Welbeck, (who is valued at £13.5 million on Transfermarkt) has been very unlucky this season, having been kept on the sideline for the majority of the campaign.

After making quite a strong start to the campaign, it all quickly unravelled for the former Manchester United ace, hence why he is unlikely to secure another deal at the Emirates. Newcastle should be one of a number of teams to re-assert their interest in the former England international, given that he is still 28-years-old and therefore has plenty of time to get back to his best.

Welbeck was set for a strong campaign in terms of figures, because in the 14 games he managed to play, he scored five times for the Gunners. Those are pretty decent stats and bringing him to Tyneside would be a serious power play for Newcastle United. Alongside the likes of Ayoze Perez and the aforementioned Almiron, those in black and white deserve a striker of his stature.

Toon fans, would you take Welbeck? Think he’s worth £100k per week? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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According to ESPN, Manchester United are ‘seriously considering’ making an offer of €120m for Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak this summer, which has plunged David de Gea’s future at the club in doubt – if successful, it would be a world-record fee for a keeper.

The Spanish international has made a series of errors in recent weeks for the Red Devils, during a time where his future at Old Trafford is still looking uncertain.

De Gea is still yet to agree a new contract with the 20-time Premier League champions as he bargains to earn the same wage as the club’s top earner, Alexis Sanchez, on £400,000-a-week.

The Flying Pig unleashes fury on Dea Gea, Young, Sanchez and Pogba in the funniest player ratings ever in the video below…

As a result, United seem to be eyeing up alternatives. However, with Sergio Romero and the promising Dean Henderson next in line to De Gea’s throne, should they even sign Oblak? Football FanCast’s writers have their say…

Matt Dawson 

“I think it’s well and truly time for United to bite the bullet on De Gea, so lining up Oblak would be outstanding business. He’s easily one of the best goalkeepers in the world and given the mistakes De Gea has made recently, securing the services of another top star would go a long way to solving their defensive issues. Solskjaer has a big job on his hands to rebuild this summer but Oblak would be a phenomenal first building block.”

Ben Goodwin

“Oblak would be a tremendous waste of money for Manchester United, and that’s no slight at the player himself. He is one of best shot-stoppers on the planet if not the best, but he would cost a huge chunk of any sum received from an exit for De Gea, and there are other parts of the XI more desperate for improvement. If De Gea goes, the Red Devils would be better served moving forward with Romero and Henderson as their options in goal, freeing up funds to make the proper improvements required elsewhere in the team.”

Harry Elnaugh

“If United offload De Gea, only to blow the entire sum received for the Spaniard on Oblak, then they’re crazy. De Gea might have had a bad season but it will likely be his last. They should stick with him for another year at least as long as he wants to be there and, if not, they would be much better served going after a young shot-stopper whom Solskjaer can mould into a star in the next few years.”

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Having impressed during Leicester City’s defeat at Manchester City in the Premier League on Monday night, a number of Tottenham Hotspur fans have called on their club to move for James Maddison in this summer’s transfer window.

Maddison joined Leicester from Norwich City ahead of the 2018-19 campaign and has been in strong form this term – contributing seven goals and seven assists in the Premier League.

Leicester appear to be a team very much on the up once again, but it would be hard for Maddison to resist interest from Tottenham, if it indeed arrived this summer.

The 22-year-old has shown his class throughout the season and might well feel that he needs to leave the King Power Stadium to realise his England ambitions.

It would certainly be fair to say that the Spurs fans were impressed with what they saw from Maddison on Monday night.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

And a number have called for their club to sort out a summer deal:

16 goals and 20 assists is an exceptional return for any player in any top league in Europe, and it’s even more incredible when you discover those are the stats of a defender.

Rangers captain James Tavernier has been nothing short of incredible this season, establishing himself as one of the best fullbacks in the country and a leader who can take the Gers to glory in the not too distant future, but after such an impressive goal output, interest is bound to come, and that has been the case.

According to the Daily Mail, both Southampton and Brighton are interested in the 27-year-old right-back, who is valued at £1.8 million on Transfermarkt, and although a big money move to the Premier League might be tempting for both Tavernier and the board, the club must do all they can to keep hold of their captain.

The right-back is an exceptional oddity in the world of football, a defender who is as dangerous going forward as he is defending, and whilst fans would fear losing the likes of Alfredo Morelos more at first, losing Tavernier would be a disaster for Rangers.

Gerrard will find it near-impossible to find a player with the same impact as Tavernier in both impact on the field and off it. The defender’s goals and assists are important, but the leadership and unity the defender brings are just as important for Rangers.

A big money move might seem tempting, but Rangers are nothing without their captain, and the board must do all they can to keep hold of Tavernier this summer.

Rangers fans, is Tavernier the most important player in the team? Let us know!

It was a truly awful night to be a Leeds United supporter on Wednesday, wasn’t it?

With Marcelo Bielsa’s side entering the second leg of their play-off semi-final clash with Derby County as overwhelming favourites to progress in the competition having won 1-0 at Pride Park on Saturday, the Elland Road faithful must have been extremely confident about the showdown.

However, with the pressure of expectancy proving too much for the Whites, they produced a dreadful defensive display which resulted in them conceding four goals to the Rams.

Although Stuart Dallas managed to fire in a double for the hosts, Jack Marriot’s strike in the 85th minute for Derby was enough to bring Leeds’ season to a halt.

Now facing the prospect of another year in the Championship, the Yorkshire-based outfit will almost certainly have to kiss goodbye to any chance they had of signing Dan James from Swansea City.

According to Football Insider, the Whites’ director of football Victor Orta was considering a move for the winger but only if the club were able to secure promotion to the Premier League later this month.

Yet with their dreams of top-flight football being shattered by Derby, it is unlikely that James will be willing to stay in the second tier next season with top-flight suitors lining up for the £2.7m-rated ace (via Transfermarkt).

Having missed out on signing the 21-year-old in the January transfer window after Swansea pulled out of a deal on deadline day (via the Telegraph), Leeds will understandably be very disappointed if he does indeed move on this summer to another club, especially if it ends up being arch-rivals Manchester United.

What do you think Leeds fans? Are your hopes of signing James all-but over following your play-off defeat? Would you have been able to secure promotion if Swansea had allowed the winger to leave in January? Let us know below.

Frankly, Manchester United fans need something to get excited about. The Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer jubilation has been ruined by poor form, but a big signing could boost morale.

Gareth Bale is seemingly in no man’s land at Real Madrid and United, surely, could save him. Undoubtedly, he’d come in and tear the Premier League apart again and push Romelu Lukaku as far away from the starting 11 as the fans believe he should be. Spoiler: very far.

The Daily Mail have reported (they also claim the club have a long-standing interest in the Welshman) how Harry Redknapp believes Bale would be an ‘amazing signing’ for Man United. Now this might be Harry trying to help out an old friend by whipping up support, but we agree and think he could get back to his dominant best.

The powerful forward would get Old Trafford back onto its feet with his speedy wing-play. He’d fit into Solskjaer’s, and United’s, style perfectly by getting down the wing as quick as possible and getting the ball into the box. He could be on the other end of this move too.

It almost seems too perfect not to do.

Lukaku and Bale couldn’t be more different so what a breath of fresh air he’d be to the Red Devils. The Belgian being pushed to the side would be the biggest signal yet that United are being turned around and are capable of heading back to the top.

With Man City winning the domestic treble and Liverpool in the Champions League final, United need something to get the players and fans excited about the club again. Seeing Bale take over from Lukaku would be exactly that.

United fans, who do you think your club need to sign this summer? Join the discussion by commenting below.

There is fantastic potential for Steven Gerrard to become very successful with Rangers and, given the right resources this summer, an almighty title charge could be formed. This is Rangers we’re talking about, after all, a club who have the blood of winning pumping through its veins. 

Obviously, much has been made of Gerrard’s first season in management and his first in Scotland and all things considered, he has done a good job. Although the Gers are yet to bag themselves any silverware, you really do get the feeling that next year is where that all begins to change.

Luckily for the Light Blues, Steven Gerrard has a very good contact book available to him, meaning he could lure even more players from England over to Rangers.

According to reports from Derek Ferguson on Open Goal, another who could make the permanent switch over to Scotland is Derby County’s Max Lowe, a deal that could be done based on the connection Gerrard and Frank Lampard have.

Lowe, (who is valued at £315k on Transfermarkt) played three times for Derby, before moving to Rangers’ bitter rivals Aberdeen this season. There, he made 42 appearances in total, supplying three goals and two assists from his full-back position.

Like it or not, the Dons were very impressive after his stellar impact and, if Rangers were to get that exact Max Lowe, it could be very good business indeed. Indeed, the 22-year-old can be deployed further up the pitch, as a left-midfielder as well as his usual left-back spot.

A potential Ryan Kent replacement, anyone?

That kind of attacking versatility could really come in handy throughout the season for Gerrard and there is nothing to suggest this isn’t a deal worth pursuing. With good pace, attacking capabilities and the ability to pick out a man with a cross, Max Lowe is someone that could get a lot better wearing a Rangers shirt.

Would you like to see Max Lowe join Rangers? If not, why not? Let us know!