All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Steve Bruce played a blinder against Tottenham Hotspur by unleashing Newcastle United midfielder Jacob Murphy at right-wing-back.

Murphy had not opened a Premier League fixture in the Toon’s last nine games and only featured as a substitute on four occasions in that run.

When he had been called on, Murphy also took up attacking positions with the 26-year-old tasked with offering width against Wolverhampton Wanderers after Allan Saint-Maximin was forced off with a groin injury.

Murphy also came off the bench with less than 10 minutes on the clock against Aston Villa last month, which was enough to see the £25,000-per-week gem twist and turn his way into Emiliano Martinez’s box before crashing his shot against the crossbar.

The missed chance failed to dent Murphy’s confidence and he soon set Jamaal Lascelles’ up to equalise, yet was left on the bench against Brighton & Hove Albion before the international break and instructed to add defensive resilience against Spurs on Sunday.

But Bruce’s decision to recall Murphy to the Magpies’ starting line-up for the first time since losing 2-1 at home to Leeds United in January proved genius, as the £3m-rated maestro – who is set to be out of contract in the summer – absolutely thrived.

Murphy displayed undiluted grit to fight for the shirt up against Harry Kane, Lucas Moura and Sergio Reguilon, which was all too often lacking from the Toon in their dismal 3-0 humbling at relegation-rivals Brighton last month.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/the-latest-newcastle-news%2c-gossip-and-views-2″ title=”The latest Newcastle news, gossip and views!”]

“Jacob Murphy [was] outstanding for Newcastle at right-wing-back,” The Times’ Chief Football Writer Henry Winter noted on Twitter after the game. “[He] ran himself into the ground, defending/attacking. His resilience echoed all over.”

The former England U21 international was eventually replaced in the 83rd minute by Javier Manquillo having developed cramp, which was not too unexpected given the performance he delivered and his lack of minutes in recent months.

Murphy has experience of playing at right-wing-back this season having been called on to play in defence on five occasions in the Premier League, but had not featured in the role since Newcastle were beaten 5-2 at Leeds in December.

He was unable to stop the Whites from thriving on their left-hand channel that day and appeared to duck out of the away when Jack Harrison delivered the cross for his side’s third goal.

Yet it was a very different Murphy on show this Sunday against Spurs, as he won a whopping 10 ground duels, made five successful tackles and created two goalscoring opportunities, per SofaScore.

Murphy has only averaged 3.6 ground duels won per Premier League game this season, along with 1.1 tackles and 0.7 key passes, but excelled to end the day with two more successful tackles to his name than any other player.

Jonjo Shelvey and Emil Krafth also registered two key passes, but no United player won as many ground duels as Murphy, either, with Miguel Almiron the second-most successful player in black and white after winning seven.

Moura won seven of his ground duels for Tottenham, while Kane could only win one and Reguilon won three as they often found the Toon’s right-wing a challenge to break through.

Bruce will surely have been delighted with Murphy’s performance, and feel that his decision to recall the winger in defence was vindicated.

AND in other news, a 9-cap dud who was expected to be a “massive asset” faces an uncertain future at Newcastle…

Newcastle United have approached Benfica to sound out the possibility of a move for 21-year-old left-back Nuno Tavares this summer, according to Portuguese outlet Record.

If the signals are positive, the report claimed that Newcastle could soon progress to the bidding stage, with Burnley and Napoli also named as interested parties.

Tavares has an €88m (£76m) release clause in his contract at the Estadio da Luz but the club are apparently open to a €30m (£25.9m) sale.

How has Nuno Tavares done at Benfica this season?

The Portuguese defender should be viewed as a star of the future. He has been eased into the Benfica first team, starting only five Liga NOS matches this season and making a further six appearances off the bench.

He was also handed a five-minute runout in the second leg of their Europa League defeat to Arsenal last month.

According to WhoScored, Tavares excels at crossing, chance creation and blocking the ball.

He has been labelled ‘one of the fastest players in the whole Portuguese league’ and is tipped to go on to become one of the best in Europe (via talkSPORT).

Intriguingly, Benfica have been linked with Wolves’ Ruben Vinagre, who is only a year older than Tavares. If they can strike that deal, then they may not stand in his way.

Transfer Tavern verdict

Tavares looks an excellent prospect, and £25.9m sounds like a more than reasonable fee. However, it’s difficult to see Newcastle shelling out that much on a left-back, particularly if Mike Ashley remains in his post.

A return for Jetro Willems, valued at a mere £2.7m by Transfermarkt, might be more realistic given the soundbytes of austerity in recent months surrounding Newcastle’s transfer budget.

In other news, a football finance expert has offered his verdict on the 1892 Pledge.

The Scotland national team have confirmed Glasgow Rangers’ Ryan Jack has had to pull out of the squad due to injury.

Jack injured

It was a surprise to see the midfielder called up by Steve Clarke in the first place considering he has not played for the Gers since February 21st (Transfermarkt).

Now, though, it is clear he is no position to play for his country or his club right now, and he has therefore withdrawn from international duty on this occasion.

Blow for Scotland and Rangers

Clarke will no doubt be disappointed to lose the £2.7m-valued former Aberdeen man (Transfermarkt). In his 10 caps, the Tartan Army have prevailed six times, drawn once and lost on three occasions, and they have been defeated just once with him in the starting line-up in the last seven fixtures.

Steven Gerrard, too, will be far from happy with this news. While the 29-year-old has made 24 appearances in all competitions this campaign for the 55-time Scottish champions, he has already suffered knee and calf issues that have kept him out for sustained periods. With the Premiership title now wrapped up, Gerrard may well have been hoping to give some playing time to a man he called “fantastic” earlier this term (via The Glasgow Times), but that looks like it may no longer be possible.

In other news, this man has been tipped to be Rangers’ Player of the Year.

Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Yerry Mina is facing an extended spell on the sidelines with the injury sustained in Everton’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City earlier this month.

The Colombian centre-half was taken off after just 18 minutes having picked up a calf issue, forcing Mina to sit out last weekend’s 2-0 Merseyside derby win away to rivals Liverpool.

Mina had returned to the Toffees’ starting line-up for the visit of Pep Guardiola’s Citizens to Goodison Park after sitting out his side’s previous two Premier League fixtures, marking the 26-year-old’s 22nd start of the season so far across all competitions.

Ancelotti opted to draft a five-man defence at Anfield in Mina’s absence, with Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey partnering Michael Keane while Seamus Coleman and Lucas Digne occupied the full-back spots.

The Italian tactician has confirmed that Everton will again be without Mina at home to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton on Monday night, along with long-term absentee Jean-Philippe Gbamin due to his Achilles injury.

“Gbamin is progressing well. We don’t know exactly when he can come back to train with the team – the same with Yerry Mina, also,” Ancelotti said.

“I think Yerry will be out for at least two more weeks.”

But Everton will be able to call on both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Allan to start on Monday, after the striker and midfielder returned to the Blues’ matchday squad against Liverpool.

“Allan and Dominic are okay. They are training regularly,” the ex-Chelsea and Real Madrid head coach added.  “They are available to play, for sure, from the beginning.”

Calvert-Lewin featured for the final 30 minutes against Liverpool following two games out with a hamstring injury, while Allan took a seat on the bench as he waits for his first action since limping off against Leicester on December 16.

Mina’s absence at home to Southampton on Monday night will present Godfrey with another chance to prove that Everton are not at a disadvantage without the Colombian, following the £20m summer signing from Norwich City’s performance at Liverpool.

Godfrey earned rave reviews for his exploits at Anfield, where the £77,000-per-week ace was given only his seventh Premier League outing of the season at centre-half, following eight games at left-back and twice being fielded as the right-sided full-back.

“He’s really stepped up to the plate. We all knew he was a good player when Everton signed him and had high hopes, but he’s exceeded those expectations by the level of his performance, both in central defence and also in full-backs as well,” ex-Everton defender David Weir told Football Pass on Monday.

“He seems to get Everton. You can tell the fans, although they are not at the games, you can tell they like him. They like his work ethic. They like his hunger to play. He’s got a real intensity about the way he defends.”

Godfrey and Holgate both offered one successful tackle against Jurgen Klopp’s defending Premier League champions, but only the former Canaries talent boasted a 100% record at Anfield, per WhoScored.

Holgate also offered fewer clearances (2) than Godfrey (8) and Keane (13) – who was dribbled past in his only attempted tackle – while proving more wasteful on the ball with a 57% pass success rate from 28 attempts to his teammates’ respective 71% from 24 and 76% from 25 records.

Godfrey’s match rating of 7.1 out of 10 against Liverpool was also above his average 6.65 for the season when fielded at centre-back, the lowest among Ancelotti’s options with Holgate scoring a 7.01, Keane a 6.94 and Mina a 6.89.

Ancelotti will now hope to see Godfrey match his performance for the visit of Southampton to Goodison Park, where Everton have lost their last three Premier League fixtures and are winless in 2021.

AND in other news, Everton face European competition to sign a £35m target this summer…

Despite the result, Alex Iwobi let Carlo Ancelotti down on his return to the starting line-up as Everton beat West Bromwich Albion 1-0 on Thursday night.

The Nigerian forward had featured for just seven minutes over the Toffees’ previous two Premier League fixtures, after falling out of the side for last month’s 2-0 Merseyside Derby win away to rivals Liverpool.

Ancelotti sought to offer the 24-year-old a recall at the Hawthorns as Everton played their second of three fixtures in the space of eight days, with James Rodriguez not risked and Gylfi Sigurdsson initially rested after featuring against Southampton on Monday.

Opening the action away to Sam Allardyce’s relegation-threatened Baggies marked Iwobi’s 13th start in 23 outings during the top-flight campaign to date, having been a staple of the Blues line-up over the festive period.

But his night would end in only the 58th minute as Ancelotti sought to put Everton in control of the midfield battle, with Allan introduced from the bench to instigate a shift in formation from the 3-4-1-2 with which the Toffees initially took to the field.

Iwobi was an easy choice for the Italian tactician to haul off early in the second period, having wasted a handful of promising opportunities in the first half to deliver a cross into Sam Johnstone’s penalty area.

The £22.9m-rated attacker, operating in a right-midfield role, was off the pace in most scenarios and delivered a performance akin to the displays Everton saw throughout last season which sparked Darren Bent to question where his qualities are.

“For all his endeavour – he does work really hard and he tries really hard – there’s no end product, there’s no quality there,” the former England international told Football Insider last July.

“He works really hard, you’ve got to give that to him, he puts a shift in but when it comes to that real bit of quality where it’s the final delivery, scoring a goal or the final pass, he hasn’t quite got that.”

During the 57 minutes in which Iwobi featured, Everton registered eight shots with just two on target. Three of those efforts came from Richarlison, two from Andre Gomes and one from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Bernard and Ben Godfrey, per WhoScored.

As well as not testing Johnstone, Iwobi additionally failed to create a chance for a Blues player to shoot, despite Calvert-Lewin (2), Bernard (1) and Abdoulaye Doucoure (1) – those closest on the field to the £50,000-per-week forward – registering at least one key pass each.

Part of Iwobi’s struggles stemmed from issues getting on the ball, with every outfield Everton player except Richarlison (22) and Calvert-Lewin (28) registering more touches than the ex-Arsenal playmaker (29).

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who took 28 touches, also outpassed Iwobi, with 14 accurate balls from 19 attempts to the Nigerian’s 11 from 15. Iwobi averages 19.8 passes (16.2 accurate) and with an 82% success rate per top-flight game this season, per SofaScore.

The 24-year-old further averages 0.6 key passes and 0.4 crosses (14% accurate), but failed to find a teammate with his only attempt against West Brom.

Ancelotti may not have expected Iwobi to create a haul of chances for himself or Everton as a team, but would have hoped to see the 44-cap international help set the pace far more often.

AND in other news, Everton eye a £22.5m-rated speedster who is “hungry for success”…

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.

According to Evening Standard journalist Dan Kilpatrick, Tottenham could be without Ben Davies for tonight’s Premier League encounter with Liverpool in another injury worry after he was taken off against Wycombe Wanderers in the FA Cup – coming as fellow left-back Sergio Reguilon looks set to miss the match.

Davies was hauled off after picking up a knock during Tottenham’s 4-1 victory away to the Championship side, and at the moment, it is unclear whether he will feature in north London on Thursday as Jose Mourinho gears up for a crunch clash (Evening Standard).

Spurs could miss Davies for Liverpool clash

Indeed, the 27-year-old is a doubt for the match this evening, but there is a glimmer of optimism in Kilpatrick’s update as Davies hopes to pass a late fitness test.

Whether he will be deemed able enough to take part remains to be seen, but for now, he is considered a doubt for Liverpool as Tottenham’s left-back options seem alarmingly thin.

Both Reguilon and Davies potentially being absent leaves little room for manoeuvre as far as Mourinho is concerned, with Japhet Tanganga emerging as an option if the Welshman indeed cannot feature.

Transfer Tavern take

The Lilywhites youngster has been deployed as a left-back before, but not this season as per Kilpatrick.

Spurs fans will be hoping Davies is passed fit, but right now he remains a doubt – coming as both Reguilon and attacker Dele Alli (football.london) look set to miss Liverpool.

Mourinho is certainly a fan of the player, who he described as ‘very intelligent’ back in October for his contributions as part of a back four (football.london), meanwhile pundit Darren Bent hailed him as one of the ‘standout’ performers of 2020/2021 after Spurs’ League Cup win against Stoke (Sky Sports via TBR).

In other news: Tottenham eyeing this ‘superb’ starlet, find out more here.

Many Manchester City fans will be frustrated following their side’s disappointing 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday night but Pep Guardiola will surely be delighted that Ruben Dias once again produced a superb display.

Whilst he was unfortunate to be credited with an own goal after he turned Semi Ajayi’s effort past Ederson, his overall performance was very strong.

The Portuguese international has quickly settled into English football since joining City from Benfica during the summer transfer window, with his performances having displaced Aymeric Laporte from the Citizens’ starting eleven.

In 10 Premier League appearances for the Citizens so far this season, the 23-year-old has averaged a solid 6.67 rating and he has been a big part of Guardiola’s side’s improved defensive record in recent weeks, as before the West Brom game, they had kept six consecutive clean sheets in all competitions.

Despite his own goal on Tuesday, the statistics suggest that he was one of City’s best players once again, as he dominated the West Brom attack.

As per SofaScore, the centre-back won 4/4 of his duels during the game, whilst he committed no fouls and wasn’t dribbled past once, suggesting that he was well on top in his battle with the West Brom forwards.

The Portuguese defender also lost possession on just five occasions, despite having 101 touches of the ball, as 89/94 of his passes found a Manchester City shirt, once again emphasising the young defender’s ability on the ball.

It is a shame that Dias may be blamed for the Baggies’ equaliser but he definitely deserved to be on the winning side for his performance, which he should have been when you consider the late chances for City missed by Ilkay Gundogan and Raheem Sterling.

However, Guardiola can be safe in the knowledge that City recruited very well with Dias during the summer, and the £45 million-rated man looks set for a great future with the Citizens.

And, in other news… Lost possession 23x: MCFC star badly let Pep down with an abysmal display vs WBA

One of Tottenham Hotspur’s reported transfer targets has just dropped a masterclass display amid speculation over his future.

A month ago, the north London outfit were linked with a move for AC Milan powerhouse Frank Kessie, as per Calciomercato.it.

They claimed that Jose Mourinho was mulling over a move for the 24-year-old midfielder, though the Serie A leaders wouldn’t let him depart on the cheap with a fee in the region of €50m (£45m) mentioned.

Kessie was in action on Wednesday night as Spurs waited to see who they would face in the Carabao Cup, and despite being defeated, the box-to-box beast put in an impressive performance.

The Rossoneri were defeated 3-1 by defending champions Juventus at the San Siro, though the Ivorian centre-mid was arguably their best player.

He played the full 90 minutes, making 43 of his 46 passes (93% accuracy), including a 100% hit-rate with his long-balls and only lost possession five times from 59 touches, via SofaScore.

That’s quite a feat considering he was up against the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Adrien Rabiot and Paulo Dybala.

Kessie also put in three tackles, two interceptions and two clearances as he continued his fine start to the 2020/21 campaign.

Indeed, the 44-cap international has enjoyed a phenomenal season thus far, contributing to seven goals in 14 starts domestically whilst averaging 1.3 shots, 1.3 dribbles, 1.3 interceptions, 1.2 tackles and an impressive 90.3% passing accuracy per game, via WhoScored.

He certainly seems like an ideal candidate for that box-to-box midfielder Mourinho is thought to be lusting for, as per Duncan Castles.

Former Milan boss Vincenzo Montella’s glowing endorsement of Kessie only adds fuel to the fire, he once said:

“He is an extraordinary player, a sublime intelligence. Penalties? I have a lot of good, for this, I had chosen two games that were just Rodriguez and Kessie.”

If Mourinho truly wants another midfielder this transfer window, then he ought to look no further than the Milan monster.

Just think of how powerful a central unit Spurs could have with his arrival – imagine him next to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg with Tanguy Ndombele further forward.

That would be a game-changer for their trophy aspirations.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Daniel Levy urged to sign out-of-contract £58.5m-rated star…

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…