All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

With Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side heading into Wednesday evening’s Scottish Premiership clash on a run of four straight victories in all competitions, the 56-year-old manager would have undoubtedly been hoping for yet another positive result from the Bhoys’ trip to Easter Road in order to continue this rich vein of form.

And, three strikes in the opening 30 minutes of the fixture from Anthony Ralston, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Kyogo Furuhashi ensured that Celtic would indeed take all three points in an extremely dominant display against Hibernian, with the result lifting the Hoops up to second in the Premiership standings – just two points behind the league leaders.

However, while all three of Celtic’s goalscorers turned in fantastic performances on Wednesday, with Ralston, Carter-Vickers and Kyogo receiving SofaScore match ratings of 7.9, 7.9 and 7.1 respectively, it was undoubtedly central midfielder David Turnbull’s display that stole the show for the Bhoys.

Creative influence

Having formed what looks to be an extremely solid and dependable trio alongside Tom Rogic and Callum McGregor in the middle of the park in recent fixtures, Turnbull’s performance against Hibs was undoubtedly one of the 22-year-old’s most impressive of the current campaign.

Indeed, over his 90 minutes on the pitch, the £4.5m-rated man set up two of his side’s three goals, created two big chances and completed a whopping five key passes – statistics which demonstrate just how much of a creative influence the midfielder was for Postecoglou’s side.

Furthermore, the former Motherwell man also completed four of his seven attempted crosses, one dribble and took a total of seven shots at the opposition goal.

The midfielder also impressed in the more gritty side of the match, making three interceptions, one tackle, one clearance and winning six of his eight duels, as well as drawing three fouls for his side.

These returns saw the player who Alan Hutton dubbed a “phenomenal” talent receive a SofaScore match rating of 9.1, the highest rating earned by any player to feature in the clash.

As such, with things really starting to have clicked for the Bhoys in recent weeks, Turnbull’s top-drawer performance on Wednesday night is yet another positive for Postecoglou, who will now surely be starting to believe his side are capable of reclaiming their Scottish Premiership crown come the end of the season.

Forget Ralston, it was Turnbull who stole the show at Easter Road.

In other news: Ange confirms Nicholson negotiations with “huge” talent, Celtic fans will be buzzing

Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah this summer, as speculation regarding his future continues.

The Lowdown: Salah’s future up in the air

Salah has been a sensational player for the Reds since joining from Roma in 2017 – he has scored 153 goals in 239 appearances and you could certainly argue he is the world’s best footballer on current form, with 38 direct goal involvements from 36 matches in all competitions this term.

Unfortunately, Liverpool and the player’s representatives are yet to agree a new deal for the 29-year-old, with his current contract expiring in the summer of 2023.

Salah’s future continues to dominate the headlines and a fresh transfer rumour has now emerged.

The Latest: Barca keen on move

According to Sport [via Sport Witness], Salah’s name is ‘on the table’ at Barca, as they look to pull off a stunning move at the end of the season.

Their interest in the Egyptian has ‘grown in recent days’ and they see him as an alternative to Erling Haaland if they fail to sign the Borussia Dortmund striker.

The report claims they are ‘monitoring’ Salah’s contract talks, which are ‘far from reaching an agreement’.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-25/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Such a sticky situation

This feels like a saga that is going to run and run, which is far from ideal, considering Liverpool are battling across four competitions and could do without any distractions.

In truth, it looks as though Salah is going to move on if a compromise can’t be met, with the Reds willing to up his wages but his agent seemingly still unhappy with the terms offered, even going so far as to drop hints on Twitter during Jurgen Klopp’s press conferences.

It would be devastating for Liverpool to lose their star player, but equally, no individual is bigger than the club and if an agreement doesn’t come to fruition, the Reds will continue to shine without him, hopefully using the funds received to good effect.

In other news, Liverpool are thought to be leading the race to sign one player. Find out who it is here.

The Celtic Way reporter Anthony Haggerty has alleged Joe Hart would turn down a return to England if his early season promise results in January transfer offers.

Hart made the move to Celtic from Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur last month.

The switch came after Hart made just 10 appearances during a year-long spell with Spurs and saw himself demoted to the club’s third-choice goalkeeper after new head coach Nuno Espirito Santo, who was appointed in June, signed Atalanta shot-stopper Pierluigi Gollini on a season-long loan deal which has the option to buy.

With playing time set to be restricted even further, former England international Hart was keen to secure a transfer and has made an impressive start to life with Celtic, keeping four clean sheets in his first eight appearances for the Scottish Premiership title challengers.

After seeing a lack of Premier League suitors during the summer, Haggerty believes Hart will remain loyal to the Bhoys if an English club comes calling when the transfer window reopens in January.

He told Football FanCast: “I think if clubs did come back in for Joe Hart, he’d probably tell them where to go.

“In the short space of time he has been here, he has loved it. It would be an interesting one if an English club were to say ‘do you fancy coming back down the road?’ He would probably say ‘no, where were you when I needed you most?’ and I think he would give Celtic that loyalty.”

This has been a sluggish start to life at Celtic for the Hoops’ new manager Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian knew things weren’t going to be easy at Parkhead. After all, the size of the rebuild required in Glasgow is colossal.

On the chalkboard

Despite the pure amount of work that needs to be done in order for Celtic to regain their status quo of being Scottish champions, this has been a very poor start to the campaign.

In fact, it’s the worst start to a season that the Bhoys have had in the last 23 years.

Performances are only getting worse and the swashbuckling, exciting attacking football that Postecoglou engrained in the early weeks of the campaign has disappeared.

He is struggling with an injury to Kyogo Furuhashi and Callum McGregor’s absence in the middle of the park has also been huge.

One of the biggest reasons for the club’s downfall in recent weeks has been the balance of the midfield.

David Turnbull’s performances have been questionable with just one goal in his last nine outings since a hat-trick against St Mirren.

Ismaila Soro and James McCarthy have also been poor this term but Tom Rogic isn’t delivering either.

The Australian looked like a player reborn after Postecoglou’s arrival on the scene, being described as “majestic” by the cast of ACSOM. Sadly, his displays have been abject in the last few weeks.

He’s contributed just a solitary goal in his last 11 matches and is struggling next to Turnbull in the middle of the park.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-celtic-news-duffy-mccarthy-brady-knockaert” title= “Read the latest Celtic news!”]

Their pairing simply hasn’t worked but after the Hoops sold Ryan Christie and got rid of Olivier Ntcham this summer, they are lacking options in a central area.

Rogic seems to be getting worse and that was typified by a laboured showing against Dundee United last weekend.

Celtic drew 1-1 and the Aussie midfielder failed to provide them with much penetration or impetus.

He did produce four key passes for his teammates but ultimately, it was a troubled day at the office where he was too slow in possession and surrendered the ball on a regular basis.

During the course of the stalemate, the £16k-per-week earner lost the ball on 21 occasions. That happened to be the second-worst tally of any Celtic player on the pitch.

When the Hoops take on Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League on Thursday, Postecoglou will need a far more reliable midfield pairing.

He cannot afford to play Turnbull and Rogic in the same team against the Bundesliga side; it sounds like a recipe for disaster.

The former is still capable of producing magical moments so it’s the latter that should be axed instead.

AND in other news, Forget Rogic: Postecoglou must unleash Celtic’s “first-class” rarely-seen 19 y/o…

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

Newcastle United are weighing up whether to challenge Burnley in the race for Lyon’s Maxwel Cornet, according to 90Min. 

The lowdown

Burnley’s interest in Cornet has progressed to the bidding stage, with a £15million offer now on the table.

Lyon, as the report notes, have already recruited a replacement in the form of Italian international and former Chelsea defender Emerson Palmieri.

Cornet spent the majority of last season in the left-back role but he can also play in more advanced positions down that flank.

The £10.8million-rated Ivorian made 39 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals and providing six assists (via Transfermarkt).

Cornet has already made an impression on an English audience, having scored three times across two meetings with Manchester City in the Champions League. After he netted both goals in a 2-2 draw in November 2018, Guardiola admitted to being ‘very impressed’.

The latest

Burnley could face ‘late competition’ with Newcastle, West Ham United and Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin all named as rival suitors.

The player notably resisted Burnley’s advances initially but the Clarets are clearly determined to land him, submitting a club-record bid and offering to make him their highest-paid player.

The verdict

If Steve Bruce is stick with his 5-3-2 formation, Cornet could prove to be well-suited to the left-wingback role, though Matt Ritchie already provides an attacking threat from that position.

Moving for Cornet would also be a blow to 2020 signing Jamal Lewis, and you sense there’s a player there who can be truly unlocked with the right coaching.

For those reasons, there would be legitimate questions asked of Newcastle if they entered the fray, given how desperate they are for signings in other positions.

In other news, this player was left seething against Villa.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed that Celtic have already been in talks with Tottenham Hotspur over a possible permanent deal for Cameron Carter-Vickers for a few months. 

The lowdown

The £22k-p/w centre-back joined Ange Postecoglou’s side on a season-long loan from Spurs on transfer deadline day last August, and The Daily Record recently reported that Celtic hope to strike a permanent deal this month.

The loan agreement was believed to contain a £6m option to buy with ‘significant’ add-ons, but Spurs have indicated that there could be room for manoeuvre on the fee and the payment structure.

Celtic have spelt £2.2m so far this month on four new arrivals – Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi, Daizen Maeda and Johnny Kenny.

The latest

O’Rourke believes that the dialogue between Celtic and Tottenham over a permanent deal dates back to the early part of the season, with Carter-Vickers quickly making a big impression on Postecoglou at Parkhead.

The journalist told Give Me Sport: “I’m sure both clubs have been talking ever since Carter-Vickers made the move to Celtic Park in the summer. He’s established himself as a key player under Ange Postecoglou.”

The verdict

Carter-Vickers has been a regular at Celtic from the outset. He went straight into the team for the clash with Ross County on 11 September, the Hoops’ first game after he joined, and has only missed one Premiership match since.

The 24-year-old has been in excellent form, too. His average SofaScore rating of 7.45/10 ranks him fourth in the Celtic squad, above their top two goalscorers Kyogo Furuhashi and Jota.

Postecoglou said last month that he ‘wouldn’t have brought him in’ if he didn’t think there was long-term potential, while Parkhead legend Kenny Dalglish has dubbed the American an ‘excellent professional’.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the Hoops have apparently been working away at this move for an extended period, and hopefully the months of communication with Spurs won’t go to waste.

In other news, one pundit has been left very impressed by Celtic’s transfer window so far

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

Everton will travel to Selhurst Park today in an important game where the Toffees must take their chances for a win that could put them back in the top half of the table.

Rafa Benitez’s side have only won one of their last five games, but their only victory was a convincing one, where they beat Arsenal 2-0 at Goodison Park on Monday evening, with Richarlison looking back to his best and their most recent win should take them into the Crystal Palace game full of confidence.

With that being said, here is how Football FanCast expects to see Everton line up vs Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.

With only two changes to the starting side in the victory over Arsenal, just Mason Holgate and Andre Gomes get into the predicted XI for Sunday’s clash with Crystal Palace.

Mason Holgate comes in for Yerry Mina as the defender sustained an injury in the 31st minute of the Arsenal game, with Rafa Benitez ruling him out of the Premier League fixture this week.

The £64k-per-week defender has made seven appearances for the Toffees so far this season, so shouldn’t have a problem integrating back into the backline amidst Mina’s injury.

One player who caught the eye against Arsenal but was not in the original line up was Andre Gomes, who put in a fantastic performance when he was subbed onto the pitch in the 66th minute of the game. That substitution effectively changed the game as the midfielder worked well in the centre to lead to two late goals for Demarai Gray and Richarlison.

The Portuguese should get into the team over Andros Townsend today, although the wide man has found good form with Everton, it could be a good chance to give the 30-year-old a rest ahead of a huge clash against Chelsea midweek.

Gomes assisting Gray to secure the winning goal of the game against Arsenal should comfortably cement his place in the team at Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon and we’re sure that the 28-year-old will be hoping to make an impact that will give Benitez a positive dilemma in the way he sets up his team in future.

Richarlison will also be hoping to make an impact as he got back to his scoring ways on Monday evening against Arsenal, with two goals disallowed the Brazilian finally netted a goal that stood in the 80th minute and we’re sure his performance will inject some confidence into the striker going into the game.

In other news: Everton receive yet another injury setback ahead of Palace clash

West Ham United are set to reignite their interest in Sparta Prague gem Adam Hlozek this January…

What’s the word?

That’s according to 90min journalist Toby Cudworth, who delivered a fresh update on the situation to social media this week.

“#WHUFC want to sign Adam Hlozek in January and also a centre-back to cover the injured Ogbonna,” he tweeted.

“Hlozek could be an initial loan with conditions to make an obligatory purchase, similar to Soucek’s 2020 deal. Kretinsky could be key.”

In an accompanying article, it’s claimed that the Irons are preparing a loan-to-buy agreement to sign the 19-year-old forward in the winter transfer window, which will be a similar type of deal used to sign Tomas Soucek in 2020.

The Hammers now have Sparta Prague co-owner Daniel Kretinsky on their board following his investment this month, so that is expected to stand them in good stead when negotiating a deal both clubs will be happy with.

Imagine him and Antonio

The Czech Republic international can play upfront – a position that manager David Moyes really does need to bolster – but he has predominantly been deployed on the flanks until this season.

Hlozek has provided four goals and eight assists in 20 appearances this season, all coming in a central role. It builds on last season’s tally of 15 goals and nine assists, where he averaged a direct contribution every 75.9 minutes, as per Transfermarkt.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-west-ham-news-transfer-updates-gsb-kretinsky-moyes” title=”Read the latest West Ham news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Michail Antonio has had his fair share of injury woes over the years and at 31, you can’t expect that to improve in the future. Moyes has been left with just one senior option in the centre-forward position for nearly two years now, so a new frontman is certainly a priority in 2022.

The 6 foot 2 dynamo, valued at £15.3m by Transfermarkt, is a hugely encouraging long-term prospect and one that should leave many around the London Stadium buzzing with delight.

Pavel Paska, who is the agent of both Hlozek and Tomas Soucek, believes his client is an “extraordinary talent” who “has everything an attacker needs,” whilst scout Jacek Kulig has described Hlozek as “an incredible talent” and Czech’s best talent since the emergence of Tomas Rosicky.

Just imagine him alongside Antonio or him providing the perfect foil for the 31-year-old talisman as the season goes on.

On this evidence, he’d be a signing that would leave the fanbase absolutely buzzing, especially given the success stories of Soucek and Vladimir Coufal and the recent involvement of Kretinksy, who should help them tenfold in any likely deal.

AND in other news, West Ham receive Declan Rice fitness boost ahead of Wolves clash…