All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Kevin Phillips has urged Sunderland to sign on-loan ace Dion Sanderson on a permanent deal this summer.

Phillips urges Sunderland to sign Sanderson

The centre-back made the move to the Stadium of Light on a temporary basis from Wolverhampton Wanderers at the start of this season.

It has recently been revealed that the Black Cats have entered talks over a permanent deal for the 21-year-old (Daily Mail), and Phillips believes his capture should be a priority for Sunderland. He told Football Insider:

“I would get a permanent deal done for Sanderson as soon as possible. I think it will be a priority.

“He looks like he really enjoys being at the football club. In the final the other week you could hear him and a few of the other lads cheering on Sunderland so it looks like he loves the club.

“On the pitch, he has been amazing so I would definitely be looking to tie him down to the club permanently.”

One for the future

The 1.88m (6 foot 3) defender has grown into an important member of Lee Johnson’s squad as this season has progressed. He started just one of the first 17 League One matches of the campaign, but has been named in the starting XI for the last 11 (Transfermarkt). During that run, the Wearside outfit have not lost even once and have conceded on just four occasions.

At just 21 years of age, Sanderson clearly has a big future ahead of him, and may well relish playing in the Championship if Sunderland are able to earn promotion. For the reported £2m Wolves are said to be seeking, he could be an absolute bargain signing, so Phillips is right to implore the Black Cats to land him on a permanent basis.

In other news, many Sunderland fans loved these Aiden O’Brien comments.

Noel Whelan has claimed that Allan will be in the starting XI for Everton when they play Chelsea in the Premier League on Monday evening.

After playing the entirety of last weeks win over Southampton, the central midfielder had a 32-minute cameo in their last game away at West Brom as Carlo Ancelotti manages his minutes after he picked up a muscle injury back in December, prior to which he was a consistent starter (Transfermarkt).

However, former Leeds United and Coventry City striker Whelan has claimed that Allan will return to the starting line-up for when the Toffees face Thomas Tuchel’s side, telling Football Insider:

“There’s no doubt Allan has to start. He’s been great since he got there, he is Ancelotti’s man.

“I think that 30 minutes is a tell-tale sign he’s back, he’s ready, he’ll be in the starting XI. Could you change the formation possibly? I think that’s what you might have to do to fit Doucoure, Gomes and Allan in there. 

“You saw the midfield of Chelsea against Liverpool with Mason Mount and the energy. To get anything out the game, you need a really strong, defensive-minded midfield.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if he played all three of them in a 4-3-3. Sometimes you need a change of formation against certain teams to be a little bit more stable.

“We can see what Chelsea are about now. Even when they’re under pressure, they hit you with a counter-attack.

“You might want to stick all three in there against this Chelsea outfit. Be really aggressive and solid.”

Everton boosted by Allan return

There is no doubt that the Merseyside club will be boosted by the return of Allan as they look to come back from Stamford Bridge unscathed against a tough opponent.

The former Napoli ace is vital to the team in terms of winning the ball back, as his average of 3.1 tackles per game is the most out of any Toffees player to have played in 10 or matches for them in the top flight so far this term (WhoScored).

He has also won no fewer than 5.9 of his duels per match in the Premier League and averaged 1.4 successful dribbles (Sofascore), showing how the Brazil international can also carry the ball forward for his side after gaining possession.

Having the 30-year-old back should be a big plus for the Toffees and, as Whelan has suggested, it would be no surprise to see him restored to Ancelotti’s starting XI against Chelsea.

In other news, find out which Champions League duo Ancelotti wants to sign!

Many Arsenal fans were left to slam the performance of David Luiz despite their 3-1 away win at Olympiacos in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night.

A first goal for Mikel Arteta’s team from Martin Odegaard, supplemented with further strikes from Gabriel and Mohamed Elneny, ensured that the Gunners will go into the second leg at the Emirates Stadium as firm favourites to go through to the quarter-final stage.

However, it was not as easy as the 3-1 scoreline suggests, with the north London club often creating their own downfall once again, with the most notable error coming from both Bernd Leno and Dani Ceballos in the lead-up to the goal scored by Youssef El Arabi.

Luiz was not immune to mistakes, either, as he made a big one in the first half which may well have cost his side.

The former Chelsea man did not have the best of nights by his standards in general, losing possession of the ball no fewer than nine times in total while also failing to make a single interception, earning him a quite measly 6.5 overall rating on Sofascore, the lowest out of any outfield Arsenal player to have started the game.

Arsenal fan reaction to Luiz display

These Gooners slammed his performance on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to claim that the Brazilian defender is ‘useless’ and other saying he should ‘never play for us again’:

“David Luiz, Odegaard, Leno and Ceballos were poor last night. Arteta needs to fix this before the NLD on Sunday. #OLYARS #UEL”

Credit: @thandorasi

“What’s the common theme of Arsenal fans from Wenger days? Blame the manager, management, owner but never the players. Hope Luiz doesn’t play against Spurs. #OLYARS #EuropaLeague #NLD”

Credit: @RealSashi

“We need to get rid of these CONSISTENTLY ERROR-PRONE PLAYERS who keep costing us goals conceded: David Luiz, Ceballos, Xhaka. Others will be sold further down the line. Good nervy win for us #COYG #OLYARS”

Credit: @oziljohnson10

“Dear Arteta, Please can David Luiz never play for us again, enough is enough now. Many thanks #OLYARS”

Credit: @EdTA6

“David Luiz, Bellerin , Xhaka, Willian, Ceballos, Elneny. None of them get into any of the top 10 sides in the league. Why do we still play them???????????????? #OLYARS”

Credit: @theAEW2

“On David Luiz being useless. #OLYARS”

Credit: @SonOfND

In other news, find out which Premier League club Arsenal have been tipped to ‘gazump’ in pursuit of one star here!

According to The Daily Record, Glasgow Rangers outcast Jordan Jones is set for a six-month loan away from Ibrox at the Stadium of Light with Sunderland.

What’s the word?

After falling out of favour with Steven Gerrard for breaching Covid-19 rules with George Edmundson, Jones has found himself playing very little football this season and has been deemed surplus to requirements by the Ibrox boss.

It’s claimed that he had attracted interest from clubs across Scotland but favoured a move south of the border.

And now, he may have already played his last game for Rangers.

End of the road?

Jones, 26, has been nothing short of a flop since he first arrived at Ibrox from Kilmarnock, having been the subject of a failed bid from the Light Blues the year beforehand.

When he arrived on the scene in in 2019, he took to social media to share his delight, writing it was an ‘unbelievably proud day for me and my family’, adding ‘I’ve waited for this moment for a long time and today is a dream come true!’

However, despite being capped nine times by his country, the Northern Irishman has failed to rediscover the form he enjoyed at Kilmarnock.

In 19 appearances across all competitions, Jones has scored just once, as per Transfermarkt, which is a pretty measly return for a player who contributed to 33 goals in 119 games during his time at Rugby Park.

Gerrard praised him for his impact in the Europa League qualifier against Willem II at the start of the season, calling him a “real threat”, but he has been unable to break into the starting XI after his latest indiscretion. In fact, he is yet to feature since the turn of the year.

With Rangers recently confirming they have signed left-winger Scott Wright on a pre-contract agreement from Aberdeen, it might be the end of a chapter for Jones in his faltering Ibrox career.

AND in other news, Why Glasgow Rangers should give Ryan Kent whatever he wants…

The January transfer window may have just closed its doors but for Leeds United, their plans for the next few months are becoming apparent already.

Victor Orta didn’t spend a penny last month after shipping out close to £100m on talent in the summer window, but it would appear they’re ready to flex their financial muscles once again.

On the chalkboard

Leeds have been bolstered by new £50m investment from the 49ers group and thus, it could be game-changing for the club in the transfer market.

Orta is already pondering ways of improving the Leeds squad and it seems that there is one glaring hole in the squad. That comes in midfield where Marcelo Bielsa is patching his team together.

An injury to Rodrigo has seen Stuart Dallas operated in the middle of the park while a suspension earlier this year to Kalvin Phillips meant Pascal Struijk deputised in front of the back four.

With Pablo Hernandez nearing the end of this career too, they will need to find replacements.

Fortunately, Leeds know that’s an area they need to improve. A report from the Mirror stated last week that finding a new playmaker topped their list of summer priorities. So, who could be the players they target?

Brilliant Buendia

Leeds could look towards a number of options in the next few months. Rodrigo de Paul has long been a Whites target but we think the remedy to their issues is Emiliano Buendia.

The Norwich City playmaker has been a radiant bubble of creativity this season and is quickly demonstrating why he’s been touted by the likes of Arsenal.

The Whites were interested in the 24-year-old last summer but after choosing to neglect the need for further recruits in the winter, they must bring him to Elland Road.

He has provided seven goals and seven assists this season, showcasing immense qualities in the final third on his way to being hailed a “very special” talent by Canaries centre-back Ben Gibson.

The Argentine would be perfect for Leeds and indeed, ideal for Orta, someone who has been attracted to Buendia for years now.

Out of favour at Getafe, newspapers started linking the diminutive magician with English shores in 2017.  Spanish sides were also showing an appeal towards him and in particular Cultural Leonesa – a team with links to Qatar and the Aspire Academy. Coincidentally, they were a party who had links to Leeds.

At the same time, Norwich were doing due diligence on the player and eventually signed him. Buendia would later enjoy a loan spell at Leonesa and again, talk of a move to Leeds spawned.

Orta had joined Leeds as their director of football in 2017 and inherited the link with Leonesa. Ouasim Bouy joined the Spaniard’s on loan, as too did Yosuke Ideguchi.

Naturally, Orta began to look at Buendia. The Athletic claims that he’s a player Orta has always liked, but time and time again, they’ve opted against signing him.

Clearly, Leeds have missed a trick but they do have the chance to correct that in the summer. With United searching for a playmaker, Orta must finally bring the man he’s been lusting after for so long to Elland Road.

He is a genius on the ball and so far this season has registered 3.3 key passes per match. If anyone can create an opening, it’s the 24-year-old. Buendia is capable of playing through the middle and out on the flanks as well, so he’d certainly suit Bielsa’ modus operandi of working with versatile characters.

Buendia is surely too good a player to turn down again. They must continue their pursuit.

AND in other news, Leeds eye summer swoop for “unplayable” £43k-p/w speedster, he’s shades of Raphinha…

Sheffield Wednesday sparked plenty of headlines going into Tuesday night’s match yet still managed to pull through on top.

Owls chairman Dejphon Chansiri sacked manager Tony Pulis less than 24 hours before kick-off at Hillsborough, whilst it’s thought that the squad haven’t been paid on time for November, let alone December.

Although despite this, they rallied under caretaker boss Neil Thompson to pick up a 2-1 victory against Neil Warnock and Middlesbrough in south Yorkshire.

Callum Paterson slotted home the opener right on the half-hour mark before 19-year-old Liam Shaw bagged his first Wednesday goal ten minutes later.

Boro managed to grab a goal back right after the break, but the home side found their nerve and held on for all three points – a vital victory which moved them to within three points of safety and off the bottom two places.

After the game, the teenage midfielder received most of the plaudits, but there was an underrated showing from one of his teammates that deserves a little more respect.

Once again, Chey Dunkley looked like one of Garry Monk’s only good signings in the heart of defence. A leader without the armband and a solid one at that.

The 28-year-old was a colossal rock at the back, recording six clearances, four interceptions, one tackle and one clearance, via SofaScore.

He also won 100% of his aerial duels, put in one block and ultimately, he ensured that prolific Championship marksman Britt Assombalonga endured a night to forget.

The Boro frontman lost 70% of his duels, fired two attempts off target and was given a paltry 6.3 rating, which was lower than any Owls player.

Dom Howson at YorkshireLive was also extremely impressed by Dunkley as he graded the former Wigan monster an 8/10, he wrote:

“Looked alert and dealt well with the threat of Middlesbrough captain Assombalonga. Has added some much-needed pace, physicality and leadership to the Owls’ rearguard since returning from injury.”

Indeed, Dunkley’s return and Wednesday’s three-game unbeaten run cannot be a mere coincidence. He must be someone any new manager centres his team around if they are to drag themselves out of the mire.

AND in other news, Pundit reveals what Josh Windass has told him about Sheffield Wednesday’s squad…

While Victor Orta was busy readying Leeds United for their assault on the Premier League over the summer, he was also hurrying around improving the club’s academy.

The Spaniard welcomed a host of fresh young faces to Thorp Arch, with the likes of Joe Gelhardt, Cody Drameh, Crysencio Summerville and Sam Greenwood all arriving.

Though, one player out on loan but still lurking as part of the academy is Mateusz Bogusz.

The 19-year-old is a superb midfielder and after rejecting advances from Brighton, he moved from Poland to Yorkshire in 2019.

It’s not the most conventional of routes to take in your football career but he has been improving at a steady rate in the club’s development sides. That being said, he has played just three times for the first-team.

He is now out on loan at UD Logrones in La Liga 2, the second tier of Spanish football where he’s gaining his first consistent taste of senior team football for a number of years. Bogusz has played 14 times for his loan club and has managed two goal contributions in the process.

Those numbers may not be too significant, but his overall performances have demonstrated that he could well make an impact on the Leeds side when he returns. By unleashing him next season, he may well save the club millions in terms of transfer fees.

Pablo Hernandez is out of contract at the end of the current campaign and with Tyler Roberts potentially departing too, there may well be two vacant areas in the middle of the park for someone like Bogusz to exploit.

Leeds have been linked with a number of players in that area, namely Julian Draxler and Rodrigo De Paul. Though, they have also been touted with making a switch for Swansea youngster Yan Dhanda.

We suggested that Dhanda may have what it takes to break down a low block – one of Leeds’ chief problems right now – but they could have a ready-made Hernandez heir right in front of them.

That’s because the teenager is a bundle of attacking energy, someone capable of carving out regular opportunities like Leeds’ Spanish hero.

In the 2020/21 season so far, Bogusz has created 0.8 key passes per game, which, for someone that hasn’t started every match, isn’t bad at all. For context, it’s a tally that would make him the seventh-best creator at Leeds this season.

Of course, he’s playing at a different level, but pivotally, he’s managed more key passes a match than Stuart Dallas, Helder Costa and Hernandez.

Though, the similarities with the Spaniard don’t stop there. He is adept at dribbling and typifies composure and confidence.

Bogusz’s most impressive stat this term is undoubtedly the 1.5 dribbles per game he’s amassed. No player at Leeds this season has managed more, while Hernandez’s best season for take-ons at Leeds saw him register 1.8 successful dribbles on average. Thus, there isn’t a great difference.

The youngster’s improvement and impression this season won’t be a surprise to some, however, especially to his manager at international youth level, Czeslaw Michniewicz. He once told reporters: “He is at a similar level as (Poland international) Sebastian Szymanski in his previous youth. He has great talent.”

Having also received the seal of approval from fellow countryman Mateusz Klich, he possesses a whole range of talents that could benefit Leeds.

If they chose to unleash him when he returns from Spain, he could well stop Orta from dipping his toes into the transfer market.

AND in other news, Leeds must axe £2.2m-rated gem who looks totally “out of place”, Bielsa can’t be happy…

According to a report by The Athletic journalist David Ornstein, via Sports Illustrated, Man City are huge admirers of Aston Villa star Jack Grealish – with the news prompting many Sky Blues to go wild and urge Txiki Begiristain to ‘get this deal done’.Â

Grealish, who has been a pivotal figure for the Villans over these last two seasons, is currently turning the heads of some big Premier League clubs – which includes City as per this latest update.

The £135,000-per-week England international had attracted interest from the Citizens’ cross-town rivals Man United over the summer, but the playmaker who has drawn comparisons to club legend David Silva is also said to be on City’s watchlist.

As a result, plenty of Sky Blues are keen to see him make a move to the Etihad Stadium – find all of their best verdicts from Twitter down below.

Man City fans want Grealish

In other news: City have also been tipped to sign this 6 foot 2 ‘beast’ – find out more here.Â

Southampton were boosted by the news earlier in the week that four young academy talents have signed professional contracts with the club.

Ryan Finnigan, Jeremi Rodriguez, Fedel Ross-Laing and Diamond Edwards have all committed their futures to the south coast club, which should see them stay with the Saints until the summer of 2023.

Edwards was signed from Reading in 2019 and has clearly impressed in his first year with Southampton, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been rewarded with a professional deal.

The 18-year-old has made six appearances for the U’18 side so far this season, in which he has contributed one goal. He has also played across the midfield, as well as on the wing, which demonstrates his versatility.

He could also be compared to a former Saints youth academy talent in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, as he too was capable of playing in a number of positions across the midfield during his time with the club, before his move to Arsenal.

During his time with the Saints, the now-Liverpool man would make 43 appearances for the club, contributing an impressive 10 goals and nine assists.

Following the news that these four had committed their futures to Southampton, academy director Matt Hale had this to say:

“With Diamond, Fedel and Jeremi, we have worked hard through our recruitment work to bring these talented players to the football club.

“All three of them began their full-time programme with us this year and look to be promising young talents that can have an exciting future.”

Therefore, it seems as if Edwards is destined for a big future with the south coast club and perhaps it won’t be too long until we see him make his first-team debut under Ralph Hasenhuttl.

And, in other news… Exclusive: Pundit drops Southampton claim about Jisheng Gao

Glasgow Rangers are getting ready to face Livingston in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon but Steven Gerrard has a big call to make. And no, we don’t mean choosing between Borna Barisic or Calvin Bassey.

If you haven’t figured it out already, as we have previously discussed, we think the Gers could be onto something here with the 9-cap Northern Ireland international.

Let’s face it, at this stage in the competition, the Gers are already four points clear of their arch-rivals Celtic. However, that doesn’t mean that they should take their foot off the gas anytime soon; in fact, if anything, far from it.

Whilst Gerrard is almost spoilt for choice on the right wing, as Brandon Barker and Ianis Hagi have both started in recent weeks, his rivals have hardly done themselves any favours whatsoever.

SofaScore gave Hagi an average grade of 6.7 for his performance against Standard Liege in the Europa League on Thursday night, whilst GlasgowLive gave him an ever lower rating of 6/10, saying he “started slowly and was sloppy in possession at times.”

Similarly, Barker received an average rating of 6.6 via SofaScore for his efforts in the first Old Firm derby of the season, whilst The Daily Record graded him at 6/10, claiming that he was “handed a big opportunity on the sides of Morelos and was urged by his manager to start offering a bit more with just a quarter of the contest having elapsed.”

All signs seemed to point towards an Ibrox exit for Jones earlier in the summer, but he began to turn things around before the international break. With that being said, he has still only made two starts this season, his outings totalling 164 minutes in total, as he has been an unused substitute for the majority of the campaign.

The Northern Irishman has predominantly played on the left wing in the past, but it’s unlikely he will play there for the foreseeable future, with the ever-reliable Ryan Kent starting in that position every game he has played this season.

Once hailed as a prospect who can become a “top player” by the Northern Ireland manager, the 26-year-old was recently described as a “real threat” by Gerrard.

Per SofaScore, Jones received a high rating of 7 for his performance against Motherwell – he scored one goal, took two shots, and took 41 touches of the ball, with a pass accuracy rating of 77%, whilst he made one tackle, which shows that he contributed defensively as well.

As both Barker and Hagi have arguably failed to make the most of their opportunities at the moment, as neither have recorded a single goal or assist in the last week or so, after working his way back into contention, what better way for Jones to show Gerrard what he can do against Livingston on Sunday? He just needs to be given game time, as he has found his chances limited so far.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers striker Kemar Roofe steals the show against Standard Liege…