All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Crystal Palace are set to reward winger Wilfried Zaha with a new Selhurst Park contract.

That’s according to Eurosport, and the update has had a number of Palace supporters talking on social media.

Zaha, who has now made more than 400 appearances for the club across two spells, is currently on £130,000 per week. His contract is set to expire in 18 months’ time, and it seems as if Steve Parish and co want to tie down the speedster to new terms following his solid start to the season.

The 29-year-old has started in 11 of Palace’s 13 Premier League games this season, contributing to five goals under Patrick Vieira.

According to Eurosport, the Eagles want to reward Zaha with a new deal amid fears that he could be on the radar of some of Europe’s biggest clubs. The report namechecks the likes of AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund with an interest over the past 12 months, with the Ivorian thought to be keen on remaining with Palace.

Palace fans react

@cpfc_xtra shared the news regarding Zaha on Twitter on Saturday morning. Here is what these Eagles supporters had to say in reply, with a few excited and one labelling his current deal, which is close to £7m per year, as ‘obscene’.

“Oh my”

Credit: @CPFCtomm

“give him a blank cheque”

Credit: @localpla6tic

“Why? Because 7 million a year is not enough?? Obscene already!”

Credit: @pete_algar

“Give him the whole club”

Credit: @christylord7

“YESSS”

Credit: @Sumo08112

“omg”

Credit: @CPFC_Ollie_

In other news: ‘Shadow of his former self’ – Many Palace fans slate ‘shaky’ ace in defeat to Villa

Tottenham Hotspur have submitted an offer in a bid to bring Memphis Depay to north London in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo (via The Express), who claim that Fabio Paratici has now made Barcelona an offer for the 28-year-old, with the LaLiga side currently weighing up Tottenham’s bid.

The report goes on to state that the likes of AC Milan, Juventus, Inter Milan, Napoli and Lyon – as well as several unnamed English clubs – are also considering a move for the centre-forward, while Barcelona are believed to be open to the sale of the Netherlands international in order to help ease their financial difficulties.

“Can be as good as Ronaldo”

While it is true that, following his move to Barcelona last summer, Depay has somewhat struggled for game time at Camp Nou, it is undeniable that the forward would make an exceptional addition to Antonio Conte’s current attacking options.

Indeed, despite starting just 15 LaLiga fixtures this season – making a further five appearances from the bench – the £42m-rated hitman has still bagged ten goals, registered two assists and created five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.4 shots and making 1.8 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £158k-per-week dynamo who Marco van Basten dubbed a “special talent” and Leroy Fer claimed “can be as good as Ronaldo” average a quite breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.33, ranking him as Xavi’s fifth-best player in the top flight of Spanish football.

As such, should Depay go on to secure a switch to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer, and is subsequently able to refind this level of form in the Premier League next term, the potential of the 28-year-old adding to the current 12-goal haul of Harry Kane and the 13 goals of Son Heung-min is sure to be an incredibly frightening prospect for defenders up and down the country.

AND in other news: Conte can now axe “out of form” £91k-p/w dud as Spurs plot bid for 22 y/o “phenomenon”

Many Everton fans have been left raging over some manager news that has emerged on Fabio Cannavaro.

As per The Daily Telegraph journalist Jason Burt, he may now be one of just three managerial candidates alongside Wayne Rooney or Frank Lampard that could take the permanent job at Goodison Park, following the temporary appointment of Duncan Ferguson.

Burt also revealed that Cannavaro’s interview with the Merseyside club went ‘well’, and that he speaks ‘good English’.

The legendary Italian central defender is currently out of work having left Guangzhou FC back in September, after winning both the Chinese Super League and Super Cup with them.

He has over 200 games of managerial experience under his belt, but has never managed in a top European league before, let alone the Premier League.

Thus, one can understand Toffees fans’ frustrations if they were to appoint him.

Everton fans on Cannavaro manager news

These Blues supporters raged as the manager news was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it is ‘crazy’:

“Just relegate us”

Credit: @leads

“If it’s Cannavaro I’m done.”

Credit: @WAJG_96

“Absolute shambles we are. Moshiri needs to go he hasn’t got a clue”

Credit: @Henryblt2

“Laughable.”

Credit: @alstrstrac

“Liquidate us”

Credit: @Darren1878nsno

“Crazy. Learned from a sum total of zero mistakes. Right man or not, Ferguson isn’t even on the shortlist? Kovac? Just Fabio fresh from China”

Credit: @robr7373

In other news, find out what other manager update has Evertonians fuming here!

With a loan deal for Philippe Coutinho now agreed, Aston Villa now have the opportunity to focus on signing other players who Steven Gerrard feels would improve his squad.

One player to whom the club could turn their attention and realistically get through the door before the end of the month is Liverpool defender Nathaniel Phillips.

In a recent article from The Athletic by James Pearce, it was claimed that the 24-year-old “is attracting plenty of interest from both Premier League and Serie A clubs”.

The report also claimed that the Merseysiders have already rejected a bid of £7m from an unnamed top-flight club for him, with Liverpool having set their asking price set at £15m.

Additionally, the report named Villa as one of the Premier League sides who are in the market for a centre-back this month, so there’s every possibility that the Midlands club could launch a move for Phillips in the coming weeks if they feel he could improve their squad.

Taking into account how Villa have said goodbye to Axel Tuanzebe after his loan spell at Villa Park was cut short this week, there certainly is room for a new centre-back such as Phillips, who is currently valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, to come in and try and secure a place in Gerrard’s team.

Also, with a recent poll ran by Football FanCast revealing that 67% of Villa fans think Tyrone Mings is a liability for the team after his performance in their recent 3-1 defeat against Chelsea – when he was at fault for Romelu Lukaku’s goal – this could pave the way for Gerrard to sign Phillips this month and create a solid centre-back partnership alongside Ezri Konsa, potentially fixing the issue of their leaky defence, with 30 goals conceded in 19 league games.

With just four appearances under his belt for Liverpool across all competitions so far this season, a potential move to Villa could be very appealing for Phillips, who has been labelled as a “monster” on the pitch by Jurgen Klopp. If he would be guaranteed regular game-time under Gerrard’s guidance, it would benefit Liverpool at the same time by reaping what they see as a suitable transfer fee for him.

With Villa also being linked with a move for fellow Liverpool centre-back Joe Gomez, Phillips could be a much easier deal to secure given the Merseyside club’s reported willingness to sell him this month.

In other news – “What they’re looking at..”: Journalist drops Villa transfer claim, fans will be buzzing

Everton may team Wayne Rooney up with an interim manager, according to The Mirror’s David Maddock. 

The lowdown

The 36-year-old is currently in charge at Derby County, who have been hit a combined 21-point deduction after entering administration and admitting breaches of accounting rules (via BBC Sport).

The Englishman began his playing career at Goodison Park, scoring 15 Premier League goals as a teenager before joining Manchester United in a £27m deal in 2004. He then returned to the Toffees for a single season in 2017 after his Old Trafford career came to an end.

The latest

According to The Mirror, Rooney is on Everton’s list of managerial options, but his limited experience is a concern given the Toffees’ predicament in terms of sitting just four points above the Premier League relegation zone.

They’ve been looking at potential interim candidates, ‘pursuing a similar idea to Manchester United’, who have given Ralf Rangnick the reins until the end of the season. There is a possibility that Rooney could work ‘alongside an interim with an appropriate CV’.

The verdict

Rooney has done a commendable job in hugely difficult circumstances at Derby, hauling them off the foot of the Championship table earlier this month. Without those points deductions, they’d actually be knocking on the door of the top half.

Everton’s hesitation is understandable – he has never managed in the Premier League before and they’re uncomfortably close to the relegation zone – but he has had to cope with mighty adversity at Pride Park.

With a more experienced hand to offer guidance at first, giving him the job might not be the worst idea, even if it would be a unique arrangement in the English top flight.

In other news, many Everton fans fumed over links to this manager

According to a report from The Daily Mail, Aston Villa are interested in signing Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin. 

The lowdown: Explosive start

The 25-year-old has been a revelation since arriving in England from Ligue 1 club Nice and is a fan favourite at St James’ Park.

Since making the £16.5m switch (BBC), the mercurial Frenchman has scored 12 times and provided 14 assists in 85 appearances for the Tyneside club. However, the Magpies could be ready to sell their prized asset, and Villa are watching on with intent…

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/aston-villa-latest-developments/” title=”Aston Villa latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The latest: Villa interest

As per the Daily Mail, the Villans are believed to be ‘monitoring developments’ surrounding the skilful left winger.

Despite only signing an improved six-year deal at Newcastle in October 2020, it is claimed that the Magpies are ‘willing to cash in’ on Saint-Maximin in order to boost their own transfer budget.

The report stated that Newcastle will ‘listen to offers’ of £50m for the former seven-cap France under-21 ace.

The verdict: Money well spent?

As Steven Gerrard attempts to put his own stamp on the Villa squad, adding a player with the flair and natural ability of Saint-Maximin would be a superb piece of business.

Albeit often flattering to deceive when it comes to end product, as borne out by providing just eight direct goal contributions this season having completed the most successful dribbles per game (4.3) in the entire top-flight (Sofascore), the dazzling Frenchman would be a welcome addition to the Villa ranks.

Predominantly a left winger, the man once hailed as ‘unplayable’ by Rob Lee would likely act as an alternative option to Leon Bailey, who has endured an injury-ravaged first campaign in the Midlands.

In other news: Journalist drops updates on the pursuit of multiple summer deals. Read more here!

Despite having an average squad age of 26.4, three of Wolves’ five oldest senior players are defenders.

One of those is 30-year-old centre-back Willy Boly, who along with being one of the squad’s oldest current players also has a rather worrying injury record over recent months and years. It was also recently revealed by Old Gold manager Bruno Lage that the Ivorian has suffered a muscular injury.

With this in mind, a potential dip into the transfer market during the upcoming January window could be on the cards for the Midlands club.

Recently, journalist Luke Hatfield said that he thinks Wolves could be “keen to revive their interest” in Lille defender Sven Botman in January if a deal can be done after being linked with him during the previous summer transfer window.

Since joining the French club from Ajax’s under-21 side back in the 2020 summer transfer window, the 21-year-old has gone on to make 59 appearances for Lille across all competitions, chipping in with one goal and one assist along the way.

Furthermore, the 6 foot 3 Botman has proved himself to be a solid defensive unit for Lille by averaging 4.4 clearances per game and winning 68% of duels in Ligue 1 this season.

Labelled as a potential “leader” on the pitch by former Lille manager Christophe Galtier, the 21-year-old could not only fix Lage’s short-term issue of Boly being out injured for the time being. The Dutchman could also prove himself to be a suitable long-term replacement for the likes of Boly and Romain Saiss given his young age.

Taking all this into account, working out a deal in January to bring Botman to Molineux in January should be at the top of Fosun’s priority list to help the club strengthen their squad with a player who has admitted to having dreams of playing in the Premier League at some stage in his career.

However, with the defender also being previously linked with a number of other Premier League clubs in the past, Wolves could have some competition for his signature if those reported suitors also see an opportunity to sign him in January.

In other news: One man is edging closer to a significant deal with the club

Transfer insider Dean Jones has dropped some interesting news regarding Leeds United and their pursuit of Red Bull Salzburg attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson. 

The lowdown: Reunion on the cards?

The Whites have been linked with a move for the 21 year old for some time now, dating back to when Marcelo Bielsa was still at the helm at Elland Road.

According to The Athletic, Leeds had an initial £15m bid rejected for the USA international during the January transfer window.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-40/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

However, following the appointment of Jesse Marsch – who selected his compatriot on 25 occasions whilst at Salzburg – Leeds are expected to reignite their interest in Aaronson this summer.

The latest: Kent or Aaronson?

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones has revealed that the Yorkshire club are inclined to prioritise a move for the American over a possible swoop for Rangers winger Ryan Kent, who has also been linked with a switch to Elland Road of late.

The journalist claimed: “Brenden Aaronson is (still high up in Leeds’ summer plans), so I think that one is still more likely.”

The verdict: Get it done

Having joined the Austrian giants from Philadelphia Union in 2021 for just over £4.9m (Transfermarkt), Aaronson has enjoyed a superb start to life in Europe.

With 12 goals and 15 assists in 60 appearances for Salzburg, the versatile midfielder would be a welcome addition to the Leeds ranks, and he should have no issue settling into life in Yorkshire having previously worked with Marsch to good effect.

So far this season, the American youngster – who was once dubbed ‘unbelievable’ by Thierry Henry – has scored five times and provided 10 assists in 35 appearances across all competitions, all whilst earning invaluable Champions League experience.

Four years younger than Kent, it would come as no surprise if the Leeds board opt to move for the 18-cap USA starlet ahead of the Rangers forward.

In other news: Leeds have been linked with one La Liga striker. Find out who it is here!

Fabio Paratici is reportedly now ‘incredibly keen’ to sign Paulo Dybala for Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown: Showing what he can do

The 28-year-old put on a masterclass for Juventus in their 2-0 win at home to Udinese in Serie A on Saturday night, scoring the opening goal and putting in a real captain’s performance.

The Argentina international was rated as the best player on the pitch (7.9) by SofaScore, winning eight of his duels in total while also recording four shots, three successful dribbles and seven accurate long balls.

Nonetheless, with his contract up in the summer, he can now agree a pre-contract agreement with a club outside of Italy…

The Latest: Paratici keen on Dybala

As per Football Italia, Paratici is now ‘incredibly keen’ to bring Dybala to Tottenham in the summer. The news outlet does not specify whether this would be on a pre-contract agreement, but Antonio Conte ‘would be happy’ to work with him.

However, both Inter Milan and Barcelona are also interested in his signature, so Spurs are likely to face some heavy competition for the player.

The Verdict: No-brainer

If the Lilywhites can sign Dybala on a free transfer, given that he is currently rated at £45m by Transfermarkt, then it is surely a no-brainer.

Described as a ‘formidable talent’ by Inter and Bayern Munich legend Karl-Heinz Rummenigge last month, it is hard to believe that the Argentine is still only 28 years of age, as it feels as if he has been around forever.

He has scored 140 goals in total so far over the course of his club and international career and won plenty of trophies along the way.

Former Lilywhites boss Mauricio Pochettino, who is still loved by the Spurs faithful, once called fellow countryman Dybala a ‘wonderful’ player. If he rates the striker that highly, then he is surely who Daniel Levy should be targeting.

In other news, find out what ‘bizarre’ Tottenham transfer update has emerged

Ange Postecoglou’s first few months as Celtic manager have been a whirlwind affair at Parkhead.

It started with frustration as the Hoops boss was unable to land his transfer targets quickly and that resulted in the Bhoys being knocked out of Europe’s premier competition.

They are also behind their fierce rivals in the race for the Premiership crown but there have been a number of positives.

For instance, Celtic are in the League Cup final this weekend and they have achieved that primarily because of the signings Postecoglou did eventually get over the line.

Celtic will be without Jota for the final and his miss will be a devastating blow. After all, the diminutive Portuguese forward has racked up eight goals and six assists in his 18 outings for the club to date.

It’s worrying, therefore, that Celtic have not yet utilised the £6.5m option to buy they have in the terms of the 22-year-old’s loan contract in Scotland.

If they dally any further, it would not be a surprise if one of Europe’s more prestigious clubs snatched him away from Postecoglou’s jaws. He has already been touted to seal a move to one of the continent’s elite so eyes will surely be watching his performances closely.

If he does exit, it will be disastrous for Celtic but it certainly won’t be the end of the world.

They have been linked with a move for a man dubbed the ‘Iranian Neymar’ over the winter and he could move to Paradise in a cut-price deal.

That happens to be another pocket rocket in Mehdi Ghaedi. Reports from his homeland claim that Celtic are interested in a move and he’d certainly be an exciting addition.

Postecoglou has spoken before of targeting lesser-known leagues after the success of Kyogo Furuhashi and this deal could replicate that.

Ghaedi currently plies his trade for Shadab Dubai in the UAE and has registered four goal involvements in nine outings.

The 23-year-old is an incredibly tricky customer and like Jota, possesses an abundance of creativity, dazzling dribbling and potency in the final third.

Journalist, Navid Molaaghaei, once described the £1m-rated talent as a “magician” after a stunning goal back in 2019. Ghaedi appears to be used to popping up in big moments, being dubbed “extraordinary” after a late solo goal for his team back in September.

The forward waltzed past two defenders before burying an opportunity with remarkable confidence. It was a goal that typifies why he’s exactly like Jota and if the Benfica loanee does depart for good, Ghaedi would be a wonderful replacement at Celtic.

AND in other news, Forget Abada: Celtic gem who won 67% duels proved he’s now someone “Ange can’t ignore”…