All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

In the space of a month, Sunderland’s promotion hopes have been completely transformed.

The Mackems are unbeaten in their last seven outings, six of which have been wins. Victory over fellow promotion hopefuls Doncaster was the tip of the iceberg for Lee Johnson, but his side can’t afford to let up now.

He has engineered the Black Cats to fourth spot in the League One table but they face Portsmouth on Tuesday evening. This will be one of their toughest trips of the season, especially as they cast half an eye towards the Papa John’s Trophy final on Sunday.

With that fixture in mind, Johnson may choose to rest and rotate a little. Though, given the magnitude of this fixture too, he’d be foolish to go overboard.

As a result, we’re tipping the manager to make three changes to his side on Tuesday evening.

Johnson has had a habit of changing his formation during the course of matches in recent weeks so it’s a little unclear as to how he could line-up.

That being said, we’re entrusting him to go with a four-man backline. The first change of note is that Oliver Younger comes out of the side.

He didn’t really put a foot wrong against Rochdale last weekend but given how tough Pompey could be, we’re tipping Johnson to move Max Power to right-back instead.

What that leaves is a vacant hole in midfield to fill. With Grant Leadbitter out with a dislocated shoulder and Luke O’Nien playing at centre-back, it means Josh Scowen comes in to partner Carl Winchester.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-sunderland-news-and-gossip” title=” Latest Sunderland news and gossip!”]

Another change is on the right-hand side. Jordan Jones was influential on Saturday, providing the assist for Charlie Wyke’s goal. However, with not much football under his belt, we think he could be rested for the final on Sunday. As a consequence, Chris Maguire comes into the XI.

He’s had some brilliant cameos in recent weeks, scoring versus Crewe and assisting against Fleetwood and Swindon. Thus, he deserves a chance from the off.

The final change is at left-back where Jake Vokins replaces Callum McFadzean. The latter has been somewhat of a liability this season but will probably make the starting XI in the final due to his recent minutes. With fitness in mind, we don’t think the £2.4k-per-week earner will play on Tuesday.

AND in other news, Imagine him & McGeady: SAFC must land 29-goal ace who Moyes once dubbed “priceless”…

Speaking to the press, via football.london, West Ham United manager David Moyes has reacted to Jesse Lingard’s absence for the Manchester United clash, with the Scotsman describing it as a ‘big loss’ as the January signing is ineligible to play against his parent club.

Lingard has starred for the Hammers since signing on loan at the London Stadium, scoring four goals and providing one assist in just six Premier League starts (WhoScored), but he will not feature against the Red Devils this evening as the 28-year-old is ineligible for the clash.

Moyes reacts to Lingard absence

Moyes has described it as a ‘big loss’ for West Ham as they aim to mount a late assault for a top four finish, coming as the Irons boss also explained there are some ‘slight doubts’ behind the scenes for a couple of players (West Ham United official website).

“A big loss because he has had a big impact on the team and how we have played,” said Moyes to reporters (via football.london).

“He has been a positive signing for us since coming in in January so it is a loss to us but we have got other people.

“What we wanted was competition for places, sort of around the number 11 and number ten roles, we wanted good competition and Jesse has given us that but we have other people who can do that so hopefully we can go there and who them what we can do.”

Transfer Tavern take

Lingard’s fine start to his Hammers stint has been emphasised recently by former Premier League striker Ian Wright, who told Premier League Productions (via HITC) how ‘devastating’ he can be.

Time will tell who Moyes will have at this disposal for the Old Trafford clash, but who he chooses to replace Lingard in the team will be interesting to see.

In other news: West Ham are eyeing this 19-goal ‘phenomenon’, find out more here.

Leeds United are willing to sell attacking star Helder Costa this summer, according to a report from Football Insider.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men picked up an impressive victory in the Premier League on Friday night, winning 2-1 away to Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Goals from Patrick Bamford and Raphinha sent Leeds to 11th place in the table, as they picked up their first league victory since  the 3-0 victory at home to Southampton on February 23rd.

[freshpress-quiz id=“336849″]

Somebody who didn’t feature in the win over the Cottagers was Costa, who watched on from the substitutes’ bench.

Costa linked with Leeds exit

Costa has struggled to play a starring role for the Whites in 2020/21, chipping in with three goals and assists apiece in the league, and this fresh report claims a Leeds source has told them that the club will listen to offers for the 27-year-old.

It is claimed that Leeds see him as a player who can ‘raise cash’ for new signings to come in instead, as Bielsa looks to ‘reshape’ his squad moving forward.

Orta masterclass

Costa has unquestionably slipped down the attacking pecking order at Elland Road this season, with just 10 starts in the league testament to that.

For that reason, it make sense to move him on to pastures new, receiving a potentially healthy fee for his services and allowing Bielsa to bring in a replacement.

Victor Orta has proven to be very successful as Elland Road’s Director of Football and the plot to offload a player Bielsa doesn’t seem to rate that highly in search of a superior star would be another smart play.

In other news, one popular Leeds player has been seen back in training – read about who it is here.

Glasgow Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has suffered a fresh blow ahead of their crucial Europa League tie this evening…

What’s the latest?

Speaking ahead of kick-off, Gerrard confirmed that midfield favourite Ryan Jack would not be involved as the Scottish Premiership champions host Slavia Prague, even though he is seemingly close to a return to action. Jack missed the first-leg tie, but Gerrard said at the time that he could have played but that the Rangers staff chose not to risk him.

Scotland were keen to have Jack as part of their squad, which Steven Gerrard has spoken to Steve Clarke about, which suggests he is close to a return, but tonight’s game, unfortunately, comes too soon for Jack to feature in, suggesting he’s had a bit of a setback, given that he was seemingly fit to play last week.

Gerrard said, via the Daily Record:

“I had a chat with Steve Clarke and obviously that will remain private.

“We’ve been in touch over Ryan and a few other players for some time now but I’m not going to divulge what gets said in the conversation. I don’t think that’s fair or respectful.

“We will make a decision on the weekend when we need to but he is ruled out for tomorrow’s game.”

The 29-year-old missed last week’s 1-1 draw in the Czech Republic and is now a major doubt for the Old Firm derby this weekend.

Bad news for Gerrard

Even though they’ve secured their first title in ten years, this update will come as a major setback for Gerrard and Rangers.

Jack has emerged as a regular starter when fit, with 16 of his 19 league appearances coming from the off, whilst he also started the big group games against Standard Liege and Benfica.

In terms of central midfield options this season, the Scottish powerhouse tops the charts for average WhoScored rating (7.03) ahead of veteran Steven Davis (7.01), Glen Kamara (6.93), Scott Arfield (6.67) and Bongani Zungu (6.26), so evidently, he’s Gerrard’s best man when available.

Speaking about the situation last week, the 40-year-old revealed he was “upset” by the injury and reinforced Jack’s influence to the side. He added: “He’s so important to us.”

Admittedly, he’s vital to Rangers’ fortunes – for creativity in the middle, there’s no one better as he’s managed one key pass per game, which is more than the aforementioned quartet of alternative options, whilst 1.1 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per match suggest he’s just as prominent defensively – only Davis betters such returns, via WhoScored.

It is this ability to read the game and snuff out any danger which could prove to be a big miss on the night, especially in such a huge fixture.

Ex-Gers star Thomas Buffel recently compared him to Barry Ferguson, which is high praise indeed. He told The Sun: “His consistency levels are incredible and he is the one player the manager can always rely on. He really reminds me of Barry — and that is the highest compliment I can pay him.”

If Gerrard’s side loses tonight, then their European dream is over for another season and their chances of finding a way past the Czech champions will be all that more harder without the industrious Jack pulling the strings in the engine room.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Kent: Rangers must swoop for magical 18-goal gem, he’s made 109 dribbles…

Italian journalist Carlo Alvino claimed on Canale 8, via quotes by Spazio Napoli, earlier this week that Carlo Ancelotti was never a fan of Alex Meret during his time in charge of SSC Napoli, so the Blues boss must not pull a full 180 and bring the goalkeeper to Everton.

Meret has been linked with a potential summer switch to Goodison Park by reports in Italy last weekend,  reports which claimed that Ancelotti has a strong interest in being reunited with the 24-year-old.

The opportunity for a potential reunion has arisen as Meret is thought to be considering his future at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium following a battle for the number one jersey, and he could hand in a transfer request at the end of the season.

Meret has only been called on to guard the Napoli net for 12 of their 27 Serie A fixtures thus far this term, with ex-Arsenal shot-stopper David Ospina more often Gennaro Gattuso’s favoured option.

Reports by Gazzetta dello Sport, via Sport Witness, also alleged that Napoli are working to extend Ospina’s contract, which has not eased Meret’s train of thought over a move away.

Meret intends to be the starting goalkeeper for whichever club he represents next season. But while Gazzetta dello Sport claim there is a 30% chance of that being Everton, Alvino has spoken about the doubts that Ancelotti had about the player in the past.

“Ancelotti didn’t bet on Meret; he wanted [Alphonse] Areola,” Alvino said. “[Sporting Director Cristiano] Giuntoli wanted [Bernd] Leno, then [owner Aurelio] De Laurentiis took Meret.

“It seems strange that Ancelotti is keen on Meret to take him to the Premier. I spoke to him about the boy, and he said: ‘As a goalkeeper, he has to be able to save’. Ancelotti was an old school coach.”

Ospina is claimed to be Gattuso’s favoured option at Napoli as the Colombian is better than Meret with the ball at his feet, although Alvino’s comments would suggest that Ancelotti also had doubt over the one-time Italy international’s ability as a shot-stopper.

If Alvino’s comments are true and Ancelotti harboured doubts over Meret’s talents when De Laurentiis sanctioned the Italian’s €22m (£19m) arrival in 2018, then the Everton boss must stay well clear of pulling a U-turn as the goalkeeper has not improved in the years since.

During Meret’s debut campaign at Napoli, he registered an 85% save percentage over his 14 Serie A appearances with 40 of 47 shots on target kept out. That dropped to 63% last term over 22 outings, with the £36,000-per-week talent only saving 46 of 76 attempts, per FBref.

It has been no wonder that Gattuso has often chosen to overlook Meret during the current season, either, with the former SPAL star saving just 35 of 49 shots on target faced, for a 69% success rate over his 12 appearances to date.

For comparison, Jordan Pickford – Ancelotti’s current number one at Everton – is saving 72% of shots on target over his 23 appearances in the Premier League, with 69 of 97 kept out, for the highest percentage of his time at Goodison Park so far.

If Ancelotti had doubts in Meret’s talents, that have seemingly not improved, then there should be no reason for the Italians to be reunited at Everton this summer.

AND in other news, an “exceptional” Everton figure is being eyed by a Premier League rival…

Keith Gillespie has told Football FanCast that Newcastle United’s squad should be ashamed of their performance against Brighton & Hove Albion before the international break.

Steve Bruce’s side are marooned in relegation trouble and liE 17th in the table, just two points clear of Fulham.

Against Brighton, they had an opportunity to climb the table, as they took on a team that are only one place above them in the league.

But Gillespie’s former side were thumped 3-0, with goals from Leandro Trossard, Danny Welbeck and Neal Maupay proving decisive.

Gillespie believes there are deep-rooted problems at the club, from the ownership to the manager, but he was disgusted with the performance of the players.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he claimed the display was “shocking”, and insisted that the club were fortunate there were no away fans at the AMEX to witness it.

He said: “Certainly the players need to go out and produce better performances than they did against Brighton because it just felt as if they’d just given up the fight. There was no fight there.

“Especially when you’re playing against a club who is in and around you. It’s a six-pointer, really. To put in that type of performance was absolutely shocking and you can imagine fans travelling to an away game, when we did have fans, how embarrassed they should have been to play that type of football in front of the fans.”

Gillespie accepts that he is in a privileged position as a former player, but he claims that the squad should expect to be criticised by pundits, and has urged them to hit back and prove they can stay up.

He added: “It’s easy for me being an ex-player to come out and have a go at players but if I was a player playing in that current Newcastle side, and performances were what they are, I’d expect people to be coming out and having a go.

“I’d be expecting there to be a reaction, a reaction where look, we’re going to roll our sleeves up, we’re going to work our socks off for these last nine games and make sure that we stay in the Premier League.”

Newcastle have a remarkably tough run-in and will play Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Leicester City and Manchester City before the season is out.

Many Southampton fans have been reacting to the news that James Ward-Prowse is a doubt for the match against Burnley this weekend after picking up an injury while away on international duty.

The £25.2m-valued Saints captain was selected by Gareth Southgate for the recent round of 2022 World Cup qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland. He started the clash against the former as the Three Lions won 5-0, while he came on from the bench against Albania in an eventual 2-0 victory for his country.

However, he was sent home prior to the third match against Poland with a calf issue (The Sun). Ahead of the clash against the Clarets this weekend, Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has revealed that Ward-Prowse is a doubt for the game (southamptonfc.com). Were he to be unavailable, it would be a huge blow for the south coast outfit, with the skipper contributing to more league goals than any of his team-mates.

These Southampton fans themselves were quick to share their thoughts on the update, and they took to social media platform Twitter to vent their fury.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Ward-Prowse news below

“Basically we’re screwed”

Credit: @S_Ol_Mu

“I mean, Prowsey was bound to get injured with the amount he’s played. I love the fact that he’s seen as this machine who’s set the record for minutes played but he really should have been given a break imo”

Credit: @vestergodsfc

“I swear to god if JWP can’t play Sunday because he got injured playing for England I am coming for you Gareth Southgate”

Credit: @NotSoWittyUN

“Nice one Gareth”

Credit: @JamesBrooksAP

“You just knew it would happen, sadly that is the risk. Let’s hope it was worth it.”

Credit: @HackedOffStuart

“NOOOO! If he trains tomorrow, I think he will start but if he doesn’t we will be fine with Jankewtiz and Diallo in the mid”

Credit: @samuelsmith0810

In other news, many Southampton fans are livid at this FA Cup update.

Frank McAvennie has exclusively told Football FanCast that Declan Rice’s knee injury is a “massive blow” to West Ham’s chances of finishing in the European places.

The Hammers midfielder has been ever-present in the Premier League this term, and hasn’t missed a single minute of league action in the previous two seasons.

But Rice, whose recently taken the West Ham armband from club captain Mark Noble, will miss their trip to Wolves tonight and is expected to be sidelined for around four to six weeks following a knee problem sustained in England’s World Cup qualifier against Poland last Wednesday.

Victory for the David Moyes’ team a Molineux will be enough to see them leapfrog Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea and climb back into the fourth-place for the first time since early-March.

But the Hammers will have to do it without their leader and one of their most consistent performers – with Noble in line to make just his second Premier League start since January.

And McAvennie told Football FanCast that whilst Noble has been a great servant to West Ham over the years, Rice is simply irreplaceable:

“The shock news coming out of West Ham is that Rice is going be out for up to six weeks, which will be a massive blow for West Ham, especially in their hunt for European places.

“It’s a terrible shame for the boy, who’s been raising his game week in week out. I’d be annoyed, no disrespect to Noble who’s been a wonderful player and servant to West Ham, but he looks like the automatic choice.

“But when Nobes plays, then tend to defend a awful lot more. They don’t have that energy that Soucek and Rice bring in the midfield, no disrespect to Nobes.”

Fans of West Bromwich Albion have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which the Baggies shared their appreciation for the club’s left-back, Conor Townsend.

So far this season, Townsend has performed impressively over his 17 appearances in Sam Allardyce’s backline, with the 28-year-old making an average of 1.5 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 2.1 clearances per game, culminating in an average WhoScored match rating of 6.77 – ranking him as the club’s sixth-best player in the top flight.

Seemingly in reaction to these admirable displays, the West Brom Twitter account shared an image of Townsend in action for the club, captioning the picture: “Conor Townsend appreciation post.”

And, in response to the club’s post, fans of West Brom flocked to have their say on the matter, with many heaping a considerable amount of praise on the defender, with some dubbing him as the Baggies’ most improved player this season, while others picked out their favourite Townsend moments of the season.

So, what exactly did these West Bromwich Albion fans have to say in reaction to the club’s Conor Townsend tweet?

“That backheel vs Chelsea was the greatest thing ever.”

@WbaOllie

“Probably my favourite current player! Fantastic on the pitch and has really bought into the ethos of our club and the family feel it has, I love how involved he is with the Albion Foundation too.”

@gemmadowneswba

“Most improved player, 100%. An example to the better-known players with appetite and application on point, no matter who we are playing. Love him, keep up the great work Conor.”

@SimonHargest

“Playing out of his skin.”

@TheSweetestKid

“That backheel was absolute filth!”

@paulbeech100

“Brilliant player.”

@StevoSmith0

“Saw a bit of Derek Statham in Conor this week. Much improved player, going to be a star.”

@IJLibDem

In other news: ‘Get him signed’ – Allardyce reveals £31k-p/w priority target outperforming every WBA player – find out more here!

Aston Villa have been tipped to make a move for Tottenham ace Dele Alli this summer by former Premier League striker Dean Windass.

As to be expected, plenty of Villa supporters have been giving their thoughts on a potential move on social media.

Alli has fallen out of favour under Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho this season, starting just two Premier League games during the current campaign. He’s under contract with Spurs until 2024, but his lack of game-time has led to speculation of a north London exit.

Alli is on £100,000 per week at Tottenham and has seen his market value crash over the last 16 months from £81m to £28.8m.

Villa are expected to bolster their attacking ranks this summer with a new winger and another striker, but Windass believes Alli could be heading to the Midlands. Speakinh exclusively to Football Transfer Tavern, cited by Birmingham Live, he said that either Villa or Everton should make a move for the England international.

“I think Everton or Aston Villa, one of those teams where he then becomes a big fish in a small pond again. At the minute he’s a small fish in a big pond.

“The kid needs to be playing to get back into the England squad. Gareth will be on the phone saying ‘I think you’re a great player, but you need to be playing your club football.’”

Villa fans react

Birmingham Live shared the story on Twitter on Monday and here is what these Villa fans had to say in reply, with many excited by the prospect of Alli lining out in claret and blue if Windass’ recommendation is acted upon.

“Wow”

Credit: @HappyGrealish

“been begging for this for months. get it done Villa”

Credit: @1874dan

“I am on my knees”

Credit: @joegodwin_

“Please Deano”

Credit: @AVFC_Bailey

“Said this last year and I still think the same, we really should try and make this happen”

Credit: @Pred_Walters

“Certainly the level of player we should be going for #AVFC”

Credit: @Benjmeister85

In other news: Many AVFC fans react to club’s Villa Park plans, find out more here.