All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

According to Italian media outlet Sportmediaset, Tottenham are set to offer an 18-month contract to Antonio Conte worth €15m (£12.7m) per season.

The Lowdown: Spurs need new manager

Spurs parted with manager Nuno Espirito Santo on Monday after just four months in charge after the Lilywhites had lost five of their last seven Premier League games (Sky Sports).

As such, the hunt is on for a new manager, and it seems that the Italian is a front-runner for the role.

The Latest: Conte contract revealed

According to Sportmediaset, it appears that an 18-month contract has been offered by Spurs to Conte, who has been out of work since leaving Inter Milan at the end of last season.

The deal is said to be worth €15m (£12.7m) per season which, for a season-and-a-half, would be worth about €22.5m (£19m).

The Verdict: Worth it?

There is no doubting Conte’s pedigree. The 52-year-old is a five-time league title winner, having won Serie A with both Inter Milan and Juventus and the Premier League with Chelsea. He also led Italy to a Euro 2016 quarter-finals – quite frankly, he is a winner.

However, he does not always have the best relationship with those above him. He left Inter in the summer as the club sold top players such as Achraf Hakimi and Romelu Lukaku, while he fell out with the hierarchy at Chelsea as well (via The London Evening Standard).

Daniel Levy is known as a tough negotiator – Conte may get results on the pitch, but it might come to the detriment of the club spirit. At what could come out at more than £287,000 per game – there are 28 top-flight matches left this season and 38 next term – that could be an expensive risk.

In other news, Tottenham want to sign this up-and-coming centre-half

Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur are both eyeing Bristol City’s Alex Scott, according to The Daily Mirror. 

The lowdown

At the age of 18, Scott has racked up 32 Championship starts, and 35 appearances overall, for Nigel Pearson’s side this season.

He’s been used in a wide variety of positions, ranging from defensive midfield, to the no. 10 slot, to the right-hand side.

He’s said to be at his best, though, when deployed in attacking midfield.

Scott, who’s under contract at Ashton Gate until the summer of 2025, is considered an ‘elite’ talent by sources at the club.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-42/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The latest

The Mirror’s James Nursey reports (via MOT Leeds News) that both Leeds and Spurs sent scouts to watch Scott in action on Good Friday ‘with a view to a summer move’.

Bristol City, significantly, face ‘a wrestle to comply with the EFL’s profit and sustainability rules’, weakening their negotiating position.

Scott is apparently ‘rated’ at around the £10million mark.

The verdict

Would Leeds’ recruitment staff been impressed by what they saw from Scott away to Stoke City last week?

Operating at right wing-back, he won seven out of the ten duels he contested, completing three out of four dribbles. He also made three clearances and drew three fouls from his opponents (via SofaScore).

On the other hand, though, he was a little sloppy with a possession, finishing the game with a passing accuracy of just 67%. Neither of his crosses found a team-mate, nor did any of his six long balls.

Still, given that he’s only 18, Leeds may well regard him as a rough diamond. City’s financial situation means he could be available for a reasonable price, and so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them test the waters with an offer.

In other news, Paul Robinson identifies a player who could face the axe on Monday.

Flocking to Twitter, many Manchester United fans have gone wild for an update involving Edinson Cavani as reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano shares the latest.

Cavani, who was a regular for the Red Devils last campaign, making 26 Premier League appearances in total, has found himself playing more of a bit-part role since extending his stay at Old Trafford.

The Uruguayan, after contributing with 10 goals and three assists over his top-flight outings last year, has so far managed just two starts and three cameos off the bench – scoring once in that time (WhoScored).

This has led to rumours linking him with a move away as soon as January as top European clubs circle for the striker, but as per Romano, it appears United fans may not have to worry.

According to the transfer journalist, despite his lack of game time so far, United and new manager Ralf Rangnick still consider him an important member of the team with no approach made by La Liga giants Barcelona (Twitter).

He also refutes links to Corinthians, insisting supporters breathe easily as no club have taken a step to sign Cavani.

Man United fans buzz…

Given his impact last season and flashes of brilliance when given the opportunity this campaign, the 34-year-old could still have a role to play under Rangnick and it’s safe to say United fans are overjoyed he’s nowhere closer to the exit door.

Find all of their best reactions to the ‘amazing’ player news down below.

“Xmas has come early”

Credit: @charlton_88

“Let’s gooooooooo. I was really sad that’s he’s going now this is amazing news can’t be happier.”

Credit: @mo24_187

“Yessssss! Please stay, Edi!”

Credit: @alexcalin25

“Beautiful”

Credit: @Dhruvkundu4

“Thank you fab!!!”

Credit: @AhmadManny

“Good news for us”

Credit: @BishalKoley

“HE’S STAYING!!! MY STRIKER”

Credit: @JoshPinhoUTD

“Oooooooh”

Credit: @moLuffy22

Many Wolves fans were critical of Leander Dendoncker during their clash with Southampton on Saturday afternoon. 

Wolves, who started the day ninth in the Premier League, were looking to make it three straight wins in all competitions. They followed up their first Old Trafford victory since 1980 with a 3-0 FA Cup win over Championship Sheffield United.

Southampton were also carrying momentum into the game however, having thrashed Brentford 4-1 in midweek. Ralph Hassenhuttl’s Saints had lost only one of their last seven PL matches.

Bruno Lage made three changes from the side that won at United, with Romain Saiss (AFCON), Ruben Neves (Covid-19) and Marcal dropping out. In came 22-year-old Toti Gomes for his debut, Dendoncker and Rayan Ait-Nouri.

Dendoncker’s struggle vs Saints

The Belgian’s SofaScore rating of 6.3/10 was the lowest in the Wolves side.

He won just one of his ten duels, a success rate of 10%, and was dribbled past four times in total (the most of any player on the field).

Dendoncker tried his luck from the distance in the first half, but The Athletic’s Tim Spiers remarked that it nearly hit the top tier of the stand behind the goal.

And another journalist, Joe Prince-Wright, said he was fortunate to avoid giving away a penalty after a challenge on Oriol Romeu around an hour into the game.

Many WWFC fans slam Dendoncker

“Dendoncker has been atrocious again. Complete ghost in the middle. Moutinho having to do it all himself.”

Credit: @parker_bradley

“That was a rough attempt by Dendoncker”

Credit: @OldGoldAmerica

“Neves and Moutinho work but Dendoncker can’t control the game”

Credit: @WolvesNumber37

“Yeah, let’s never tell Dendoncker to shoot again lol”

Credit: @kcb92

“As much as I was fan of Dendoncker in previous seasons, he’s not the same player anymore. I think it’s time to sell him this window and user the funds towards a decent centre midfielder, as Moutinho’s legs won’t last forever! Get your finger out”

Credit: @spena2k10

“Get him off the pitch he’s been useless again.”

Credit: @Jim96925627

In other news, fans weren’t happy with this transfer news.

Many Liverpool fans have erupted at the news that midfielder Thiago Alcantara could be back for their next match. 

According to The Liverpool Echo, the 30-year-old should return to full team training ahead of the FA Cup fourth round clash with Cardiff City at Anfield next Sunday. He may well be in contention to start at the weekend, or at least make an appearance from the bench.

Elsewhere, Divock Origi should return to the fold before the end of February as he recovers from a knee problem, while Harvey Elliott is building up his ‘general fitness’ at the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby after missing more than four months with a serious ankle injury.

Why is this a big deal?

Thiago hasn’t played a Premier League match since the 3-1 victory over Newcastle United nine days before Christmas.

Significantly, Liverpool have won all eight top-flight games that the Spaniard has started this season, so his comeback is a welcome boost as the Reds try to reel in Manchester City at the top of the table.

Fan feed Anfield Watch relayed The Liverpool Echo’s report, and here’s what some supporters had to say about the Spain midfielder’s impending return to action. For some Kopites, it adds to the positive vibes around Anfield after the signing of Luis Diaz in recent days.

These Liverpool fans buzzing over Thiago news

“Omg what a dayyyyy”

Credit: @97HassanM

“Honestly what a week”

Credit: @LFCVik2

“This day gets better and better”

Credit: @moe_y11

“GOAAATTTT”

Credit: @amaadcx

“Things I love to see”

Credit: @mmawuli27

“Wow, welcome Thiago”

Credit: @frankymavhura

In other news, there’s a big update on Neco Williams from The Athletic

Last night saw Manchester City somehow scrape past Schalke in their round of 16 first leg clash in Germany. The Citizens were saved at the death by goals from Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling, but when they were 2-1 down to a Nabil Bentaleb double and saw Nicolas Otamendi sent off for a second yellow card things were looking bleak.

At the time of Nicolas Otamendi’s dismissal, a lot of the fans were starting to turn on Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard very rarely gets it wrong when he’s setting up his side, although the fans were more than happy to stick the knife in when they saw that Otamendi had been shown a red card, as they’d never have started the 31-year-old Argentine from the get-go in such a big game.

Otamendi has appeared in the Champions League four times this season and was even given the captain’s armband by Guardiola in the club’s final group stage game, a 2-1 home win against Hoffenheim. However, this season has seen Otamendi drop down the pecking order at the club, with John Stones and Aymeric Laporte the two first-choice options for Guardiola, so to see him mix things up and use his unreliable Argentine was a shock to the fans.

You can read the Citizens’ thoughts on Otamendi’s dismissal here:

The Citizens were far from happy with Guardiola as his side limped over the line yesterday and will be keen for swift improvements when they meet Schalke at The Etihad.

Italian outlet Calciomercato have claimed that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy could launch a move for Juventus winger Dejan Kulusevski.

The Lowdown: Kulusevski profiled…

The 21-year-old has already turned out on 156 occasions at club level and has 19 appearances under his belt for Sweden.

The right winger, who can also play in an attacking midfield role, was labelled as ‘excellent’ by former Juve team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo and is extremely quick, clocking a top speed of 31.1 km/h in this season’s Champions League.

He has plied his trade in Italy with Atalanta, Parma and Juventus, but it now seems as if he could be on the move to either England, Germany or France.

The Latest: Late night news…

Calciomercato shared a story late on Wednesday night regarding Kulusevski, admitting that a January move is complicated.

They claimed that Juventus are willing to entertain offers and expect to receive some, with Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain all name-checked as possible destinations.

The report added that Tottenham could also be a contender in the race to sign the Swede, suggesting that Levy could be serious in trying to get him.

The Verdict: Paratici knows him well…

Tottenham’s director of football Fabio Paratici was the man who brought Kulusevski to Turin last year in a deal worth £31.5m, so he’ll be able to tell Levy and Antonio Conte just what the 21-year-old would bring to the table in north London.

However, the Swede may not fit Conte’s system, with the Italian set to switch to a 3-4-1-2 system with two centre forwards following the international break.

Should that turn out to be the case and if it proves successful, then there may be no need to bring in another winger, with the manager already having a number of wide options on the books at this moment in time.

Kulusevski can play in an attacking midfield role, but perhaps an out-and-out creative attacking midfielder would be a better target for the winter window.

In other news: Journalist drops ‘serious’ Tottenham transfer claim on Twitter.

Glasgow Rangers are back in action tomorrow with another Old Firm clash on the cards for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Ibrox outfit.

This time, the Glasgow rivals will be battling it out for a place in the Scottish Cup final.

The Gers head into the showdown riding a wave of confidence after securing their place in the semi-finals of the Europa League thanks to a 3-1 midweek win against Braga in front of a rocking Ibrox.

In addition to this, it seems as though the Dutchman’s side have been handed a huge injury boost that will surely be a massive weight off the shoulders of everyone involved with the Light Blues.

What’s the news?

Speaking after the win on Thursday (via The Herald), Gers left-back Borna Barisic revealed that it was cramp that led to him leaving the pitch just before the end of regular time, rather than any serious injury.

Assuming that this cramp is no longer an issue for the player, having him available to feature against Celtic will be great news for Van Bronckhorst.

With 19 league appearances to his name in this campaign, the 29-year-old has managed to deliver three assists for his side.

Also, only James Tavernier (3.2) and Alfredo Morelos (2) have racked up a higher average of key passes per game than the Croatian – who makes 1.9 per 90.

From a defensive point of view, the full-back has also made 27 tackles in the league this season, leaving only Tavernier (41) and Joe Aribo (32) with more.

These metrics highlight how important Barisic is for his side in both an attacking and defensive regard, as well as how much of a nuisance he could be for Celtic to play against tomorrow.

In terms of his overall performances, the left-back is currently listed as the joint-fourth highest rated player at the Ibrox club with a WhoScored rating of 7.24.

With the Hoops having scored more and conceded fewer goals than any other side in the SPFL, having Barisic on the pitch will certainly give Rangers’ chances of beating their rivals a huge boost – a result that would delight everyone involved with the Light Blues.

AND in other news: £10.1m in the bank: Rangers hit the jackpot on “brutally ruthless” £31.5k-p/w machine

Leeds United are struggling to complete a move for RB Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson in January, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Strong Aaronson interest

The Whites suffered a demoralising 1-0 defeat at home to Newcastle United on Saturday, with Jonjo Shelvey’s goal the difference between the two teams at Elland Road.

With Kalvin Phillips and Adam Forshaw out injured, the need for a midfielder to come in this month is clear, and Leeds have made a number of bids for Aaronson.

The 21-year-old has shone for Salzburg this season, starting 14 Austrian Bundesliga games and all six of their Champions League group stage matches.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Journalist doubts Leeds’ chances of signing Aaronson

However, a fresh update has emerged regarding Leeds’ pursuit of Aaronson, with Jones telling GiveMeSport that the deal may not happen in January.

He outlined: “Leeds are definitely struggling with this Brenden Aaronson deal as I understand it for this window. They don’t have fortunes to throw around at the moment.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-32/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Big blow for Leeds

Should the Whites fail to get a deal for the American over the line, it would be a big blow, especially as a move for him has felt genuinely close in recent days.

Aaronson ticks so many boxes in terms of what Leeds are looking for, whether it be his long-term potential or his current quality, having averaged two tackles and 1.8 dribbles per game in the Champions League this season.

It is imperative that a midfielder of some kind comes in this month, or else Marcelo Bielsa’s side could find themselves incredibly light in this position and potentially getting dragged back into a relegation scrap.

In other news, Newcastle have reportedly enterted the race to sign a Leeds transfer target. Find out who it is here.

Many Everton fans have been flocking to some injury news involving Demarai Gray.

Writing in his latest piece for The Liverpool Echo, Phil Kirkbride has revealed that the Goodison Park club are now ‘growing increasingly hopeful’ that the 25-year-old’s injury is not as bad as first feared.

Gray was forced off in the defeat at Manchester City on Sunday afternoon after just 17 minutes with an abductor injury, and it was suggested that could be out of action until January at least. However, he will now continue to be assessed ahead of their game away at Brentford in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

The winger has been one of the Toffees’ most important players so far this season, being their joint-top scorer in the Premier League with three goals, while also contributing two assists and ranking highly among his teammates in terms of shots (two), key passes (1.4) and dribbles (1.5) per game (WhoScored).

Considering those returns and the team’s poor form, Rafael Benitez will surely want him back as soon as possible.

Everton fans on Gray injury news

These Toffees fans flocked to the injury news as it was shared across Twitter, with one Everton supporter describing it as ‘brilliant’:

“At least give us a bit of a chance in the derby!”

Credit: @mikeefc1878

“Hope so”

Credit: @robot_sir

“Please please please please”

Credit: @EFCFrostyy2

“Brilliant news, IF the injury is short-term, for we badly missed his possession-control influence last Sunday. It’s a tricky decision to constantly assess; he needs to be on the pitch for as long as we possibly can afford his fitness, but must avoid further injuries.”

Credit: @empresstouch

“Hope so”

Credit: @paul_reesy

“So how bad did they initially fear?”

Credit: @dum_para

In other news, this contract news has left many Evertonians fuming