All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Celtic are thought to be eyeing a move for midfielder Ahmed Kendouci from Algerian side ES Setif, according to reports, relayed by The Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Kendouci profiled

Kendouci is just 22 years of age and is valued at £1.17m by Transfermarkt, making him his agency’s most valuable star by a considerable distance, so they’d surely be delighted to facilitate a big move.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-copy/” title=”Celtic updates!! (Copy)” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

He’s capable of playing as a left midfielder as well as in a defensive, central or attacking midfield role, offering the sort of versatility that any manager would love to have in their squad.

Kendouci has made ten appearances in Algeria’s top flight this season, scoring three goals, and it seems as if he is now on Celtic’s radar after a move for Riley McGree broke down.

The Latest: Celtic links

The Daily Record relayed reports from Algeria regarding Kendouci in a story on Wednesday.

It is believed that the Hoops are looking at a potential move for the versatile midfielder and have even contacted former Rangers man Madjid Bougherra for more information on Kendouci.

The Verdict: Strange…

It seems extremely bizarre that a former Rangers man would be willing to help Celtic when it comes to possible signings.

However, it does seem as if Ange Postecoglou wants another midfielder brought in given the collapsed move for McGree, so there could be some truth into the latest rumours.

The Hoops boss has admitted previously that he’d be willing to explore niche markets when it comes to signings, so perhaps this is one to keep a close eye on even with the strange name-checking of Bougherra.

In other news: Scott Burns drops Celtic transfer update as Postecoglou gets his way once more. 

As per Football Insider, a Tottenham source has revealed that Antonio Conte is pushing the club to bring in a multitude of signings in January after identifying areas of weakness – with ten or more deals in the pipeline.

The Lowdown: Time to spend, Levy

Tottenham have seen improved Premier League form recently under new manager Conte – producing three consecutive wins in their last three games. The Lilywhites currently sit in fifth place with a game in-hand, and a further three points would take them past London rivals West Ham into the top four.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-developments-2/” title=”Spurs developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

However, Conte is not fully satisfied with his squad and believes that Spurs need to strengthen in multiple areas if they are to achieve Champions League qualification. The Italian was highly critical of the money spent in the summer of 2019 and also of the January window of 2020.

£150m was spent on the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Steven Bergwijn, Ryan Sessegnon, Giovani Lo Celso and Jack Clarke – none of which have fully established themselves as permanent members of the starting 11.

The Latest: Biggest Spurs window ever?

Football Insider have now reported that a Tottenham source believes Conte and recruitment chief Fabio Paratici are planning an overhaul which will see the “biggest January window in the club’s history”.

The 52-year-old will prioritise the recruitment of at least one proven centre-back who can be utilised in the manager’s favourite back-three defensive system. Paratici is also in the process of identifying players across a wide range of positions.

Multiple departures are to be expected too – this includes the likes of Joe Rodon, who is seeking a permanent or temporary exit. When all is said and done there could be ten-plus comings and goings.

The Verdict: Need to strengthen

It is clear that Conte will need to bring in some additions to the squad if they are to challenge the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, West Ham and Manchester United for a top four place.

The latter have had a poor start to the season themselves, but they spent £126m on three elite players this summer, the sort of business Paratici and Daniel Levy will need to replicate to give Conte a fighting chance.

This business will also include a clear-out of fringe players who are not favoured by the former Chelsea boss. Someone like Rodon, who Dimitar Berbatov once claimed is “a great player for the future”, is young enough to bank a decent fee if sold and therefore could see the door.

Conte and Paratici have plenty of work to do in order to overhaul this Lilywhites squad, so the fact that they are not hanging around until the summer to start the process should be music to fans’ ears.

With the January transfer window close to opening, Everton manager Rafa Benitez has dropped an exciting hint on one piece of business that the Merseyside club could do in it.

What’s the news?

When asked what the current situation is with Lewis Dobbin’s contract and whether or not he will sign a new one before his current deal runs out in the summer, Benitez had this to say on the matter.

He said: “I think the player is quite happy and our conversations with him have been quite positive. I have confidence that he will be delighted to stay with us in the future.”

As a product of Everton’s youth academy, the winger has made a total of 52 combined appearances for their U18 and U23 sides, scoring 16 goals and providing 12 assists along the way.

Labelled as a player that has a “fantastic attitude towards being desperate to be an Everton player” in the past by David Unsworth, the 18-year-old has been on the fringes of Benitez’s senior side this season with three Premier League appearances under his belt.

If Everton were able to secure Dobbin with a long-term deal next month, this would be a big boost and plus point not only for the player himself but for the Everton fans to potentially see another one of their youth players break into the first team and become a regular figure for them in the future, following in the footsteps of players such as Tom Davies, Jonjoe Kenny and Anthony Gordon.

If the youngster does sign a new deal in January and manages to take any opportunity he gets to play in the first team to impress Benitez, then this could be the start of a very exciting senior career for the teenager at Goodison Park, something that would understandably leave fans buzzing.

In addition to Dobbin’s potential new deal, it would be worth Everton bringing some new players into the club as well, particularly in the defensive areas given how the Toffees have conceded 29 goals in 17 league games so far this season, more than the likes of Burnley, Brentford and Southampton.

In other news: EFC must sign £22.5m-rated ace, Moshiri has already “tried to negotiate a transfer”…

Wolves failed to take all three points from league strugglers Norwich City in their latest Premier League outing this afternoon, having to settle for a 0-0 draw against Dean Smith’s side.

One man who failed to impress at Carrow Road was Nelson Semedo, who played 76 minutes before being replaced by Leander Dendoncker.

During his time on the pitch, the right wing-back failed to have any sort of attacking impact, making no key passes or successful crosses to any of his teammates. The Portuguese international also lost possession of the ball on 19 occasions throughout the game, as well as picking up a yellow card.

Defensively, things weren’t much better for Semedo, who is currently earning just over £76k-per-week according to Spotrac, after losing seven duels and getting dribbled past on two occasions.

Described as being a defensive “liability” in the past by Wolves journalist Tim Spiers, this performance ultimately earned Semedo an overall match rating of 6.4/10, making him the lowest-rated Wolves player on the day according to SofaScore. That was even lower than Fransico Trincao, who failed to make a key pass or even have a shot on goal and was slated by numerous Wolves fans during and after the game.

Birmingham Live also picked up on Semedo’s less-than impressive display by giving him a match rating of 5/10, saying that he found Norwich attacker Milot Rashica “a little hot to handle” for periods of the game.

This performance let Bruno Lage down given that Wolves came away with just a point and failed to score against a team who are battling relegation and have conceded 27 league goals so far this season.

With Wolves set to take on Burnley at Molineux on Tuesday evening, this not only gives the Midlanders an opportunity to move on from today’s draw and get a win under their belts, it also gives Semedo a chance to once again prove himself to Lage that he is capable of playing to a high standard in his team.

In other news: one exciting Wolves deal is reportedly edging closer

Crystal Palace have got competition in their pursuit of Lille defender Sven Botman after Newcastle entered the race for a potential January transfer.

The Eagles were linked with a move for the 21-year-old in the summer before eventually opting to sign Marc Guehi from Chelsea in a £21m move and Joachim Andersen from Lyon in a £15.75m deal to strengthen their back line.

Botman ended up staying at Lille despite lots of interest and has continued to impress this season, ranking as their third-best defender this season according to WhoScored ratings.

Despite making just ten appearances in Ligue 1 so far owing to a groin injury, his form has been good enough to keep interested parties sniffing around and David Ornstein claims that Newcastle have made him a priority target for the winter transfer window. While Transfermarkt currently value him at £25.2m, it’s possible Lille would ask for considerably more to lose him mid-season.

Crystal Palace’s decision to opt for different targets this season has failed to really justify itself yet. Guehi has been relatively impressive considering his age and lack of top-flight experience, scoring twice so far. He’s also managed an average of 1.1 tackles, 0.7 interceptions and 3.1 clearances per game under Patrick Vieira.

Andersen is yet to find the net for his new club and defensively has done relatively well too, averaging 0.9 tackles 1.5 interceptions and 2.9 clearances per game for the Eagles. But with Vieira keen to build a team comfortable in possession an important stat to look at is their pass success, something Guehi edges Andersen in with a percentage of 87.3% compared to 83.7%.

So where would Botman fit in? Likely right alongside Guehi in an ideal world. In an underperforming Lille side he has averaged 0.9 tackles, 0.6 interceptions and a huge 4.6 clearances per game for the current reigning French champions. That all-important passing stat is what’s impressive though, with the currently uncapped Dutchman successfully completing 85.8% of his passes.

Aerially he is dominant too, winning 2.5 aerial duels a match compared with Guehi’s 1.3 and Andersen’s 1.2 in the Premier League. With his top-flight experience in the Champions League and abilities that dovetail well with the England U21 captain, it could prove to be a formidable partnership for Vieira and for the future of Crystal Palace.

Having been described as a “leader” in the past, it would give Vieira options defensively and with his system, potentially moving to a back three on occasion but ultimately it would just be smart business to bring in another promising and talented footballer to a young and gifted squad.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace must use Eze instead of spending on £6m playmaker.

Leeds United have been boosted by the news that rumoured transfer target Marcelo will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season.

The Lowdown: Leeds linked with audacious Marcelo move

The Whites were linked with a stunning move for the Brazilian earlier in the year, but he ended up staying put at Madrid for another year.

Marcelo has enjoyed a stunning career at the Santiago Bernabeu, winning four Champions League titles and five La Liga crowns, among other trophies.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Brazilian set to leave Madrid

There has now been an update on the 33-year-old’s future in Spain, with El Nacionel Web reporting that this will be his last season at Madrid.

When the campaign reaches its conclusion, Marcelo will then be able to leave on a free transfer, which could potentially alert Marcelo Bielsa.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-22/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Box office signing

In truth, it is hard to see Marcelo ending up at Leeds, given his likely wage demands, but it would be hugely exciting he did make the move to Elland Road, with the Spanish media hailing him as a ‘genius’ in the past.

He would bring with him a winning mentality that few possess, following so much success in his career, and he still has a few years left in him at a high level.

The thought of him marauding down the left flank is a mouthwatering one, providing competition for Junior Firpo, but it would be a major surprise if it happened.

In other news, Phil Hay has revealed another Leeds player is struggling with an injury. Find out who it is here.

Simon Jordan has suggested that Aston Villa should make a move to appoint Erik ten Hag as their next manager.

What’s been said?

Speaking recently on talkSPORT (via Birmingham Live), Jordan stated his belief that, rather than making a move to appoint Rangers boss Steven Gerrard as Dean Smith’s successor at Villa Park, Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens should turn their efforts towards the Ajax manager Erik ten Hag.

Speaking about Gerrard’s ability, Jordan said: “There is an assumption – and I am not in that camp right now – that Steven Gerrard is an elite manager. I don’t think he’s an elite manager.

“I think [Villa’s] ownership have a top-six mentality about them. Gerrard is in the Europa League with Rangers because he is in a league that is not pushing him to the next level.

“If they are now saying their ambitions are to be a top side then they should be looking vertically. And a vertical manager is someone like Ten Hag because if Tottenham can get Conte why can’t Villa get someone like that?”

Ten Hag would revive Villa

Considering the rather remarkable job Ten Hag has done with Ajax since his appointment at the Johan Cruijff ArenA back in 2017, it is difficult to argue with Jordan’s suggestion that the 51-year-old would make a much better appointment than Gerrard.

Indeed, the Haaksbergen-born manager has turned the Dutch giants, who had not lifted the Eredivisie for three years prior to his arrival, into a title-winning machine – having won the league in each of the three full seasons Ten Hag has been at the club, in addition to lifting two Dutch Cups.

Furthermore, the former Bayern Munich II coach has also reestablished Ajax as a presence in the Champions League, reaching the semi-final of the competition back in 2018/19 – narrowly missing out on qualification for the final as a result of a stoppage-time Lucas Moura winner for Tottenham Hotspur.

Further still, Ten Hag also helped to develop some of Europe’s most exciting young players in recent seasons, with the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong, Justin Kluivert, Hakim Ziyech, Donny van de Beek and Sergino Dest all being sold for huge sums after being handed a chance in the Ajax first-team by the 51-year-old.

As such, with a track record of reestablishing a huge club back to their rightful position in the league, having an impressive record in cup competitions, being highly adept at developing youth prospects and boasting a 73% win rate at Ajax, the man who Pierre van Hooijdonk dubbed a “remarkable” manager would indeed seem to be a fantastic fit for Villa. The Dutchman very much appears to be more than capable of reviving the struggling Premier League side if appointed by NSWE.

In other news: “I understand”: Sky journo drops big AVFC manager update, fans surely buzzing

The Athletic journalist Greg O’Keeffe doesn’t think that either Rafael Benitez or the Everton board will be keen on signing Donny van de Beek. 

The lowdown

The Manchester United midfielder’s agent said in September that he had tried to find a new club for his client and that his search had ‘ended up at Everton’. He claimed that talks were held over a possible transfer, only for United to intervene and block any deal.

Van de Beek has been on the periphery at Old Trafford this season, playing just five minutes across the Red Devils’ first seven Premier League fixtures, and the Dutchman’s estimated transfer value has fallen to £22.5m as a result, having been just shy of £50m less than two years ago.

The latest

In a mailbag for The Athletic, O’Keeffe said that his ‘understanding of the situation’ is that Everton sporting director Marcel Brands was ‘made aware’ of Van de Beek’s availability late in the transfer window and ‘may have inquired’ about a possible move.

However, he doesn’t think the 24-year-old ‘is a player who fits into Benitez’s plans’ and explained that Brands’ role is seemingly to ‘source and present options’ to the board and the manager.

O’Keeffe suspects that they would have declined if Van de Beek was on the table, saying that ‘there’s a feeling he wouldn’t fit into the system’ given that two of Everton’s existing attacking midfield options, Richarlison and Demarai Gray, are ‘quicker and more dynamic’.

The verdict

Van de Beek demonstrated his class at Ajax, starring in their run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2019, but concerns about whether Everton would be a good fit for him are not misplaced.

Realistically, Richarlison, Gray and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are all part of the Blues’ strongest XI, and in a 4-4-1-1 formation, that doesn’t really leave any room for Van de Beek.

Why would he move elsewhere in the Premier League when he could just be adopting a rotational role there which wouldn’t be much different from his current place on the Old Trafford periphery?

In other news, this announcement from the club had lots of Everton fans buzzing

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing as some comments have emerged from James Tavernier.

As shared by Sky Sports Scotland, the Ibrox captain sat down with Livingston midfield player Marvin Bartley to talk about racism and their personal experiences of trying to combat it.

Tavernier talked about racial abuse he was sent on social media after a supposedly bad performance, recalling how he simply opted not to tell anyone about it, despite being ‘so infuriated’, admitting it has since been ‘burning inside’ of him.

Of course, the Ibrox outfit have been through their fair share of ordeals in this department, with Glen Kamara the victim of racial abuse last season, and more needs to be done to try and stamp racism out of football for good.

A lot of Light Blues supporters thought that Tavernier was truly inspirational with his words, representing the club well as their captain.

Rangers fans on Tavernier comments

These Bears fans were left buzzing as the comments made by Tavernier on racism were shared on Twitter:

“An inspirational Rangers captain along with another brilliant advocate for all black footballers who have received horrible racist abuse for years. Stay strong lads”

Credit: @JTBruce2

“I’m very proud @James_Tavernier is our captain. Exceptional player & a great ambassador; he’s one of my all time favourite Gers.”

Credit: @MosesBrox

“Excellent representatives of their clubs and Scottish football”

Credit: @ATCO31

“We’re with you Tav”

Credit: @Fabrice79_

“My captain.”

Credit: @angryscotsman81

“Personally, one of the most important moments of our season. @RangersFC one club.”

Credit: @RuaridhMacgreg2

In other news, find out what incident against Brondby left Gers fuming here!

Nottingham Forest defender Joe Worrall has spoken out about his future amid interest from Southampton, stating that he is 100 per cent happy with his current employers [Hampshire Live].

The Lowdown: Worrall profiled

Making waves in the Sky Bet Championship last campaign, the 24-year-old made 33 appearances in all competitions, mustering over four clearances per game.

He was good enough to attract interest throughout the duration of the transfer window, with Southampton, West Ham United and Crystal Palace amongst those rumoured to be keen on his services [Nottingham Post].

Nevertheless, a move never materialised, leading Worrall to speak out about his future in a recent interview.

The Latest: Worrall happy to stay at Forest

The 6 foot 4 Englishman delivered a crushing blow to any future move from the Saints, stating: “I’m at no better place right now, at the age of 24, to be playing week in, week out in the Championship.” [Hampshire Live]

In a disappointing turn of events, it now seems as if the ball-playing defender could be staying at the City Ground for a while yet.

The Verdict: Could have been Vestergaard replacement

Potentially being rocked in their pursuit of the Reds centre-half will come as a bitter blow to the Southampton hierarchy.

Worrall has earned praise in recent years, once being called a ‘leader’ by Forest legend Kenny Burns [Herald Scotland], which implies he could have been the perfect man to bring in as a long-term replacement for Jannik Vestergaard.

Moving forward, the Saints will need to rely on options currently available at their disposal as they bid to climb the table, with Lyanco arriving instead back in late August to buff up the ranks.

In other news, Southampton fans love a goal scored by one of their players on international duty. Find out more here.