All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Chelsea’s woeful form under Graham Potter continued on Sunday afternoon as they fell to a 2-0 defeat away against Tottenham Hotspur.

After a goalless first half, Oliver Skipp smashed the home side in front just a minute into the second 45, before Harry Kane made the points safe late on after poor defending from a corner.

The result leaves Potter’s side languishing in 10th position in the Premier League, with the pressure only likely to increase on the former Brighton boss as he continues to struggle to find his best formula, despite the millions spent on new acquisitions in January.

Despite bringing in a plethora of new wingers, Potter opted to start wantaway wide man Hakim Ziyech against Spurs, and will surely regret doing so after a shocking display.

Was Hakim Ziyech Chelsea’s worst player vs Spurs?

As per SofaScore, Ziyech would earn an abysmal 6.1/10 rating for his performance against the Lilywhites, with only Joao Felix (6.0) rated lower of any player to feature in the game.

During his time on the pitch, the Morocco international would register just 31 touches and 15 passes, which was fewer than the 17 passes managed by goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, which emphasises just how little he was involved at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The 29-year-old, who earns £100k per week at Stamford Bridge, was also fortunate to stay on the pitch, as his red card was switched to yellow after he pushed Emerson Royal and caught him in the face, with the Sky Sports commentators admitting during their coverage that he was “lucky” not to receive his marching orders.

The former Ajax man’s rare touches failed to produce anything of note, as he registered no shots on target, no key passes and no successful crosses during his time on the pitch, while he also lost 75% of his duels in the game, suggesting that the Spurs players were well on top.

Although Ziyech has been poor all season, averaging a 6.58 rating from WhoScored for his performances in the Premier League, he has averaged 0.8 key passes and 20.2 passes per game in the top flight, which suggests that he was especially bad on Sunday.

It was no surprise, therefore, that Potter opted to take the winger off just after the hour mark, with replacement Denis Zakaria managing more passes despite being on the pitch for around half as long.

Manchester United suffered their biggest loss since Boxing Day 1931 on Sunday and the largest-ever margin of defeat in a game between the Red Devils and Liverpool as they were on the end of a 7-0 battering at Anfield.

The form book was torn apart as Erik ten Hag’s previously resurgent side had won the Carabao Cup just a week earlier.

United were certainly the favourites for the clash last weekend but turned out what felt like the worst display of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

There have been plenty of lows since the Scot departed Old Trafford but this was perhaps the nadir of life after the great trophy winner.

There were several poor performers on the night but Bruno Fernandes was undoubtedly the worst of the lot, with Gary Neville calling his behaviour a “disgrace”.

The Sky Sports pundit wasn’t the only one who got stuck into the Portuguese with several fans lamenting his horrendous attitude. Indeed, footage during the game appeared to show the United skipper completely giving up at one stage down the right-hand side of the pitch.

Seeing the clip on Twitter, several members of the footballing community had their say. Check out the video and the best of the reaction below…

Transfer expert Steve Kay says Arsenal would ‘prefer’ to sign Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi over Brighton & Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo this summer.

The Lowdown: Arsenal in ‘pole position’

It has been reported that Arsenal are in ‘pole position’ to sign Zubimendi this summer, after missing out on him in the January transfer window.

They were reportedly willing to pay his £52.5m release clause, but he did not want to leave Sociedad midway through the season.

The Gunners also had two bids rejected for Caicedo in January, the second thought to be worth £70m, while West Ham United’s Declan Rice has been linked with an £100m move to the Emirates Stadium this summer.

The Latest: Zubimendi over Caicedo

Taking to Twitter, Kay says that Mikel Arteta’s side would ‘prefer’ to sign Zubimendi over Caicedo alongside Rice this summer:

“Arsenal would prefer to sign Martin #Zubimendi over Moises Caicedo in the upcoming summer window alongside midfielder Declan Rice.

“#AFC tried to sign the Sociedad player in January before #Caicedo but he wanted to keep loyal to the Spanish club until the end of the season.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

Caicedo may be unattainable this summer, having just signed a new contract that could keep him at Brighton until 2027.

Thus, Zubimendi would be a perfect alternative to help bolster up Arsenal’s midfield alongside top target Rice.

Lauded as a ‘special‘ midfielder by journalist Sid Lowe, who compares him to midfield legend Xabi Alonso, the Spaniard has also been labelled as the ‘new Sergio Busquets‘ in comparison to Barcelona’s midfield dynamo.

Compared with all midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues over the last year, Zubimendi ranks in the 91st percentile for aerials won per match, as well as in the 86th for clearances and 72nd for interceptions (FBRef), showing how effective he can be defensively, and under a former Spanish midfielder in Arteta, the 24-year-old could really blossom into one of the best.

Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha ahead of a potential summer transfer, according to a report.

The Lowdown: Bentancur injured

With Rodrigo Bentancur not expected to return until November at the earliest due to an ACL injury, Tottenham will need to look at bolstering their options in the engine room during the summer transfer window.

Bristol City youngster Alex Scott has been named as a potential target for the Spurs recruitment team, while Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse is also being considered, given that the Saints are resigned to losing him if they get relegated.

The Latest: Palhinha monitored

As per a report from The Sun, Tottenham are monitoring Palhinha for a potential summer move, but it will not be an easy transfer to complete, as a result of the level of interest in the midfielder.

Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea are just some of the clubs also said to be eyeing a move for the Fulham ace, while his current club are determined to hold onto one of their key players, who could now be valued at around £40m.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-4/” title=”Tottenham latest news” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cropped-tottenham-fans.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Get it done?

Lauded as a ‘beautiful footballer’ who’s ‘very composed in possession’ by journalist Josh Bunting, the 27-year-old has been a vital player for Fulham so far this season, ranked by Sofascore as the Cottagers’ best-performing midfielder in the Premier League.

While Bunting highlights that he is comfortable on the ball, the Portugal international’s most remarkable trait is his ability to win possession back, making more tackles than any other player in the Premier League this season, ranking in the 99th percentile over the past year.

Palhinha has proven that he is ready to make the step up to a team of Tottenham’s level, and Antonio Conte should make him a priority target in the summer transfer window.

It is being reported by French news outlet L’Equipe that Arsenal central defender William Saliba will be out injured for ‘several weeks’.

The Lowdown: Conflicting reports

It was reported on Friday afternoon that Saliba is ‘not ruled out’ for Arsenal as they play Crystal Palace at home in the Premier League, after having to come off early in the first half of their 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium against Sporting in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night with a back injury.

Football.london have also since reported that Saliba is still in the squad to face the Eagles, although he is thought to be a ‘major doubt’.

The Latest: Out for ‘several weeks’

L’Equipe reported on Saturday evening that Saliba now faces ‘several weeks’ out with injury, and will subsequently miss both games for France against the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland coming up in the next international break.

This would also imply that he is ruled out for the match against Palace, contrary to reports that he could still feature.

The Verdict: Big blow

It is certainly a big blow for Mikel Arteta and his team to lose Saliba for this afternoon’s clash, as the Gunners aim to get another three points on the board in the Premier League, and give them an eight-point cushion over title challengers Manchester City going into the international break.

The France international has been such a key player in Arsenal’s Premier League title charge this term, with only his centre-half partner Gabriel in the squad winning more aerial duels than him per game, while he also averages more passes per match than any of his team-mates, and has played in every fixture so far under Arteta (WhoScored).

It will now be interesting to see who the Spaniard partners up with Gabriel at centre-back in the absence of Saliba, with Rob Holding the likeliest candidate after he came on for the 21-year-old against Sporting on Thursday night.

Arteta could also call upon January signing Jakub Kiwior, although it is unclear whether he would be willing to play two left-footed central defenders together with Gabriel making up the partnership.

Nonetheless, disrupting Saliba and Gabriel’s partnership is a huge blow heading into the clash, and will certainly give Palace supporters more encouragement, as they look for an immediate reaction following the dismissal of their manager and Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira earlier on in the week.

Tottenham Hotspur sporting director Fabio Paratici could soon pack his bags and follow Antonio Conte out the door, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Paratici future questioned…

The Spurs managing director has been linked with a possible departure in recent months and his future could be uncertain after his 30-month ban from Italian football.

The ban was imposed by the FIGC after Juventus’ latest financial scandal, where the Federal Court of Appeal also handed the Serie A giants a mammoth 15-point deduction.

Paratici and 11 other current and former Juve directors were handed domestic bans and this could well spread worldwide, thereby affecting his position as Tottenham’s transfer chief.

Spurs apparently fear his ban could extend to England if the Italian Football Federation refuse to overturn his punishment on appeal, with April 19 being a key date.

The Premier League top four hopefuls, according to a new report, seriously face the prospect of losing both Conte and Paratici soon.

The Latest: Paratici could leave Spurs with Conte…

According to Calciomercato, an Italian news website, Conte’s future is ‘intertwined’ with that of Paratici, and the latter man ‘risks paying’ the price for bringing the former Chelsea head coach to Tottenham.

It was apparently Paratici who persuaded chairman Daniel Levy to appoint Conte and the 50-year-old could pack his bags alongside him.

Calcio add that Tottenham are preparing the next ‘revolution’ with Paratici potentially heading towards a ‘farewell’.

The Verdict: Crunch few weeks…

As aforementioned, Spurs supporters will be keeping an eye on the calendar as April 19 will be another crucial day in determining their club’s future.

It is the date Paratici will find out his sentence via the FIGC and whether his appeal either sticks or gets thrown out by the Italian court.

If his ban does extend to England, Levy will need to get working on finding a successor for the former Juve chief, who has been described as an ‘incredible worker’.

One of the men linked with Paratici’s post, should he vacate, is Benfica talent-spotter Rui Pedro Braz. Reports have claimed that Tottenham like the 44-year-old, who has amassed quite a reputation in Portugal for spotting and scouting world football’s most promising talents.

Pedro Braz most recently played a major role in helping to sell midfielder Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea for a British record £106 million fee.

The west Londoners were also interested in Pedro Braz as a club chief before they ultimately moved for Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley as their new directors.

West Ham United captain Declan Rice has called Vladimir Coufal a "warrior" after the defender shared an "emotional" post about his son.

What's the latest on Vladimir Coufal and West Ham?

With the Premier League put on pause for a while as the international break takes place, the two Irons have been away representing their countries.

Indeed, while Rice got his name on the scoresheet as England beat Italy 2-1 in Naples, Coufal started as Czechia beat Poland 3-1 in their first qualifying match for Euro 2024.

Ahead of the game, the right-back walked onto the pitch with his young son, and it seems as though that was an extremely moving moment for the £35,000-per-week star.

Indeed, he took to Instagram after the game to explain: "I played a lot of games, reached a lot of victories, suffered many losses, but this was absolutely the most emotional experience in my career so far. Thank you, my son. I love you. Hopefully, you will lead your son on the pitch as well once."

Will West Ham get relegated?

After sharing the message, Rice was quick to offer his support online as he responded with the word "warrior" directly below Coufal's Instagram post.

The 30-year-old right-back has been in and out of the east London team this season but has still managed to start 16 league games and has made a total of 26 appearances in all competitions.

It will be nice for West Ham fans to see this interaction as they need their team fully unified as we enter the final stages of the season with the club facing the threat of relegation.

Indeed, the Hammers sit inside the bottom three, occupying 18th place with just 12 games to save themselves. Fortunately, they have played fewer games than the teams around them but still remain one point from safety.

Worryingly, there have been reports in the media (via The Guardian) that some players are unhappy with the tactical approach of David Moyes – noting a frustration at his cautious playing style – but while he remains in charge, they will just have to accept it and work together to avoid the drop.

And so, as mentioned before, Rice's show of support on Coufal's post is a nice reminder that behind the scenes, there is still a strong sense of unity between the players. They'll certainly need that in the coming months.

Journalist Dean Jones has claimed that West Ham United manager David Moyes "has almost zero chance" of remaining beyond the end of the season.

What's the latest on West Ham manager David Moyes?

It's been a bad season for the Hammers so far in the Premier League and they consequently find themselves at risk of being relegated.

Indeed, they currently sit inside the bottom three and will be desperate to pick up a win against Southampton this weekend, with the Saints at the very foot of the table but just one point behind the Hammers.

As a result of this poor form domestically, Moyes' position as manager has felt under threat for some time. For instance, back in February, The Times reported that he would be sacked if they lost at home to Nottingham Forest.

In the end, they won that game 4-0 but then lost to Brighton & Hove Albion by the same margin before drawing 1-1 with Aston Villa in their most recent league match.

And so, while speaking on the latest episode of Chasing Green Arrows, Jones has claimed that Moyes must once more win this weekend to keep his job.

He added, however, that the manager will leave at the end of the reason regardless, explaining (57:55): "West Ham, really up against it and David Moyes very much against it.

"If West Ham lose this weekend, David Moyes is very likely to lose his job and he has almost zero chance of being West Ham manager beyond this season.

"They're just trying to figure out what to do next."

When will Moyes be sacked by West Ham?

Seeing as a defeat against the Saints would potentially see West Ham drop to 20th in the table – if Bournemouth were to also win – with just 11 games to save their season, it's not hard to see why Moyes would be sacked.

And while he has been able to enjoy some good times with the club in past season – taking the club to the Europa League semi-final last term – things have soured badly this term.

This has been fairly evident for some time now. Indeed, Moyes was booed before the new year when West Ham lost 2-0 at home to London rivals Brentford.

To make things worse, The Guardian have even reported that some West Ham players have grown weary of his tactics. And so, if the 59-year-old has lost the dressing room – even if he can keep them up – it will surely be the right time for a clean break this summer.

After all, the club's board will no doubt be hoping for a fresh start next term and won't want to carry any lingering issues from this current season into the next.

Everton have made contact to enquire about a deal to bring Juventus defender Federico Gatti to Goodison Park, according to reports.

What's the latest on Gatti to Everton?

Sean Dyche already has six centre-back options at his disposal, but Yerry Mina and loanee Conor Coady will both be out of contract at the end of the season, so replacements of some form will likely be needed in that department.

Italy international Gatti arrived at the Allianz Stadium back in January 2022, but has only made 15 appearances under Massimiliano Allegri and is significantly out of favour. Therefore, he could be looking for a move elsewhere during the upcoming window.

It had recently been reported that the Toffees and Premier League rivals West Ham United were both contemplating making an offer for the 24-year-old, who is valued at €30m (£26m) by Juventus, and it sounds like the Everton hierarchy have taken the next official step towards completing a deal.

According to Tutto Juve (via Sport Witness), Everton have now “asked for information” on Gatti to discover his availability ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. However, Juventus have “no intention” of letting the centre-back leave as it stands, and it’s stated that it would take an “indecent proposal” to even make them consider a change of heart. The Old Lady would indeed require the aforementioned £26m to sanction his sale, but it’s claimed that the Merseyside outfit may only “offer around €10m”, which is a figure that they would be highly unlikely to sell for.

Should Everton splash the cash on Gatti?

Everton won’t yet know their summer budget as that’s all really dependent on whether they are able to maintain their Premier League status, but should they be able to afford him, Gatti has to be a player that they target to shore up the backline.

Standing at 6 foot 5, the defender clearly adds a strong physical presence to the heart of the defence and currently averages 3.4 clearances and 1.8 aerial wins per league game, as per WhoScored.

The Adidas-sponsored star can also be a threat at the opposite end of the pitch having posted 11 goal contributions (nine goals and two assists) in 108 career appearances which is an impressive return for a player that operates in his position. Meanwhile, with Champions League experience also under his belt, we think he would be the perfect fit to put pen to paper at Goodison Park.

Manchester United are in pole position to bring AS Monaco defender Axel Disasi to the Premier League, according to reports.

What's the latest on Disasi to Man United?

Football Insider recently reported that Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof will both be put up for sale in the summer, and with Phil Jones also out of contract at the end of the season, Erik Ten Hag will be in the market for central reinforcements. The Frenchman’s contract at the Louis II Stadium isn’t set to expire for another two years, but having featured in all 31 Ligue 1 games this season, his impressive performances under Philippe Clement have caught the attention of the hierarchy at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils are reportedly very interested in securing the services of the 25-year-old during the upcoming window, with transfer insider Dean Jones recently revealing that “initial conversations” regarding a deal have been “positive”.

Now, according to Football Insider, Manchester United “lead the race” to sign Disasi ahead of the 2023/24 term. Manchester City and Chelsea are the two other potential suitors to have “registered an interest”, but it’s Ten Hag’s side who are the “favourites” ahead of their competitors.

The M16 outfit have “sent multiple scouts” to watch the centre-back in action this season and it’s stated that club chiefs have returned with “positive reports”. The recruitment department see him as a “star with huge potential” and he has therefore become the “first-choice defensive target” for the summer.

Would Disasi be a good signing for Man United?

Standing at 6 foot 3, Disasi has been hailed a “dominant” centre-back thanks to his physical presence by talent scout Jacek Kulig and he would certainly be an excellent addition to sure up the backline at United.

The Gonesse native is currently averaging 3.1 clearances and 2.6 aerial wins per league game, via WhoScored, which shows his strength in steering the ball away from danger, but he’s also commanding with the ball at his feet. The £18k-per-week colossus ranks in the 96th percentile amongst centre-backs for progressive passes, highlighting his calmness and composure in playing out from the back, and he is cool in the tackle too, having won 18 tackles from 26 players challenged this season (FBRef).

Additionally, Disasi has the ability to pose a real threat in the final third having posted ten goal contributions (six goals and four assists) across all competitions this term, which are fantastic numbers for a central defender, making this deal even more of a no-brainer to complete.