All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

[ad_pod ]

Newcastle United have a truly excellent striker in their ranks.

Elias Sorensen is just 19 and has been in quite brilliant form for the club’s youth teams. This season alone, he has scored 12 goals in 14 Premier League 2 games and has also netted four in five in the EFL Trophy, all of which came against senior sides – Doncaster Rovers, Notts County, Grimsby Town and Macclesfield.

His step up from the Under-18s to the Under-23s has been seamless. After netting 15 goals in 33 outings for the U18s, including six assists, Sorensen found a ruthless streak upon his age jump.

The same is true of his international career. Sorensen played for the Under-17s and the Under-18s for Denmark but did not score. But he has two in two for the Under-21s.

The Shields Gazette quote senior manager Rafael Benitez from November, when the Spaniard claimed that the teenager was knocking on the door of the first-team after training with them.

He said: “We’re lucky to have some young players coming sometimes to help the first team. He did well. He has energy and movement.

“We’re just talking about a couple of training sessions, but you could see the lad has the effort and desire to play in the first team.

“It depends on him. The players have to knock on the door by what they do on the pitch.”

His latest test came in January. Fresh from signing a new contract with the Magpies, he was loaned to Blackpool, in League One. He has made one appearance so far, managing just 32 minutes.

Chronicle Live report that Sorensen spoke to Sean Longstaff about his move, with the midfielder having played for the Seasiders before making his breakthrough at Newcastle. He has made six Premier League appearances this season.

He said: “You see Sean getting a few games in the Premier League now and he went away to Blackpool and Kilmarnock, so a few loan spells for him worked very well.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

“I spoke to him about it and he liked it when he was here. I thought it would be a great opportunity for me as well.

“I’m excited to see what it brings. Hopefully, I can get a few games in League One and show what I’m capable of.”

If his record in the youth teams is anything to go by, Sorensen will take the third-tier by storm.

Newcastle fans should keep an eye on him. If he can reach his potential, he could well be the club’s next great No.9.

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has been handed a significant injury boost ahead of his side’s Premier League clash against Liverpool on Saturday afternoon.

What’s the story?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of the game against the Reds, the 41-year-old confirmed that the likes of Danny Ings, Matt Targett and Morgan Sanson look all set to be available for selection.

He said: “We’ve got Danny Ings back which is a real positive. People who have been coming back from injuries a few weeks back are getting fit and stronger and are pushing for places so there’s a load of positivity going around at the moment.

“Matty Targett has trained all week. He’s ready to go. Danny’s trained as well but we obviously have to be really respectful to where he’s at given the setback he had from the previous injury but he’s trained the last two sessions and has looked really strong so he’ll come back into the squad.

“We have a couple of kicks from yesterday, but we think they’re all going to pull through. Morgan Sanson wasn’t feeling too well but we’ve had good news this morning that he’ll be back in to train. Obviously, Bertrand and Leon will be missing.”

Huge injury boost for Villa

Make no mistake about it, having the trio back for the match against Liverpool later today is a significant shot in the arm for Gerrard as he looks to continue the team’s revival under his watch.

The new Villa boss has masterminded a real turnaround in form since his arrival as Dean Smith’s replacement a few weeks ago, but he will know that there is arguably no stiffer test in the Premier League than a trip to Anfield to face high-flying Liverpool.

Ings, who of course has played for the Reds himself and boasts a formidable scoring record in recent campaigns, will surely be chomping at the bit to make his mark today, while the returns of Targett and Sanson bring some more experience and quality at left-back and in midfield respectively.

Villa fans will surely be buzzing with this latest injury update from the manager as he goes back to Merseyside this afternoon.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has dropped a promising Aston Villa update…

Steven Gerrard has been consistently linked to making moves in the transfer window on many of his former players at Rangers since joining Premier League side, Aston Villa in November.

What’s the story?

Villa have suffered a devastating injury blow in their midfield with Marvelous Nakamba being sidelined for at least two months with a serious knee injury.

This will give the Villans boss a headache, as Nakamba has been a revelation under his new manager.

During Gerrard’s first game in charge against Brighton, he completed an impressive 94.2% of his passes and has consistently performed at that level all the way into his last home game at Villa Park before he got injured, completing 93% of his passes in the 2-1 victory over Leicester.

However, the Villa manager may have already identified his Nakamba replacement in a player he used to manage at Rangers.

Glen Kamara has been tearing it up at Ibrox over the last few years, playing an integral part in the SPFL Champion’s invincible season under Gerrard, with the midfielder adding two goals and two assists to the side’s success.

He has continued to be influential under his new manager, Gio van Bronckhorst, with 25 appearances, one goal and four assists for the title-challenging side from his defensive midfield role.

Gerrard has a clear vision for his Aston Villa future and will be looking to add players who fit his vision, with 90min reporting that Kamara is the prime target for the former Rangers boss.

Kamara was hailed a “special talent” by his former manager at Dundee, Neil McCann, who was full of praise for the 26-year-old in an interview with The Athletic.

There is no doubt that Kamara thrives under Gerrard’s management and coaching, so it would seem like a very easy transition for the midfielder to come to the Premier League and join his former boss at Villa Park.

The 41-year-old manager will be looking for a quick fix solution to the hole that Nakamba will leave in the midfield, especially with his aforementioned pass completion statistics that will surely be missed in builds of play coming from the middle of the pitch.

Kamara could be a great solution with his experience working under Gerrard successfully, and at a great price as the £21k-per-week earner could be reportedly available for Villa to move in with a good offer, relieving Gerrard of the worries and pressure over Nakamba’s return from injury. Based on that, it would ensure Villa start the January transfer window with a bang.

In other news: Gerrard must offload Wesley

Jack Harrison, Raphinha and Pascal Struijk stood out as star performers in Leeds United’s crucial 3-2 win away to West Ham on Sunday afternoon.

The Whites picked up an enormous Premier League victory in east London, battling their way to a priceless three points after a thrilling game.

Harrison scored a hat-trick against the Hammers on a memorable afternoon for the winger, as the visitors dug deep amid more injury problems.

We’ve delved into the numbers from statistical website Sofascore to analyse the Whites’ three best performers from those to have played at least 45 minutes of action. No prizes for guessing who one of them was, but who else stood out against the Irons?

Jack Harrison – 9.0

There was no doubting who the best player was for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, as Harrison enjoyed arguably his best game for the club.

Aside from the headline-making hat-trick, the 25-year-old also won two tackles and four ground duels and played two key passes in a superb all-round display.

That’s now four goals in his last three appearances for Harrison, who appears to be returning to his best.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

Raphinha – 7.8

Raphinha has been Leeds’ best player so far this season and he was a constant threat to West Ham’s defence today.

The Brazilian was unfortunate to see a brilliant assist chalked off for offside but he still managed to play an incredible eight key passes against the Hammers.

Not only that, but the Brazilian created two big chances and hit the woodwork with a stunning free-kick, while also pitching in defensively by winning five ground duels and one tackle.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-31/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Pascal Struijk – 7.3

Struijk has been limited to 10 league starts so far this season but he was excellent on Sunday, playing an important role in a huge win for Leeds.

The 22-year-old won all five ground duels that he contested at the London Stadium, summing up the dominant nature of his performance. The Dutchman also won five tackles and made one interception, not being dribbled past once in the whole game.

In other news, one Leeds player has been linked with a move away from Elland Road. Find out who it is here.

West Ham United have launched as many as five offers for players on transfer deadline day.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, who revealed in a recent post on The West Ham Way that the Irons have as many as five active deals on the table on the final day of the January transfer window.

In his post, the West Ham insider said: “We have five offers currently in for players and as we hear things we will let you know.”

Moyes is finally acting

Despite it being clear to everyone involved with West Ham, David Moyes included, that the Hammers were in desperate need of both a new centre-back and centre-forward this January, as the clock ticked over to 00:01 on Monday morning, the 58-year-old had yet to make a single signing over the 30 previous days of the month.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-west-ham-news” title=”Check out the latest West Ham News”]

It is undeniably good news that Moyes is finally acting in the transfer market, but if the Scot is unable to secure any of the five live deals he is working on today, West Ham’s apparent reluctance to move for any of their targets prior to the final day of the window could very easily come back to haunt the 58-year-old and his transfer team.

However, with the majority of the day still ahead, and the Hammers being linked with some very exciting players in the form of Duje Caleta-Car and Hugo Ekitike, Moyes could still have enough time to bring a number of fresh faces into the London Stadium who could improve the Irons’ first-team squad – although Monday will nevertheless be a very nervy day for West Ham fans.

In other news: ExWHUemployee drops gutting deadline day update, it’s not “what the fans want to hear”

So far this season, Everton have only won five of their 17 Premier League games, drawing four and losing eight along the way, currently placing them 15th in the table with 19 points prior to today’s fixtures.

With the January transfer window close to opening, this could give Toffees manager Rafael Benitez the opportunity to make some changes to his squad that he feels would be beneficial for the club as they aim to move up the table.

Along with looking at bringing some new players to Goodison Park next month, it could be worth Everton getting rid of some members of their current squad who Benitez may not see as adequate for him and what he wants to do at the club. One player who should be in the frame for a potential January exit from Merseyside is Fabian Delph.

With just six Premier League appearances under his belt so far this season (three starts), the midfielder’s performances in those games have earned him a rather uninspiring overall season rating of 6.33/10, making him the lowest-rated Everton player to have started more than two league games in the current campaign according to WhoScored.

As well as his disappointing performances in the league this term, the 32-year-old has also struggled with numerous injuries since arriving at Goodison Park from Manchester City in 2019, showing that he hasn’t been particularly reliable for the Toffees and is arguably stealing a living at the club.

Even though fellow Everton midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin has also struggled with injuries during his time at the club, it would be worth Benitez getting rid of Delph instead of the 26-year-old, as unlike the ex-City midfielder, the Ivorian still has the potential to make a name for himself for the Toffees given his age profile.

Also, with Gbamin earning less than the £92k-per-week wages that Delph is currently collecting, it would be better for the club’s finances to get the Englishman off their wage bill in January.

If Benitez does get rid of Delph next month – which could be very pleasing for a number of Everton fans given how the midfielder got into a social media spat with some supporters in the past – then the Spaniard will need to ensure that he brings in another midfielder to replace him, ideally one who isn’t as injury-prone and can consistently deliver better performances than the 32-year-old.

In other news: Moshiri must avoid catastrophe on £120k-p/w “monster,” Everton fans would be fuming

West Ham are interested in signing out-of-favour Liverpool centre-back Nathaniel Phillips in the January transfer window, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Phillips out of favour at Liverpool

The 24-year-old came to the fore for the Reds last season, filling in in the absence of injured trio Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez.

With Liverpool’s injury problems easing, however, Phillips has not featured at all in the Premier League in 2021/22 and has played just one minute of Champions League action.

It is hard to see where he is going to get minutes at Anfield, so a January exit could make sense despite being hailed as ‘absolutely incredible’ by Jurgen Klopp.

The Latest: West Ham linked with move

According to Football Insider, a West Ham source has claimed that the Irons are interested in snapping up the Liverpool centre-back in the winter transfer window.

He is one of a number of defensive targets for the east London club, who are ‘laying the groundwork’ for a potential move.

The Verdict: Filling the Ogbonna void

With Angelo Ogbonna possibly out for the rest of the season with a cruciate ligament injury, it is vital that a centre-back comes in, with David Moyes’ side losing their last two league games without the Italian.

Phillips could be a strong candidate to come in as a squad player, but he remains relatively untested at the top level, only starting 15 Premier League games in his career despite being 24 years of age.

With West Ham aiming to secure a top-four finish, they could do with signing someone who could make an immediate impact rather than being a backup option, but the Liverpool man could still thrive if he is called upon sporadically.

Phillips averaged an eye-catching 5.6 aerial duels per game in the league in 2020/21, with Tomas Soucek leading the way for West Ham with 3.1 this season. It might not seem like the most exciting name to be linked, but Moyes would be wise to give it some consideration.

In other news, three West Ham players struggled in the defeat to Manchester City. Find out who they are here.

Everton’s transfer window has been put on hold amid the ongoing drama with the search for the next manager becoming the priority for the club, however, with the latest injury update coming out of Finch Farm, signing a player could become an urgent priority for Farhad Moshiri and Duncan Ferguson.

What’s the word?

Everton released a statement last night about Abdoulaye Doucoure sustaining an injury during the 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa over the weekend.

The statement reads:

‘Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure sustained a groin injury in Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Aston Villa and will begin treatment under the care of the Club’s medical staff at USM Finch Farm.’

There has been no update on how long the midfielder will be out for, which leaves the question as to whether he will be available or not for Everton’s important FA Cup fourth-round tie on the 5th February against Brentford.

Time to sign Dele Alli

Everton have been linked to signing Tottenham Hotspur outcast, Dele Alli, and his lack of presence at the clash with Chelsea on Sunday evening seemingly only further suggests that the player is not in the future plans of Antonio Conte, which means a swoop for the £100k-per-week star could be an option for the Toffees.

With Doucoure injured and no clarity on his return as of yet, Moshiri should be seizing the opportunity to sign the 25-year-old who was once hailed a “machine” by Manchester United legend, Rio Ferdinand.

Alli has made 269 appearances for Spurs, scoring 67 goals and bagging 61 assists, with a goal involvement every 149 minutes he has played for the London club, a consistent output that Everton are desperate for right now, with the side scoring 11 fewer goals than they have conceded this term.

Even without the injury problems that Everton have faced this season, adding a player who can be a fresh attacking threat for the side could be exactly what they need to turn their season around and start picking up results to climb the table to escape a relegation battle in the final months of the season.

Moshiri is interviewing another manager today with Vitor Pereira reportedly flying into Merseyside to discuss the potential of becoming the new Everton manager, so with that priority soon to be resolved, the board must remain conscious that there is only a week left to go to sign players in the January transfer window to see out the rest of the Premier League season.

Either way, if Ferguson remains in charge for the foreseeable future, the Toffees hierarchy will need to hand him a better squad and in Dele, the interim boss could find his perfect man.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano reveals new update in manager search

Aston Villa could have Marvelous Nakamba back in a matchday squad for the first time since December today, with the Zimbabwe midfielder back from a knee injury which has ruled him out for nearly four months.

The Villans host Tottenham Hotspur in the late kick-off and will look to return to the top half of the table with a victory.

Villa manager Steven Gerrard confirmed that the 28-year-old is in contention to feature today after playing for the under-23s last Friday, saying: “He has played for the under-23s. So you couldn’t rule out the possibility of him making the matchday squad soon. If not for the Tottenham game, then he’s certainly going to be available for that Leicester fixture.

“But he has an outside chance of being involved in the matchday squad this weekend, although it wouldn’t be a start.”

Although there are doubts regarding Nakamba’s fitness, Gerrard should definitely consider reintroducing the Zimbabwean back into his team if possible.

On the chalkboard

It’s fair to say that the Villans have endured an inconsistent campaign in 2021/22, although a top-half finish is still very achievable.

Therefore, the final eight Premier League games of the season should be taken seriously, with this stage of a campaign sometimes seen by players as an opportunity to take their foot off the gas when there seems little to play for other than pride.

Having as many players fit and available as possible will certainly be vital to ensure a strong conclusion to the season, and Nakamba’s return will be incredibly welcome.

In the 28-year-old’s absence, the regular midfield trio of John McGinn, Douglas Luiz and Jacob Ramsey has borne fruit on occasion, but there is a lack of competition in the middle of the park.

After Nakamba and those three, Morgan Sanson is the only other senior central midfielder in the squad, with 18-year-old Carney Chukwuemeka being slowly integrated into the first team. The Frenchman has disappointed this term and could well depart in the summer, with Nantes reportedly interested in him.

Moreover, Luiz was poor against Wolves last week, with SofaScore handing the Brazilian a 6.4/10 match rating.

Although the Zimbabwean – who has previously been described as “outstanding” by former Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor – may not start every game until the end of the season, his presence should certainly encourage the other midfielders to remain consistent in order to avoid losing their place in the team.

Prior to his injury, Nakamba had started all of Gerrard’s first five games in charge and certainly has an admirer in the 41-year-old, who was a world-class midfielder as a player.

His is a timely return, even if it is to be from the bench this evening as the manager has hinted, and Aston Villa should certainly benefit from having the £34k-per-week midfielder back in action as they look to secure a first top-half Premier League finish in 11 years.

In other news: Aston Villa’s “crazy” £22.5m-rated talent could now leave, fans will surely be fuming

Aston Villa are reportedly in the hunt to sign Inter Milan defender Stefan de Vrij this summer with manager Steven Gerrard keen to improve his defensive options.

What’s the story?

According to Football Insider, Villa are keeping tabs on the Dutch defender with Gerrard looking to sign an A-list centre-back this summer.

The report also states that the defender was valued at around £40m in January with the 30-year-old’s current deal at the San Siro expiring in 2023.

The West Midland club’s Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur are also reportedly interested in bringing de Vrij to England this summer with manager Antonio Conte in charge when Inter won the Serie A title last season, with the Dutchman a key contributor to their success.

In fact, the Italian coach once exclaimed that the defender was “like Bonucci.”

Aston Villa must swoop for de Vrij

Valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt despite having just over a year left on his contract, de Vrij certainly won’t come cheap for whoever lands the defender’s signature.

However, it’s no secret that Aston Villa have ambitious plans for the upcoming transfer window, particularly after being able to lure a player of Philippe Coutinho’s pedigree to Villa Park in January, albeit on loan.

The Villans are on course for their first top-half finish in the top-flight for 11 years which will lay decent foundations for Gerrard after the Englishman’s first season in charge of the West Midlands side, having joined from Rangers in November.

Naturally, the next step will be to consolidate that place and push for European qualification. The signing of de Vrij would undoubtedly be a serious statement of intent.

The 30-year-old defender has spent almost eight years in Italy having joined Lazio from Feyenoord in 2014, where he was dubbed a “monster” by teammate Mauricio, before making the move to Inter Milan in 2018 on a free transfer.

Although, this isn’t the first time a Premier League club has been linked with a swoop for the 55-cap Netherlands international.

As well as his impressive international experience, de Vrij boasts impressive experience at club level too, winning the Scudetto last season whilst racking up 46 appearances in European competition as well as 347 in top-flight league football across the Eredivisie and Serie A.

Compared to Aston Villa’s current centre-backs, the 30-year-old is a major step up in quality and calibre.

Although Tyrone Mings has established himself as a regular in England manager Gareth Southgate’s squads, the 29-year-old has only found regular game time in the Premier League whilst being at Villa during the past three seasons.

As for the likes of Ezri Konsa, Calum Chambers and Kourtney Hause, none are current internationals whilst Chambers’ experience of playing in Europe and winning the FA Cup and Community Shield is as experienced as any of Villa’s current defenders get.

Moreover, according to SofaScore, De Vrij wins the majority of both his aerial and ground duels, has a 92% pass completion rate, only loses the ball 4.8 times per match whilst having 62.5 touches on average per Serie A game, also making at least one tackle and interception per game.

Contrastingly, Aston Villa’s best defender statistically, Tyrone Mings, averages 58.5 touches per league game whilst completing 80% of his passes, losing possession 10.4 times per game on average.

The Englishman does manage to make at least one interception per game but is currently averaging 0.6 tackles.

It’s clearly evident that the signing of de Vrij would seriously improve Gerrard’s squad, the main issue will be convincing the Dutchman to swap the San Siro for Villa Park.

In other news: Imagine him & Coutinho: Gerrard must now unleash Villa maestro who “can do anything”