All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

With Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side heading into Saturday’s Premiership clash in an excellent run of form, the  Bhoys manager would undoubtedly have been hoping for another positive performance when St Johnstone visited Parkhead.

The 56-year-old would not be disappointed, as goals either side of half-time from Georgios Giakoumakis and Josip Juranovic capped a dominant display by the Hoops, with the 2-0 win moving Postecoglou’s side to within one point of the Premiership leaders.

As is to be expected after such a result, a number of Celtic’s players turned in very impressive performances over the course of the 90 minutes this afternoon, with the two aforementioned goalscorers particularly impressing.

However, it may be Carl Starfelt who is most pleased with his display against the Saints, as the centre-back ran the show from the heart of the Hoops’ defence.

Won 16 duels

Despite enduring something of a shaky start to his Celtic career, the Sweden international has really started to come into his own in recent weeks, with his performance against St Johnstone arguably being his best for the Hoops to date.

Indeed, over the course of his 90 minutes on the pitch, the £2.7m-rated defender played a key role in his side keeping a clean sheet, making three tackles, three interceptions and four clearances and winning a monstrous 16 duels.

The 26-year-old also saw a significant amount of the ball, enjoying a whopping 152 touches, the most of any player to feature in the match; completing 127 passes – again, the most of any other player – and picking out a team-mate with two of his three attempted long balls.

These returns saw the player who the Everything Celtic Twitter account described as “solid” receive a SofaScore match rating of 8.0, with no player from either side earning a better score than the £14k-per-week defender.

As such, it would certainly appear that the more experience Starfelt has of playing under Postecoglou, the better the 26-year-old is getting. That would appear to bode very well indeed for everyone involved with Celtic.

In other news: £1.9m out of pocket: Lawwell had a mare on “exemplary” Celtic sensation, he’s thriving

Following on from the departure of Valerien Ismael as West Brom’s head coach, the club have now completed the appointment of Steve Bruce as their new manager on an 18-month deal.

While some Baggies fans may be against this latest appointment due to the 61-year-old previously having spells in charge of some of Midlands rivals Birmingham City and Aston Villa, or perhaps because of the poor relationship he had with many Newcastle supporters, there is one thing he could do at The Hawthorns which would surely win over some of the doubters.

On the chalkboard

Taking into account how West Brom have only scored four goals in their past seven league games, three of which came in a 12-minute spell in one match, it’s safe to say that their forward line could do with some freshening up as they look to win promotion back to the Premier League by the end of the season.

With that in mind, one player that Bruce could bring in to add an extra dynamic to Albion’s attack is 21-year-old Rayhaan Tulloch.

Having made just seven senior squad appearances and played a solitary minute of Championship action for the Baggies so far this season (way back in August), the attacker barely got a look-in when Ismael was in charge.

In 94 appearances across West Brom’s under-18 and under-23 sides, the 21-year-old has racked up 40 goals and 15 assists, showing how much of an attacking threat he can provide.

Also, with Tulloch having played in numerous attacking positions throughout his fledgling career, his versatility on the pitch and presumed eagerness to become a regular first-team player could make him a useful figure for the Baggies.

Unleashing the 21-year-old, who has been called a “star boy” in the past by Jonathan Leko, and seeing Bruce giving him a proper chance to prove his worth to the team could also help the new manager to become an instant favourite among The Hawthorns faithful.

Bruce should definitely consider playing Tulloch in the first team in the coming weeks to see if the youngster has what it takes to perform at a high level and hopefully get them finding the net with greater regularity.

In other news: West Brom handed huge injury boost in recent days

Tottenham Hotspur are trying to prise Franck Kessie away from AC Milan…

What’s the word?

According to La Repubblica (via Sport Witness), Spurs will attempt to sign the 24-year-old powerhouse by offering the Serie A outfit wantaway midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.

Earlier this week, reports emerged claiming the north Londoners had offered Kessie a long-term €8m-per-year (£6.85m-per-year) deal to join them upon the expiry of his current contract in 2022.

The Ivory Coast international has previously expressed his desire to remain at the San Siro, though he was far from convinced by their latest offer and as a result, Fabio Paratici and co are trying to sign him now, instead of next summer.

Get it done!

Ndombele’s wishes to depart N17 have been made no secret in recent weeks. The Athletic claim that his snub from the starting XI for their EFL Cup final clash with Manchester City kickstarted the change in his demeanour.

During the off-season, the Frenchman has requested an exit, believing he could secure a move to a Paris Saint-Germain or a Bayern Munich, which is why Nuno Santo is yet to include him since taking charge – he won’t select a player that doesn’t want to be there.

Offering him up in a move for Kessie, who is valued at £34m by CIES, could be quite a shrewd move with Ndombele’s wages in excess of £200k-per-week, and considering the Milan star is out of contract in a year’s time, the Italian giants could be forced into letting him go for a lot cheaper than they would’ve expected.

The 24-year-old has been an industrious presence in midfield for Milan, contributing at either end of the pitch to great effect.

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As per WhoScored, he ended the 2020/21 campaign as their fourth highest-best player with an average rating of 7.15. He found the net a whopping 13 times from the engine room, a figure only bettered by the talismanic Zlatan Ibrahimovic (15).

The box-to-box beast also contributed 1.3 shots, 1.2 dribbles and 0.8 key passes per league outing, proving that he is efficient at bringing the ball forward and making that crucial link between the defence and the attack.

Meanwhile, an average of 1.5 aerial duels won, 1.4 tackles and 1.2 interceptions, via WhoScored, would suggest that Kessie is a solid presence and one that isn’t easily bypassed in midfield.

It’s no wonder his head coach Stefano Piolo dubbed him “a complete player” who gives us physicality, energy, quality, protects the defence and knits the moves going forward too” and is “invaluable” to the team.

Furthermore, ex-Milan boss Vincenzo Montella once hailed the Ivorian as an “extraordinary player” with “sublime intelligence.”

Evidently, those that have worked with him only have praise for the 24-year-old, so he’s clearly got something special about him if every manager that walks through the door in Milan is selecting him and subsequently praising him.

These are all attributes that we should be seeing from Ndombele in that box-to-box role alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and whilst his technical ability is unrivalled, top-quality and consistent performances from a club-record £55m signing have been far and few between.

Kessie has scored more goals in one season than Ndombele has in two years in north London.

Paratici must look to axe Ndombele in favour of Kessie, especially as he’s going to be available for bargain price given his contractual situation.

Get it done, Spurs.

AND in other news, Paratici masterclass: Nuno could form scary Tottenham unit with “special” £54m-rated gem…

Taking to Twitter, BBC Scotland reporter Tom English has relayed some ‘extraordinary’ news out of Ibrox as Rangers CEO Stewart Robertson makes a controversial call.

The Lowdown: Rangers make controversial call…

Amid both Rangers and their Glasgow rivals’ opening Europa League group games on Thursday evening, something of a controversial incident emerged as Robertson made a contentious decision.

Indeed, the Gers chief opted to turn away both former Celtic manager Neil Lennon and BT Sport pundit Chris Sutton (a former Hoops player) from working at an Ibrox studio due to their presence apparently posing a ‘security risk’.

Relaying the news on social media, English has dropped his take on the unique debacle.

The Latest: Tom English relays Rangers news and drops claim…

The BBC Scotland journalist has branded this development as ‘extraordinary’ whilst also pointing out Rangers’ strange belief that pundits, of all people, are a risk to security at Ibrox.

Relaying Sutton’s message on Twitter speaking out over the issue, English gave this commentary: “Rangers saying that pundits are a security risk. Pundits! This is extraordinary.”

The Verdict: Robertson has the right…

Opting to turn away both Lennon and Sutton comes as a controversial and unexpected call, but if the Gers CEO believes it is in the best interests of safety at Ibrox, he has every right to do so.

The debate will probably continue over this next week but Robertson’s decision to exclude both pundits arguably shouldn’t be blown out of proportion on this big of a scale.

In other news: ‘One of the best’…BBC pundit wowed as Rangers eye move for ‘big game’ forward, find out more here.

Following Manchester City’s 6-1 win over Wycombe Wanderers in the Carabao Cup which saw a number of youth players make their senior debuts for the club and ultimately earn praise from manager Pep Guardiola, who also praised the entire youth academy at the club for the players they have and how they have developed over the years, it’s safe to say that it’s a good time to be a young player there.

One young player who has risen through the ranks at City is Phil Foden, who worked his way through the youth system before making his senior debut in November 2017 in a Champions League match against Feyenoord.

Since then, the 21-year-old, who has been described as “fearless” by Harry Kane, has gone on to make 130 appearances for City across all competitions, scoring 33 goals and providing 24 assists along the way.

In terms of his market value, in January 2018, not long after making his senior debut for the club, Transfermarkt had it listed as £4.5m, whereas it now stands at a massive £72m, highlighting a massive increase and how much he has grown, developed and progressed in his career at the Etihad Stadium.

Foden also won the PFA Young Player of the Year award for his efforts for City last season, while on the international stage, he has made 11 appearances for England’s senior team, scoring two goals and providing three assists in the process.

With recent reports claiming that he is on the brink of putting pen to paper on a new six-year contract, this says to us just how important he has been for the club since making his debut and how much they want him to continue with them for the foreseeable future.

Looking ahead to the future, we feel that if Foden can continue playing regularly for the Premier League champions, picking up more goals, assists and trophies, he has the capability to achieve great things in the game and become a club legend at City, possibly seeing his market value rise even further.

The Englishman could also be seen as a shining example of a young talent making his way through the youth ranks at an elite club and becoming an integral part of their first team at such a young age.

In other news: Guardiola could unearth next KDB at Man City with “intelligent” 18 y/o, he’s a star in waiting

Leeds United are still keen on Celtic left-back Matthew Anderson, according to The Athletic’s Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Hjelde move

It appears as if the Whites are set to take Leo Hjelde from Parkhead. The 17-year-old is into the final 12 months of his Hoops contract and may well end up leaving the club without making a senior appearance.

Leeds and Celtic have reportedly agreed on a fee for the Norwegian, with the defender already agreeing on personal terms. Reports on Thursday suggested that the youngster was set to undergo a medical with the Yorkshire club, with a move expected to seal a move to Elland Road imminently.

Hjelde may not be the only young defender to swap Celtic for Leeds, though.

The Latest: Anderson interest

Hay ran a Q&A with Leeds fans on Friday ahead of the new season.

One supporter asked him about the club’s academy business, with the journalist admitting that a move for Hjelde is ‘looking good’, before adding that the Whites are still keen on signing fellow 17-year-old Anderson, who was described as ‘the real deal’ by Blantyre Soccer Academy chief Jimmy Whelan.

Hay outlined: “Hjelde from Celtic is looking good. They still like Matthew Anderson up there. I don’t think they’ll do a huge amount more, though. They’ve already signed up Miller, Bate and McGurk.”

The Verdict: Not ideal

Celtic appear to be building for the future with the signings of youngsters Liel Abada, Liam Shaw, Osaze Urhoghide and Joey Dawson this summer, so losing Hjelde and possibly Anderson isn’t exactly ideal.

The Norwegian has been lauded as ‘the next Virgil van Dijk’, whereas his fellow teenage defender ‘could be like Kieran Tierney’.

Celtic’s loss may well turn out to be Leeds’ gain, and only time will tell how much of a blow losing the two youngsters will be for the Hoops.

In other news: Move off: Celtic no longer looking to sign title winner who was keen to move to Parkhead. 

Newcastle United journalist Liam Kennedy, speaking to GiveMeSport, dropped an exciting update involving Atletico Madrid’s Kieran Trippier after talks got underway. 

The lowdown

Links with the England defender date back to the autumn when The Telegraph named him as a realistic January target for the Magpies (via NUFC Blog).

The Northern Echo’s Scott Wilson has also reported that Newcastle manager Eddie Howe sees right-back as a priority position, with Newcastle willing to stump up £25m for Trippier.

Mark Douglas, a Northern Football Correspondent at the I, says it would be ‘a great move’ for the club, and sports journalist Josh Bunting says it is ‘exactly the sort of signing’ they need.

The latest

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Kennedy revealed that Newcastle have opened discussions with Atletico over a transfer fee for the 31-year-old, who is one of Howe’s leading targets ahead of the January transfer window.

The journalist said: “There have been some talks with fees with Atletico and I think it’s a deal that can get done. He is top of Eddie Howe’s priority list, along with a couple of others.”

The verdict

It seems that Newcastle might be able to convince Atletico, even though Trippier is a mainstay in Diego Simeone’s team, but can they persuade the player to swap Madrid for Tyneside when the La Liga side have qualified for the Champions League knockout stages and Newcastle face a relegation battle?

Wilson has written that the player could view the move as a means of strengthening his 2022 World Cup prospects, and perhaps his camp will also insist upon a relegation clause being included in his contract, allowing him to exit on the cheap if Newcastle do go down.

On top of this, Kennedy’s update suggests that the Magpies have more than a fighting chance of bringing Trippier back to England.

In other news, has an opportunity emerged for Newcastle to sign this Premier League player?

Leeds United striker Joe Gelhardt was forced off for the under-23s on Monday evening with a fresh injury concern.

The Lowdown: Gelhardt’s season so far

He has featured in four of the five Premier League games under Jesse Marsch, scoring a crucial winner against Norwich City last month.

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The 19-year-old has slowly been establishing himself as a valuable figure in the American’s squad from the bench and played 31 minutes in the 1-1 draw with Southampton on Saturday.

He was given a start for the under-23s in a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Monday evening, but it didn’t go to plan.

The Latest: ‘Bad news’ for Gelhardt

The Yorkshire Evening Post shared the news of Gelhardt’s injury on Twitter, describing it as ‘bad news from Elland Road’.

They added that the forward had an issue with his left leg and had to receive treatment, with the Whites’ initial hope being that it is a dead leg.

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Gelhardt started for the under-23s looking to build up his fitness, with a reported fake positive virus test impacting the striker during the international break.

Fans may well be wondering why he was even playing on Monday, considering that both Patrick Bamford and Tyler Roberts are long-term absentees.

Hopefully the issue is a minor one and the 19-year-old can be available for selection for the huge trip to Watford this weekend following the club’s assessment this morning.

In other news – 9.1/10 rating: Leeds target produces incredible display after Orta name-dropped him

Leeds United must bring in new signings in the January transfer window after a poor start to the season, according to reliable journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Another defeat for Leeds

The Whites had another disappointing Premier League outing on Sunday, losing 2-1 to Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Dan James’ opener wasn’t enough to get Marcelo Bielsa’s side a positive result and they now sit 17th in the table, just one place above the relegation zone.

Leeds’ squad has felt stretched at times this season, with key players such as Luke Ayling and Partrick Bamford injured, so January signings wouldn’t go amiss.

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The Latest: Hay calls for January signings

Taking to Twitter on Monday afternoon in sharing an accompanying article for The Athletic, Hay delivered a 13-word verdict calling for the Whites to make mid-season reinforcements.

He said that it “no longer feels like they have the luxury of sitting this window out”, adding that “Full-strength Leeds have ample quality but they rarely are full strength, to the point where it seems as if they are being compromised.”

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The Verdict: Makes perfect sense

While there is no need for Leeds to go overboard in January – the return of key figures will bolster Bielsa’s options – it is important that a new face or two comes in to supplement the existing squad, as Hay has understandably pleaded.

It would bring a much-needed freshness to the playing pick at a time when a relegation fight is becoming increasingly likely, allowing for rotation between January and May and hopefully leading to a rise up the table.

Failure to make any signings could threaten to make things become even more stagnant, potentially leading to the threat of a return to the Championship, at a time when the expansion of Elland Road could be impacted negatively.

In other news, three Leeds players struggled in the defeat to Spurs. Find out who they are here.

Celtic duo Albian Ajeti and Osaze Urhoghide could leave Parkhead in January to make room for winter transfer window additions, The Daily Record have reported.

The Lowdown: Out of favour…

Neither of those has made the impact they may have hoped for under Ange Postecoglou.

The Hoops brought in four attacking additions over the summer in Kyogo Furuhashi, Liel Abada, Jota and Giorgos Giakoumakis, which has resulted in Ajeti starting just five games all season when options have been limited.

The 24-year-old cost the Hoops £4.5m from West Ham, but he last started a league game back in September.

Urhoghide, who was a beast for former employers Sheffield Wednesday, was Celtic’s first signing under Postecoglou, but he is yet to kick a competitive ball for the Hoops’ first team, and it seems as if the pair could depart in the New Year.

The Latest: A busy January?

The Daily Record shared a story on Saturday, looking at six players who could be in line to leave the club to make room for new additions that Postecoglou has promised.

Two of those were Ajeti and Urhoghide, with The Daily Record claiming that the Hoops are ready to cut their losses when it comes to the Swiss forward.

Meanwhile, they suggested that the young defender, labelled as ‘quick’ by Postecoglou when he signed in the summer, could be shipped out on loan after struggling in his early months at Lennoxtown.

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The Verdict: Correct calls?

With no director of football or head of recruitment in place, you’d expect that interim CEO Michael Nicholson will be the man in charge of incomings and outgoings in January.

It appears to be a wise move on both players, especially with Ajeti, who is picking up £18,000-a-week in Scotland and hardly contributing. Celtic are thought to be in for Japanese forward Daizen Maeda, so moving on the Switzerland international, even if it is for less than £4.5m, would seem to be a smart call.

Loaning out Urhoghide, who was playing regular first-team football in the English Championship last season, could also be a shrewd move.

If a temporary move materialises, hopefully it could benefit the centre-back as it would afford him the opportunity to play senior football on a regular basis, which could then give him a better chance of featuring at Celtic Park next season.

In other news: Hart and Juranovic delighted as Celtic announce more official contract news