All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Wolves are interested in 19-year-old SL Benfica forward Goncalo Ramos, according to a report from Portuguese outlet Novo.

They claim that the club are in ‘early talks’ with the Liga NOS outfit over the signing.

The lowdown on Wolves target Goncalo Ramos

Ramos is primarily a second striker rather than an out-and-out number nine.

After scoring 15 goals and providing six assists for Benfica’s B-team, he earned his opportunity at senior level, and he’s hit the ground running with six goals in his first 13 appearances.

Ramos has also featured eight times for Portugal’s Under-21s, including a substitute appearance in the final of the European Championship earlier this month.

Portugal, whose starting line-up for the game included Wolves loanee Vitinha, lost 1-0 to Germany.

Were he to join Wolves, he would be seen as part of their next attacking generation, along with Fabio Silva, a £35.6million signing last summer.

Fan feed Talking Wolves relayed the report, and here’s what the fans made of it.

Wolves fans react as Ramos talks get underway

“Are we running a football club or a crèche?”

Credit: @MKG661

“On a real note, would we need him since we have Fabio though? Wouldn’t we need a slightly older backup striker?”

Credit: @iamrockymstar

“Wonderkid FC”

Credit: @xGJHP

“That’s not how you spell Sergio.”

Credit: @wolfinbristol

“Another one for the youth them loaned out…. Another Rafa Mir”

Credit: @Wolfie71209247

“We’re just playing Football Manager, aren’t we?”

Credit: @adamwwfc03

In other news, fans were much happier with this transfer update. 

Pundit Noel Whelan has dropped a big claim involving Tottenham’s links to Mauricio Pochettino.

The Lowdown: Tottenham hold Pochettino talks

As per BBC Sport, Spurs have held talks with Pochettino over a potential return to North London, although there has been no contact with PSG over the matter.

Ryan Mason is still in interim charge at the moment, but given that talks are being held with other managers, it looks very unlikely that he will get the job on a permanent basis.

The Latest: Whelan lauds potential Pochettino appointment

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan, who is now a pundit after a stellar footballing career playing for the likes of Leeds United and Coventry City, has lauded the potential appointment of Pochettino, and does not understand why he was sacked in the first place:

“I think if you can get him, he’s a fantastic appointment.

“I also think it’s one of the biggest farces in football. Letting him go when they shouldn’t have let him go and bringing in Jose Mourinho. I just think why did you let him go in the first place? 

“It was such a bad decision to get rid of him, one of the best up-and-coming managers. He had the most successful season Tottenham have had for a long, long time taking them to the Champions League final, finishing second one season. 

“I mean, what were they thinking anyway? It just seems ridiculous the way they got rid of a really good manager. He was snapped up by one of the biggest clubs in European football in PSG because they knew what a good manager they could have.

“I’m pleased he might be back in English football, absolutely. We benefit and so will Tottenham.”

The Verdict: Tottenham should avoid Pochettino for now

There is no doubt that Pochettino did a lot of great things while managing the Lilywhites, none more so than getting them to a UEFA Champions League final, as well as achieving four successive top-four finishes in the Premier League, which is hard to do considering the quality of the division and the size of their budgets compared to the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal.

However, the Argentine never won a trophy during his time in North London, and managers are judged on what the win for their respective clubs.

Jose Mourinho was brought in with the hope that he could deliver a trophy to THFC, given what he had won in the past. He managed to get them to a Carabao Cup final, but was sacked shortly before it, perfectly encapsulating the sort of luck the club have had around silverware recently.

Spurs do need a serial winner though, who is capable of delivering trophies to the club, and ‘Poch’ does not fit this profile.

However, manager options may be limited if the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Antonio Conte get snapped up, and given that the 49-year-old has still proved himself to be a promising coach, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him return.

In other news, find out what Daniel Levy has done to try and convince Pochettino to join here!

Former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer has told The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview that he expects Ezgjan Alioski to remain at Elland Road this summer.

Alioski’s contract is up at the end of the month and it had looked like he was on his way out of the Yorkshire club, with Galatasaray heavily linked.

However, according to Football Insider, Leeds have offered the 29-year-old a new and improved offer as they desperately try to keep hold of him.

It is all still a bit up in the air at the moment, but Palmer is tipping Alioski to eventually put pen to paper on a new deal and extend his stay at Elland Road.

“You don’t want to lose any of your good players,” the ex-Leeds star said as he discussed Alioski’s future. “The problem that you’ve got, though, is the players get their heads turned by agents who are always touting their players around.

“Obviously [Marcelo] Bielsa wants to keep him and I’m sure they’ll reach an agreement. If the player wants to stay, they’ll reach an agreement.”

It is not hard to see why Bielsa wants to retain the services of the North Macedonia international.

In the season that has just gone, Alioski missed just two Premier League games and was used in more than one position by Bielsa, showing his importance to the side.

Rangers have suffered a huge blow in their hopes of bringing MK Dons left-back Matthew Sorinola to Ibrox this summer, with recent reports suggesting that he has agreed a move to Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, which will surely frustrate Steven Gerrard.

According to TEAMtalk, the 20-year-old defender is set to join the Belgian side this summer after announcing that he will depart Stadium MK upon the expiry of his contract.

The report suggests that there was heavy interest from the Premier League, Championship, Rangers and their Old Firm rivals, yet he has made the bold decision to join Union SG, who have just celebrated promotion to the Belgian top-flight.

Sorinola had won a lot of plaudits for his performances with MK Dons this season, making 34 appearances for Russell Martin’s side this season, contributing one goal and four assists in England’s third tier.

Rangers have been forced to deploy Joe Aribo at left-back in recent fixtures following the injury suffered by Borna Barisic and suspension to Calvin Bassey, which perhaps highlights a lack of depth in that area.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-rangers-news-transfer-rumours-and-more-copy-copy” title=“Latest Rangers news, transfer rumours and more from Ibrox!”]

Therefore, Sorinola’s signing would have made a lot of sense for the Ibrox outfit this summer, as he would have been available on a free transfer and would have been a long-term option for the Gers at left-back.

Martin was full of praise for the young defender earlier in the season, saying:

“He’s a fantastic boy with a great attitude whose head has no doubt been turned in the last month, no doubt about it.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776″]

It is something of a surprise that Sorinola has seemingly turned down interest from the likes of Rangers to make the move to Union SG and given his obvious potential, Gerrard should be fuming that Ross Wilson wasn’t able to convince the youngster to make the move to Ibrox ahead of next season.

And, in other news… Bye-bye Hagi: Wilson should seal Rangers swoop for 16 G/A dynamo, Gerrard would love him

Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paul Robinson believes it would be an ‘absolute disaster’ if Marcelo Bielsa took over at Tottenham this summer.

The Lowdown: Priceless figure at Leeds

The Whites are in the middle of a special period in their history, having finally returned to the Premier League this season.

Bielsa has been the undoubted key reason for Leeds’ success, transforming the club’s fortunes and playing an exciting brand of high-energy attacking football.

Worryingly, the Argentine is yet to commit his future to the club for another year, with his current deal expiring at the end of June.

The Latest: Robinson bemoans Bielsa rumour

Tottenham have been linked with acquiring Bielsa’s services and bringing him as their new manager, following Jose Mourinho’s departure earlier in the year.

Speaking to Football Insider, Robinson admitted it was exciting from a Spurs perspective, but disastrous for anyone of a Leeds persuasion:

“From a Spurs point of view, I would love to see Bielsa there.

“When you compare the Spurs and Leeds squad there is not much comparison, and that is no disrespect to the Leeds squad. Tottenham’s squad is made up of top international players.

“Look at what Bielsa got from that group of Leeds players in the Championship, it makes you wonder what he could get from those Spurs players. It could be unbelievable.

“From a Leeds point of view though it would be an absolute disaster. It really would.

“He would be a very shrewd appointment but I don’t think they’ve got any chance of luring him away.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-3/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Too loyal to leave

The thought of Bielsa suddenly leaving Leeds is a horrendous one, considering he has been the catalyst for such a memorable few years at Elland Road.

Losing him now, at a point when the Whites are primed for a possible European push next season, would be extremely hard to come back from, such is his level of influence.

Bielsa is a fiercely loyal, principled character, however, so it would be a big surprise if he didn’t extend his stay and moved to north London instead.

In other news, one Leeds player has been blasted for his recent behaviour. Find out who it is here.

Manchester City sealed their place in the Champions League semi-finals thanks to a 2-1 win against Borrusia Dortmund on Wednesday night.

After a nervy start, which saw the hosts level the tie on aggregate thanks to a goal from 17-year-old Jude Bellingham, Pep Guardiola’s side completed the turnaround, with Riyad Mahrez scoring from the penalty spot before Phil Foden fired in to make it 4-2 on aggregate.

Although the young Englishman may steal the headlines after his impressive goal, it was arguably Kevin De Bruyne who impressed the most at Signal Iduna Park.

As per SofaScore, the Belgian international would earn a superb 7.7/10 match rating for his display, with only Foden (8.3) rated higher from both sides.

However, despite featuring as a striker for much of the game, the former Wolfsburg man would contribute 57 passes compared to Foden’s 47 and was a regular threat to the Dortmund defence, taking five shots during the 90 minutes, which included a thunderous effort inside the area after he dispossessed Mateu Morey, which he was unfortunate to see come off the crossbar.

Whilst Foden would complete two out of four of his dribbles during the game, De Bruyne was extremely successful in his dribbling, as he completed all five of his dribble attempts during the game.

One of these nearly resulted in a superb goal as he left several Dortmund defenders on the floor before being denied by Martin Hitz in the Dortmund goal.

De Bruyne would also win 8/13 of his duels and contributed two tackles despite playing in attack, which represents how effective he was from both an attacking and a defensive perspective on Wednesday night, as he excelled in an unusual role.

After signing a new contract recently, sporting director Txiki Begiristain was full of praise for the midfielder, saying:

“His talent is unquestionable – but he is also a consummate professional whose dedication to Manchester City during his time here has been nothing short of extraordinary. He constantly seeks to improve, and his approach is the perfect blueprint for any young player looking to carve out a career.”

Therefore, whilst Foden contributed the winning goal, a lot of credit has to go to De Bruyne, who arguably ran the show at Signal Iduna Park, despite playing out of position.

And, in other news… Guardiola suffers huge City transfer blow with “outstanding” goal machine

Manchester United could not find a way past Leeds United at Elland Road on Sunday, the clash in Yorkshire ending 0-0.

Chances were certainly at a premium and here is how we rated the Red Devils throughout the game:

Starting XI

Henderson – 6/10: It was not an extraordinarily busy afternoon for the United stopper, only being forced into three saves according to WhoScored. His distribution was impressive though.

Wan-Bissaka – 7/10: Probably the most reliable of United’s defensive options, the former Crystal Palace man provided five tackles and two clearances as he dealt with the threat of the ever-dangerous Jack Harrison relatively well.

Maguire – 6/10: Again, not the busiest afternoon for the Red Devils’ captain, Leeds being restricted to just three shots. He was dominant in the air throughout the game but really should have scored with a free header in the first half and he was also booked.

Lindelof – 6/10: Not tested all too much, the Swede was solid if unspectacular. He produced three clearances as the hosts were kept at arms’ length throughout the majority of the game.

Shaw – 7/10: Like his fellow full-back, Shaw impressed at Elland Road. He was very effective going forwards, racking up one of the highest pass completion rates in the visitors’ side, whilst contributing a fantastic five key passes.

Fred – 7/10: Far better defensively than going forwards, Fred was instrumental in keeping Marcelo Bielsa’s troops quiet. The former Shakhtar man contributed three tackles, three interceptions and three clearances. He was also a reliable presence on the ball.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/the-latest-man-united-transfer-rumours-and-news-from-old-trafford-fofana-solskjaer-van-de-beek-wwodward” title=”The latest Man United transfer rumours and news from Old Trafford…”]

McTominay – 6/10: After scoring twice and notching an assist in the reverse fixture this season, the Scot would certainly have been wanting to rack up a similar contribution in Yorkshire. That was simply not possible though, completing just 30 passes throughout the match.

Fernandes – 6/10: Arguably one of Fernandes’ worst performances for the club since joining last January. He had five shots throughout the clash but did not get any of those on target – an aspect that was somewhat synonymous with the majority of United’s attack play.

James – 5/10: Playing at a stadium where he could have potentially have been an employee, the young winger could barely get involved. He did not have a single shot and when presented with a chance to score in the second half, he dallied for too long before he was tackled by Ezgjan Alioski.

Greenwood – 7/10: The United academy graduate was probably the brightest spark for the visitors at Elland Road. On numerous occasions, he looked the biggest threat for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men but was regularly denied by Illan Meslier.

Rashford  – 6/10: Whilst still clearly finding his way back to full fitness, Rashford looked off the pace against Leeds. He struggled to find any room to work in and accumulated the worst pass accuracy rate of the Manchester United starting XI at just 69.2% before eventually being replaced.

Substitutes

Pogba – 6/10: Replaced Daniel James with just under 15 minutes of regular time remaining but did not really affect the game all too much.

Cavani – 6/10: The Uruguayan replaced Rashford towards the end of the tie but like Pogba, did not get involved too much.

Van de Beek – N/A: Introduced for Fred with just one minute remaining, the Dutchman was not on the pitch for long enough to earn a score.

After coming off the bench last weekend against Fulham, Keinan Davis deserves to start against Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

The 23-year-old came on for the final 20 minutes or so of the game against the Cottagers, and it was his powerful run which led to his assist for one of Trezeguet’s two goals in the 3-1 victory.

Davis sent Villa boss Dean Smith a strong message with his performance, and the manager was quick to point to the work his substitutes put into helping to change the course of the game.

Smith said: “Sometimes you need the impact to come from the subs bench and that is what happened. All three who came on made an impact on the game and lifted our performance. It changed the game for us.”

Davis’ strength and athleticism is something his teammate and club captain Jack Grealish has come to admire, insisting that he compares favourably even with the likes of former Villa powerhouse Christian Benteke.

The England playmaker said: “He’s so strong, honestly, so, so strong. He’s one of the best hold-up players I’ve ever played with and that includes the likes of Benteke and stuff. Honestly, he’s unbelievable. The only thing he needs to add to his game is his end product.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-aston-villa-transfer-rumours-and-news-copy-copy” title=”Latest Aston Villa transfer rumours and news”]

That raw power could be the key to unsettling a Liverpool back-line which comes into the game off the back of a 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash.

After his cameo against Fulham last weekend, Davis deserves the chance to showcase what he can do with more than just a measly few minutes here and there – all nine of his league appearances this term have been from the bench, with an average game-time of 11.44 minutes per match.

While Trezeguet may be the man on many people’s lips given his match-winning goals a week ago, Davis should also be pushing for a rare start.

Meanwhile, Villa could hire their perfect Dean Smith successor in this “winner”…

In an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern, Steve Howey, who made 150 appearances for Newcastle United, doesn’t think Jose Mourinho should be looking to sign Joelinton, despite his good history in games against Tottenham Hotspur.

During the fall out from Spurs’ 2-2 draw against Newcastle, Robbie Earle, from NBC Sports, claimed that Mourinho could do a lot worse than sign Joelinton, who has scored two goals in four games against Spurs.

Since Joelinton arrived in 2019 for a club-record £40 million, he has scored just eight goals and got seven assists in 70 games, with his best performance coming during that 2-2 draw.

Speaking on Earle’s Joelinton claim and how one performance does not all of a sudden make him a good player, Howey told The Transfer Tavern:

“I’m a bit surprised at his statement. The frustrating thing about Joelinton is he’s six-foot-one and a big strong boy with a good touch, and you see him at times and he shrugs people off the ball, but other times you could just blow him over.

“The question is why can’t he do it consistently? As I said, one performance doesn’t all of a sudden mean he should be playing for Tottenham Hotspur.”

Spurs suffered another blow to their Champions League hopes as they were swept aside by Manchester United while Chelsea, West Ham and Liverpool all won last weekend.

It was reported last week that Harry Kane will look to ask Daniel Levy for a move away if Spurs fail to qualify for the Champions League this season.

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have been giving their thoughts to Dean Smith’s reaction to Sunday’s defeat to Tottenham on social media.

Villa, who were once again without captain Jack Grealish, suffered a 2-0 defeat to Jose Mourinho’s men at Villa Park.

Worrying Villa form without Grealish

Goals from Carlos Vinicius and a Harry Kane penalty proved to be the difference, with the result leaving Smith’s side in 10th place.

In the games for which Grealish has been out injured, Villa have picked up just five points from a possible 18, scoring three times – leaving them in 14th place in the form table.

Villa fans react

The club shared Smith’s post-match thoughts late on Sunday night on their official Twitter page. He addressed his views on the performance, as well as Grealish’s absence in the clip, which has been viewed more than 24,000 times.

The manager insisted that there were some “good bits” from his team and was pleased with their play up to the final third. He added that players “have to look in the mirror” at spurned opportunities and goals conceded, and that he and the coaching team are “always taking lessons” from poor results.

This is what these supporters had to say to the footage, with some not happy with the comments from the Villa boss.

“Broken record…”

Credit: @terryreid2

“Get him out of my club. Poison”

Credit: @villaiiin7

“Sounds defeated to me”

Credit: @SmithLovelace

“Do something different Deano, the fans know your subs before you make them. Surely the opposition are too”

Credit: @liam_avfc2012

“Lampard in before it’s too late”

Credit: @UTVGAVIN1874

“I don’t have to listen to it to know what he said and know I will be bored by what he said. It’s been the same for weeks now.”

Credit: @Bosey82

In other news: Villa handed possible Grealish transfer boost as club eye £50m alternative, find out more here.