All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Chelsea are still without a solution to their goalkeeping problem and could be looking at another season with Kepa Arrizabalaga as their first choice.

Unless the Blues can finalise a deal for a new shot-stopper, they will continue to have a weak point in their defence this season. However, The Athletic have reported that Frank Lampard is eyeing up a move for Manchester United ‘keeper Sergio Romero (via The Mirror).

Chelsea have been shopping around for the answer to their goalkeeping woes for months now. After Lampard put his foot down on Kepa and ruled him unreliable between the sticks, they have scoured Europe for his replacement.

Their initial interest looked to spell a London move for Jan Oblak, but Atletico Madrid remained firm on their £110million asking price, which put him out of their budget.

Nick Pope was another name thrown into the mix, but talks have died down surrounding a swoop for the England international. Instead, the Blues could now capitalise on Romero’s situation at Old Trafford, with Dean Henderson signing a new deal and David de Gea the favourite to start most of the Reds’ games.

Although Romero may be a bit older than Lampard would like at 33, he boasts 96 international caps for Argentina and was part of the Olympic gold medal-winning side from 2008 (via Transfermarkt).

His international experience behind fellow veteran Thiago Silva could be a huge boost for Chelsea’s struggling defence. Plus, with Henderson in line to challenge de Gea, United may be open to letting Romero leave this window.

No price tag has been specified but his Transfermarkt value is a mere £2.5million and he has just one year left on his current contract. The Reds may be forced to cash in before he is eligible to leave as a free agent next summer.

If the Blues can wrap up a deal for the Argentinian, it will likely be the cherry on top of Lampard’s very expensive transfer cake.

Do you think Chelsea should sign Romero? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Newcastle United are reportedly among several clubs showing an interest in signing teenage French talent Georginio Rutter.

The print edition of The Sunday Mirror (page 73) reported [via Sportslens] that the Magpies are in the hunt to sign the 18-year-old ‘sensation’, who is also wanted by Arsenal, RB Leipzig, AC Milan and Lyon. He currently plays for Ligue 1 side Rennes, who value him at £10m.

According to Sportslens, Rutter’s pace, power and technical ability have caught the eye of scouts from Arsenal, with the teenager already a bulky presence at 1.82m (6ft). The 18-year-old has yet to make his first team debut for Rennes but he has featured at UEFA Youth League level, scoring once in four appearances in the competition last season (as per TransferMarkt).

L’Equipe (via Get French Football News) that Newcastle have already lodged an enquiry with the Ligue 1 club regarding their interest in the teenage striker, who has represented France at several underage grades.

Given his tender age and his lack of senior experience, Rutter would almost certainly be signed with the long-term picture in mind by whoever signs him, if he is to complete a transfer in the current window.

Newcastle manager Steve Bruce already has four senior centre-forwards at the club in Andy Carroll, Joelinton, Dwight Gayle (currently out with a lengthy knee injury) and summer signing Callum Wilson, who scored on his debut for the club against West Ham.

£10m indeed seems a hefty fee to pay for someone who has yet to even play a first team game, although from Newcastle’s perspective, it could be a gamble worth taking in terms of its long-term consequences.

The scale of the transfer interest in Rutter hints at the huge potential that he boasts, while it’s worth remembering that Carroll won’t be around forever. The Geordie native will be 32 in January and has already had an injury-plagued career, while his failure to score in 23 appearances since returning to the club last year suggests that he has lost sharpness up front.

In time, Rutter could become the eventual successor to Carroll as a powerful centre-forward presence – assuming, of course, that the Magpies can beat off the substantial competition for the Rennes youngster’s signature.

Newcastle fans, how good a coup would Rutter be for the Magpies? Have your say by commenting below!

According to a report by the Daily Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur are ready to offload both Juan Foyth and Ryan Sessegnon as the club and Daniel Levy pursue Milan Skriniar, with the Lilywhites duo chosen to make way as negotiations continue to unfold. 

Indeed, the Inter Milan star is apparently top of Jose Mourinho’s wish list as Spurs continue their desperate bid to sign a much-needed centre-back, but Mirror journalist John Cross reported that both clubs are still miles apart in terms of valuation.

The Serie A giants value Skriniar at around £50m and Levy is apparently unwilling to go that high, with recent reports claiming that Spurs are even considering the possibility of swapping Tanguy Ndombele in an effort to lower the price (TUTTOmercatoWEB via Sport Witness).

Cross has now claimed that the two clubs are still some way off completing a deal, as supported by Sky Sports transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who claims that a decision will be ‘made soon’.

In an effort to recuperate funds and invest in a potential deal for the Slovakian colossus, it appears that both Foyth and Sessegnon could be sacrificed (the latter on loan) to make space, as per this latest update.

The Athletic journalist David Ornstein recently hinted that Tottenham need to sell before they can buy again, with Serge Aurier, Danny Rose and Paulo Gazzaniga being other names on the chopping block.

Lauded as ‘incredible’, the 31-cap Slovakia international certainly has a few admirers and could be worth the investment, especially considering that Spurs let club legend Jan Vertonghen leave on a free transfer with no adequate replacement.

Lilywhites, would Skriniar be Tottenham’s best signing of the transfer window? Have your say in the comments down below…

Celtic are eyeing up a historic tenth title in a row this season and they have every chance of doing so as they remain unbeaten in the Scottish Premiership so far.

A lot of players have contributed to the Hoops’ dominating run, although there have been plenty of stinking signings in that time too – just like Cristian Gamboa, who was under contract at Parkhead for three seasons despite not featuring much.

He cost just £1m from West Brom in the summer of 2016 and went on to make a total of 31 appearances, which means he averaged around ten matches per season.

Gamboa’s time in Scotland ended on a sour note after a reported bust-up with the man that brought him to Celtic Park, Brendan Rodgers. It’s also thought that the decision to play in the Gold Cup over doing pre-season with the club also impacted his Bhoys career.

Where is Gamboa now?

The 30-year-old Costa Rican international is now thriving in Germany for Bundesliga 2 side VfL Bochum.

Upon his arrival, the veteran was lauded by sporting director Sebastian Schindzielorz, who said: “Cristian Gamboa is very experienced internationally. He is a robust type of player who will help us on the right side of defence with his speed, his tackling strength and his experience.”

In 24 starts last season, Gamboa contributed to three goals whilst also averaging 2.4 tackles, 2.1 clearances, 1.6 interceptions and 2.3 long balls, via WhoScored.

Having taken in around £15k-per-week whilst in Glasgow, the right-back was one of the more forgettable signings of the Rodgers era as he largely played second-fiddle to Mikael Lustig before moving out of the equation entirely.

It means Gamboa cost the club around £2.35m in total before leaving the club on a free last summer.

He may not have been the best player for the Hoops, but clearly, he’s found his feet elsewhere and is thriving albeit in the German second-flight.

AND in other news, Celtic may have made an unforgivable mistake with “sentry-like” teenage sensation…

Former Charlton Athletic striker Lyle Taylor was strongly linked with a switch to Glasgow Rangers as Steven Gerrard and Ross Wilson embarked on a summer spending spree.

Let’s face it, Gerrard isn’t exactly short of striker options, as he has four different alternatives to choose from – and that’s without even mentioning outcast former Birmingham City man Greg Stewart.

Even so, Taylor was a wanted man in the summer, for a very good reason, as the 30-year-old scored 11 goals and supplied one assist in the Championship for the Addicks last season.

He was previously linked with Rangers when the Ibrox outfit were interested in buying his former teammate Joe Aribo last year. But the Gers decided against signing the Montserrat international in the end, as they completed deals for Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe instead.

So, the in-demand striker became Nottingham Forest’s third signing of the summer, after the free agent agreed a three-year deal at the City Ground.

Of course, it’s easy to say that with the benefit of hindsight, but the fact remains that if Rangers had decided to pull the trigger they could’ve had an absolute bargain on their hands.

Taylor, who’s market value is currently rated at £1.26m via Transfermarkt, is arguably one of the best strikers in the EFL, as his goal-scoring record speaks volumes – a staggering 143 goals in 394 appearances in all competitions during his club career so far. By comparison, Stewart has only managed 89 goals in 346 games, according to Transfermarkt.

Recently praised for his “amazing” act of kindness, the veteran was once hailed as a “very intelligent” player by former Leeds United and Aberdeen forward Noel Whelan.

It’s safe to say that the veteran would have at the very least guaranteed goals galore, which is more than can be said for Stewart, who has found himself on the fringes of the squad this season.

One thing’s for sure, we would’ve loved to see Taylor don the light blue, especially when you consider the fact that he was available on a free transfer. He’s also a big admirer of Aribo, which implies that he would have been the perfect fit at Ibrox.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must return for Sheffield United ace John Lundstram…

After yet another drab display in the Premier League saw Arsenal slip to an almost typical 1-0 defeat to Leicester City on Sunday night, there is still one lingering question that threatens to completely derail the Gunners.

Just how do they solve their creativity issue? As per WhoScored, their total of 8.8 shots per game is the fourth-worst record in the entire division – even Burnley are above them – and with Mesut Ozil not even being named in their 25-man squad, it’s something that Mikel Arteta is already having to face questions about.

Club legend Martin Keown even claimed that the Spaniard is making the same mistakes that Unai Emery did. Quite the turnaround from a couple of months ago when Arteta was on top of the world after clinching both the FA Cup and Community Shield.

But whilst the club may have missed out on a potential solution to their creativity problem in Lyon’s Houssem Aouar in the summer transfer window, they do have another player in their ranks who could hold the key: Emile Smith Rowe.

The academy product spent time on loan at Championship side Huddersfield last season, and the 20-year-old left a huge impression there, with Terriers boss Danny Cowley saying: “Emile is just a really lovely player, isn’t he? He has that ability to find space; he could find space in a telephone box; he speeds the play up for you and draws and commits and I think it would have been a brilliant performance if he had scored.

“I am always going to be demanding of him because, to me, he is a Premier League player so I have to treat him like that and demand Premier League standards from him – in training and in games, day in and day out.”

With the Gunners not really having another player in their ranks who looks capable of playing in between the lines and operating as a number ten – Ozil not included – Arteta could do a lot worse than unleashing Smith Rowe sometime soon.

The north Londoners have already seen a fellow academy product in Bukayo Saka flourish after being given a chance. Now is the time to do the same for Smith Rowe too.

Grant Leadbitter smashed Phil Parkinson’s criteria for what the veteran midfielder can offer Sunderland this season with an instrumental display at home to Ipswich Town.

The 34-year-old opened the League One clash on Tuesday night in the core of Parkinson’s engine room beside Lynden Gooch and Josh Scowen, and offered the Black Cats a superb enforcer as he held down duties on the half-way line to protect Tom Flanagan, Bailey Wright and Connor McLaughlin.

Leadbitter kept his cool in the closing stages to convert from the spot after Mark McGuinness was penalised for a handball, too, striking what proved to be the match-winning goal for his second of the season to move Sunderland to within a point of the automatic promotion places.

Sunderland have now won back-to-back League One fixtures following their first defeat of the season at home to Portsmouth and a draw with Rochdale, keeping the Stadium of Light natives inside the Play-Off positions and with the division’s joint-best defensive record after allowing just seven goals in 10 games.

Leadbitter re-joined the Sunderland first-team for pre-season training this summer having left the group for personal reasons earlier in the year, and delighted Parkinson with what he brought to the field when the 34-year-old made his first competitive appearance of the campaign against Aston Villa’s U21s in the EFL Trophy in September.

“He’s a big plus for us from pre-season because he’s come back in great shape, both mentally and physically. He’s a good player, we know that, he’s played to a very high standard in his career,” Parkinson said, via quotes by the Sunderland Echo.

“He’s got a desire to be in and around the team. He wants to play and that’s great to see. I do feel there’s a really important role for Grant to play as club captain as the young players will look up to him.”

Parkinson opted to leave Leadbitter among the substitutes in Sunderland’s following League One meeting with Bristol Rovers, but has since started the £1.44m-rated veteran in eight of the Black Cats’ subsequent nine third-tier fixtures.

Leadbitter’s importance on the field was on full display at home to Ipswich on Tuesday night, as the Chester-Le-Street-born midfielder dictated the flow of proceedings with Sunderland’s most passes completed (46) and most interceptions (three), per SofaScore.

Only centre-half McLaughlin attempted a greater number of passes (53) than Leadbitter (52), who further won a ground duel and aerial contest, found teammates with three of five long balls, made one clearance and took his side’s third-most touches (58).

He may have been dribbled past twice and committed two fouls but, along with slotting home the decisive penalty, Leadbitter also drew the foul that saw Peter Wright show Andre Dozzell a straight red card, while making a goal-saving interception on the stroke of half-time and only losing possession six times.

Leadbitter’s performance smashed Parkinson’s criteria for setting an example for young players to follow, and solidifying the veteran enforcer’s place in the starting line-up ahead of facing Mansfield Town in the FA Cup this Saturday.

AND in other news, a Sunderland ace Phil Parkinson labelled as “accomplished” has delivered the Black Cats a fraught reminder.

Ryan Sessegnon is very much a gem Tottenham Hotspur have bagged in order to unleash in the future. After joining from Fulham last summer for £25million, the England youth intentional is currently on loan with Hoffenheim in order to get some valuable minutes in the tank.

The 20-year-old’s time with the Cottagers showcased his extreme versatility and he eventually made the transition from a left-back to a midfielder. In 2017/18, whilst being slowly integrated further up the pitch, Sessegnon tallied a whopping 15 goals and six assists in the Championship (via Transfermarkt). He has since made 12 appearances for Spurs and has a goal and an assist to his name.

With a lot of room still yet to grow, sending the starlet out on loan was a wise move by the club. Sessegnon has featured in all five Bundesliga games so far and started the last three. However, it seems as though Sebastian Hoeness prefers to see the youngster in defence, having deployed him at left-back on three occasions this season.

His last appearance in Hoffenheim’s 3-3 against Stuttgart saw Sessegnon contribute an important goal whilst operating from the backline. Despite having a lot of attacking flair, his defensive contributions balance him out and his career could do a complete 360 and see him right back where he started.

This would be a positive thing though, considering the fact that Spurs are currently boasting one of the best left-wingers in the world in Son Heung-min. Mourinho also has Dutch international Steven Bergwijn at his disposal, who is eager to compete for time on the pitch.

With the two wingers on the roster, there’s limited space for Sessegnon. But if he continues to impress at left-back for Hoffenheim, he could give Mourinho a lot to think about.

As it stands, the three-time Premier League winner has handed more starts to new signing Sergio Reguilon than he has to Ben Davies. Indeed, the latter is being gradually elbowed out of the squad by the new recruit and has been left on the bench for the last two Premier League fixtures.

Once Sessegnon returns, there’s a high chance that Davies could fall even further down the pecking order as the man seven years his junior pushes for game time. Out of favour left-back Danny Rose appears to have already admitted defeat at Spurs and recently lauded his potential successor as “one for the future” after he seriously impressed him.

Unfortunately for Davies, the likelihood is that he could join Rose in being lined up for the chopping block whilst Sessegnon becomes Reguilon’s deputy next season.

In other news, Spurs transfer target has Mourinho green with envy following 38-minute hat-trick…

West Brom finally picked up their first win of the Premier League season on Saturday night as they defeated rock-bottom Sheffield United at the Hawthorns.

On-loan midfielder Conor Gallagher will take most of the plaudits as his 13th-minute strike from range was enough to separate the two teams in what was a thrilling encounter.

The Baggies won for the first time since their promotion from the Championship without one of their key men, captain Jake Livermore.

Albion’s skipper has missed the last two outings as he steps up his recovery from contracting coronavirus during the international break. Slaven Bilic revealed in the week that both the 31-year-old and Kieran Gibbs had since tested negative, but this game was all too soon for either to feature.

And Livermore ought to be worried about his place amongst the starting XI when he does indeed return to action as another man has been stepping up immensely during his absence.

Even more so when you realise the West Brom veteran hasn’t finished the full 90 minutes in any of his last three appearances for the club.

Romaine Sawyers has come in and stepped up to the plate, culminating in his best performance of the season against the Blades this weekend.

The 29-year-old, who came through the academy set-up at the club, was industrious on Saturday, recording two tackles, two interceptions and one dribble. He also won four duels and made 49 passes at an accuracy rate of 89%, via SofaScore.

After the match, BirminghamLive reporter Joseph Chapman waxed lyrical about Sawyers, he said: “This was comfortably Romaine Sawyers’ best display in the top flight. He moved the ball quickly, matched Sheffield United midfielders in the physical battle and his passing accuracy was back to the levels we expect from him.”

His former academy coach, Jimmy Shan, once claimed the midfielder was an “unbelievable technician” and a “huge talent” who “had this ability to pop up between the lines and to create.”

At times last season, we witnessed exactly this but for large spells since their top-flight return, Sawyers has been the back-up.

It’s time to keep him in the squad, even if it’s at Livermore’s expense. You should never change a winning team and Sawyers played an underrated part in that win on Saturday.

AND in other news, West Brom liability lucky to not be punished for nightmare display…

Sheffield Wednesday boss Tony Pulis has offered new deals to three of their out-of-contract stars this week, though after the performance in midweek, he ought to consider making a U-turn on one player…

What’s the word?

According to the 62-year-old (via The Yorkshire Post), current skipper Barry Bannan, ex-captain Tom Lees and long-serving utility man Adam Reach have all been offered extensions to their current deals.

He said:

“Barry, Leesy and Reachy have all been offered new contracts. That’s something that the chairman is dealing with.”

The Owls suffered a fourth successive defeat on Tuesday night, losing 2-0 at Nottingham Forest, and are yet to win since Pulis took over from Garry Monk.

Lees was particularly shocking at the City Ground.

U-turn needed

Things haven’t gone to plan for the 30-year-old centre-back in recent times. He was stripped of the captaincy by Monk in the summer and found himself heavily out-of-favour – for good reason too.

Given he’s among the highest earners at Hillsborough – he’s thought to earn around £27.5k-per-week – his performances have just not reflected that.

Lees is averaging fewer tackles (one per game) and more fouls (1.3 per game) from last season and on Tuesday night, the former Leeds United man hardly covered himself in glory.

It was his mistake which allowed Forest to punish Pulis to yet another loss.

SofaScore graded the £2.25m-rated defender as Wednesday’s worst player with a 6.1 rating – he also committed one foul and one error, was dribbled past once, won just five duels all game, and made just 50% of his eight long ball attempts.

At times last term, Lees was described as a “liability” who was in “horrendous form” by supporters. Evidently, not much has changed this season either.

If Pulis has any sense, he’ll make a damning U-turn on the former Owls skipper, at least until he proves he deserves an extension to his massive wages.

Right now, he’s not fit to wear the shirt – even Monk could see that.

AND in other news, Sheff Weds monster who took 58 touches was Pulis’ only positive vs NFFC…