All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

West Bromwich Albion are in talks with Galatasaray over a permanent move for striker Mbaye Diagne, according to Turkish outlet Ajansspor.

The Baggies have apparently made a €5m (£4.2m) offer for the 29-year-old, but that falls short of the Super Lig outfit’s €7m (£5.9m) valuation.

Ahead of their return to the Championship, Valerien Ismael’s side have Callum Robinson, Kenneth Zohore and Karlan Grant available as centre-forward options.

How did Diagne fare at West Brom?

The Baggies signed Diagne late in the January transfer window, hoping that his goals could help propel them to safety. However, he only managed to score three times in his 16 appearances, significantly under-performing on his xG tally of 6.79 (via Infogol).

He missed 11 big chances in total, seven more than any of his West Brom team-mates – Robinson was second with four – and despite only playing half the season in England, the Senegalese frontman finished in the league’s top 10 for offsides with 17.

Fan feed WBA Report relayed Ajansspor’s claims, and here’s how these Baggies fans reacted, with many not keen on a Hawthorns return for Diagne.

These West Brom fans opposed to permanent Diagne signing

“Not sure I’m that bothered tbh, wasn’t that impressed.”

Credit: @Baggiejohn1

“I would prefer we look elsewhere. Offside lots and finishing poor”

Credit: @PORTZD2

“Not fussed on this one. Caught offside too many times and missed too many sitters. Offside rules and size of goals stay the same in Championship.”

Credit: @JohnTheBagtist

“He had good games but not good enough in my opinion. Too many times caught offside and his finishing was terrible to say the least”

Credit: @1toowatch

“Please god no”

Credit: @JamieWhitehou18

“God no, keep him in Turkey”

Credit: @BaggiesTom1

In other news, West Brom are set to face competition for this Premier League ace.

Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur are in the final race to sign Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie in January, AS report.

The Lowdown: McKennie profiled

McKennie, who actually has the same agent as Whites midfielder Adam Forshaw, can play as a central, defensive or right midfielder.

The 23-year-old has 28 caps for the United States and has made 65 appearances for Juventus – 19 of which have come during the current campaign.

He cost Juventus £18.45m from Schalke following a successful loan spell, but it seems as if he could be on the way out of Turin.

The Sun shared a story on the weekend linking Leeds with a £20m move for McKennie, labelled as a ‘rock’ by Andrea Pirlo, and AS have now weighed in with an update.

The Latest: AS report

AS mentioned The Sun’s report and led with a title suggesting Leeds have joined the final race for the USA international.

The report also name-checks Spurs with an interest and add that Marcelo Bielsa believes McKennie could help turn things around at Elland Road, with the Whites aware of his strained relationship with the Italian giants.

The Verdict: No-brainer

Leeds are in desperate need of midfield reinforcements in January, with Kalvin Phillips and Jamie Shackleton, two of their four midfield options, injured at this moment in time.

So, making a move for McKennie, who is admired by both Bielsa and Antonio Conte, could be a shrewd move both in the short and long term. He’d offer Bielsa a versatile midfield option for the second half of the season and can be viewed as a long-term signing as he is still just 23 years of age.

McKennie also has experience in the Champions League, with owner Andrea Radrizzani keen to bring European football to Elland Road in the next three years. They have to remain in the Premier League this season to have any chance of that, though, and McKennie could well help them do just that.

In other news: ‘Superb’ injured Leeds defender back in training as Bielsa now gets positive Thorp Arch update. 

Liverpool are ‘convinced’ that they should make a move for Benfica striker Darwin Nunez following his performance against them in the Champions League.

The Lowdown: Nunez impresses against Reds

The Reds picked up an impressive 3-1 win away to the Portuguese giants on Tuesday evening, as they made themselves strong favourites to reach the semi-finals.

Despite Liverpool’s dominance, Nunez looked a constant threat for Benfica and he pounced on an error from Ibrahima Konate to make it 2-1 on the night. The Uruguayan forward won four aerial duels and completed two key passes and four dribbles to go with his goal (Whoscored).

A big-money exit could be on the cards for the 22-year-old this summer and it looks as though Jurgen Klopp is now eyeing up a move for him.

The Latest: Transfer claim emerges

According to Record [via Sport Witness], Nunez impressed ‘those in charge and even players’ at Liverpool after his impact against them at the Estadio da Luz.

The Reds are ‘convinced’ about his ability and it is claimed that Mohamed Salah lauded the Uruguayan in a conversation with Benfica midfielder Adel Taarabt.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-27/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Does Klopp need him?

While Nunez looks like a player of immense promise – Jorge Jesus has said he could become the ‘best in the world’ one day – Liverpool don’t need him currently.

They have a plethora of attacking options and the likes of Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino can all excel in his preferred central role.

Should Nunez stay put at Benfica for another year, he could be a perfect signing at the end of next season, however, at which point one of Mane or Firmino will likely be moving on, with their contracts expiring at that point.

In other news, a triple Liverpool transfer claim has emerged. Read more here.

Manchester United appear to have moved a step closer towards securing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s successor after it was revealed Brendan Rodgers is searching for a new home in the North West.

What’s the story?

According to The Sun, Leicester City’s highly-regarded tactician is the top choice to replace Solskjaer in the Old Trafford dugout and is now making preparations ahead of his potential appointment.

The report states that: “BRENDAN RODGERS moved a step closer to the Manchester United manager’s job by going house-hunting in Cheshire.

“Leicester’s boss — United’s No 1 choice to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer — is looking for a new family home in football’s jet-set areas of Wilmslow and Alderley Edge.”

Man Utd fans will be excited

Solskjaer has been coming under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks after overseeing a shocking start to the campaign in the red half of Manchester.

Humiliating defeats to the likes of Young Boys, Liverpool and Manchester City have led to the spotlight being shone on the Norwegian, with several outstanding candidates being linked with replacing him.

And now it seems as though the United chiefs have chosen their preferred option, although similar reports suggest Zinedine Zidane is also firmly in the running.

Rodgers has established himself as one of the most exciting and promising young managers in the Premier League since joining the Foxes in February 2019, though.

In 129 matches in charge at the King Power Stadium, the 48-year-old has averaged 1.77 points per game, consecutive fifth-place finishes as well as winning the FA Cup and Community Shield.

His impressive work in the Midlands comes off the back of two-and-a-half years worth of outstanding success in Scottish football with Celtic, where he claimed seven major trophies and took the Hoops back to the Champions League.

Therefore, a large section of United fans are likely to be excited about Rodgers’ prospective arrival, despite his previous ties with fierce rivals Liverpool.

Solskjaer has made significant progress both on and off the pitch during his time at United, but the Norwegian has arguably reached his ceiling with the club, and Rodgers could be the ideal option to build on the foundations that he’s laid.

And, in other news…“In the last few hours..” – Journo drops big MUFC manager update, fans surely buzzing 

According to Football League World ‘sources’ out of Tottenham Hotspur, a promising transfer update has now come out of N17 involving West Bromwich Albion keeper Sam Johnstone.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye new goalkeeping addition?

Lilywhites manager Antonio Conte has transformed the club on-field since his appointment, propelling Tottenham into top-four contention and reigniting faith in supporters.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-newest-updates/” title=”Tottenham newest updates…” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Winning six out of their last seven Premier League matches, the disastrous tenure of ex-boss Nuno Espirito Santo seems like a distant memory, with sights now firmly set on how Spurs could improve further in the summer market.

Loanee and Atalanta goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini looks set return to his parent club with Tottenham now having to take to the transfer window in search of a Hugo Lloris understudy.

The Latest: Tottenham confident of sealing Johnstone deal…

According to FLW, ‘sources’ have explained that Spurs are confident of sealing a move for out-of-contract ace Johnstone.

Indeed, according to the report, Tottenham are convinced the 29-year-old will choose to join them this summer as they believe they’ve entered pole position.

The Verdict: Promising update…

As explained previously by pundit and former Premier League shot stopper Paddy Kenny, Johnstone would be a ‘top signing’ for Spurs and a ‘big loss’ for West Brom (Football Insider).

He’s already earned himself caps for England with Sam Allardyce having waxed lyrical over his performances in the top flight last campaign.

Bypassing any fee and snapping him up on a Bosman would kill so many birds with one stone – the biggest ones being their homegrown quota and lack of depth behind Lloris.

Indeed, this move really does seem like a no-brainer.

In other news: Tottenham officials sent to club as Paratici eyes ‘imperious’ ex-Man City man for Conte! Find out more here.

West Bromwich Albion have been handed a double injury boost ahead of Friday night’s Championship clash at The Hawthorns.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the Express & Star, Valerien Ismael revealed that both Alex Mowatt and Matt Clarke are in contention to start the fixture against Birmingham City tonight.

The midfielder has recovered a foot injury picked up in the 1-0 defeat to Stoke City before the international break, while the defender has missed Albion’s last seven fixtures with a hamstring injury.

Regrading Mowatt’s injury, Ismael said: “For us it’s good news – it’s a relief for us that it’s not broken. It’s good for us that he has trained these last two days with the squad and he’s back in the squad. Normally, as long as something doesn’t happen and change overnight, he’ll be okay for the game.”

Regarding Clarke’s recovery, the Frenchman added: “He’s back in training, back in the squad and trained very well. Now we need to manage him through these games.

“The Championship is ruthless. We play every three days, so we must learn from the first block with him and what happened to make sure that he can come through the games without another issue.

“He is fine, he is available, he trained well. We’re happy he’s back in the squad, but we need to find the balance and to manage him now. He’s very motivated, he wants to play, but we learn from the first block.”

Big double boost

Considering just how impressive both Mowatt and Clarke have been for West Brom since joining the club this summer, the news that the duo are available for the derby against Birmingham is sure to have Baggies fans buzzing.

Indeed, over his 11 Championship appearances this season, the £6.3m-rated Mowatt has scored three goals, provided one assist and has created two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking 1.1 shots and making 1.5 key passes per match.

The central midfielder has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making 1.9 interceptions, two tackles and 0.7 clearances and winning 5.5 duels per game. These returns have seen the £6.5k-per-week man average a SofaScore match rating of 7.21, ranking him as West Brom’s second best performer in the Championship so far.

Meanwhile, over his three league fixtures for Albion, the £2.7m-rated Clarke has made 2.3 interceptions, one tackle and 2.7 clearances per game and has won 7.3 duels per match.

These metrics have seen the centre-back earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as the Baggies’ joint eighth-best performer in the league.

As such, the return of both players will undoubtedly increase Ismael’s chances of securing a positive result against Birmingham, something the Frenchman will be desperately seeking following his side’s first league defeat of the season against Stoke City last time out.

In other news: Ismael must unleash “quality” £21k-p/w beast vs Blues, he’s what West Brom are missing

Some Liverpool supporters are fuming at the news that Takumi Minamino has picked up an injury while on international duty with Japan.

The Reds were decimated by injury problems last season, playing a major part in them struggling to even qualify for the Champions League.

The hope is that the 2021/22 campaign is better in that respect, although the early signs aren’t necessarily promising.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

Liverpool were without Andy Robertson for the early weeks of the season and Roberto Firmino is currently absent, but another fresh problem has now emerged.

As reported LFC Transfer Room on Twitter, Minamino will return to Merseyside prematurely after getting injured on Japan duty.

The severity of the problem isn’t mentioned, but it is clearly a worrying update, especially as the Reds didn’t bring in attacking reinforcements during the summer transfer window.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-2/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

Liverpool fans bemoan Minamino injury

For that reason, these Liverpool fans took to Twitter to show their anger at the news.

“Thank god we got an attacker during the window!”

Credit: @lfcpxt

“It begins”

Credit: @TheFMProc

“And it’s started. We deserve it for being so naive in the market”

Credit: @KopTalk28

“It’s the CB problem last season but with attackers, I’m not ready for this”

Credit: @kopite4ever1

“Hope you’re happy Klopp”

Credit: @Ayoxee7

“Nightmare continues”

Credit: @TuahaSohail

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly keen on signing a Premier League midfielder next summer. Read more here.

Fresh from a thumping 5-0 win over Morecambe on Tuesday, Sunderland welcome Plymouth Argyle to the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon looking to extend their unbeaten run in League One to six matches.

The Black Cats are just two points off of the League One automatic promotion places in fourth, albeit that Wigan have a game in hand, and a victory over Argyle could see Lee Johnson’s side climb into the top two.

On the chalkboard

Just a matter of days on since the thrashing of Morecambe, Johnson will be craving a performance of similar magnitude today against a side one place below and two points behind the Black Cats. Argyle will also be under new management in Steven Schumacher after Ryan Lowe departed for Preston North End in the week.

The Wearside club have an array of youngsters amongst their ranks this season, but one who has particularly stood out of late is Nathan Broadhead.

The striker netted a brace against the Shrimps on Tuesday having scored his first league goal for the club two weeks ago away at Cambridge United. As well as the goals against Morecambe, the Everton loanee scored with 67% of his shots, as well as completing 75% of his passes and making 41 touches. Simply put, he was excellent.

It’s no secret that the start of the campaign didn’t go to plan for the 23-year-old, who has been limited to just ten league appearances so far this season. Five of those have come in the last five games, highlighting his rising value within Johnson’s squad.

The Black Cats manager labelled the Welshman “flexible”, as well as stating that “he’s a really good finisher”.

Despite being a centre-forward, Broadhead was deployed on the left-hand side of a front three in a 3-4-3 formation on Tuesday, which could be the 23-year-old’s pathway into a regular starting spot.

Ross Stewart is currently the club’s top scorer with 11 goals in 20 league appearances this term, suggesting that the flexibility highlighted by Johnson will be a crucial trait if the Everton loanee is to put together a run of games.

We published a piece on this site in recent days staking the case for Leon Dajaku to also start against Argyle, yet the biggest threat from the left flank could come from Broadhead.

With a hectic run of fixtures coming up for the Black Cats which will be crucial for their promotion push, the 23-year-old could be a crucial asset and should be relied upon to build on his recent goalscoring form.

In other news – Big relief: Sunderland handed major injury boost which will surely have Johnson buzzing

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa faces an anxious wait over Pascal Struijk after the versatile midfielder’s recent injury against Crystal Palace.

What’s the story?

The Dutchman has been a virtual ever-present for Bielsa’s side this season in the Premier League, making 12 appearances in the competition, but was forced off at half-time in the 1-0 victory over Palace at Elland Road.

And, as relayed by journalist Ben Dinnery on Twitter, Bielsa said after the game: “Yes it’s the same (injury). All of us value that he played with a physical limitation that he played with, that’s very generous and shows how important a teammate he is to all of us.”

Bielsa will be worried

With the number of injuries that Leeds have faced across the park this season, it’s been no surprise to see Struijk’s versatility really come to the fore, doing stints in holding midfield, centre-back and even at left-back too.

And, after a particularly impressive display against Manchester United last season, former Leeds man Noel Whelan waxed lyrical about the young starlet.

He said: “I thought he was phenomenal at the back. I can’t tell you how impressed I am with this kid. He went through a stage of playing in Kalvin’s role but that was the wrong choice by Bielsa for me. He is a centre-half all day long. You can see him growing in that position.”

Dominic Matteo has also gone on record to admit he’s a big fan of the towering Dutchman, saying: “He reads the game a lot better than he’s credited for. He’ll get even better too. Struijk is one to look out for.

“There’s plenty of work to be done but, with the size of him, his physicality, his passing, he’s got it all and can step into midfield. He looks very calm on the ball, players who are a bit erratic are not for me but he looks comfortable in possession.”

Being without Struijk against a side like Brentford who boast some real aerial threats in the likes of Ivan Toney et al would be a major blow, and leave Bielsa seriously worried about how his team will cope.

It would be yet another injury blow for a side who have been decimated this season on that front.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has given his thoughts on Leeds United star Tyler Roberts…

Everton’s recruitment is like a London bus. You wait ages for one to come along and then two arrive at the same time.

It has taken a while for the Toffees to get going in the ongoing summer window but they are nearing their first deals.

What’s the word?

The Merseyside outfit are reportedly close to welcoming Sporting Lisbon midfielder Matheus Nunes to the club with Rafa Benitez just needing to put his seal of approval on a move.

However, their first marquee addition could be that of Denzel Dumfries.

The Netherlands star has caught the interest of plenty of teams this summer following his displays at Euro 2020.

Bayern Munich were interested in the right-back but after turning their noses away, it left Everton with a free run to bring him to Goodison Park.

According to reports, that’s exactly what they look set to do. Sport Mediaset (via Sport Witness) claim that Everton ‘will be his destination’ after talking intensively to Dumfries and PSV Eindhoven.

The 25-year-old is thought to have a release clause of €15m (£13m) so a deal could be wrapped up fairly cheaply.

Fans surely buzzing

If Marcel Brands and Benitez can get this one over the line then it should leave Everton supporters particularly enthralled.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-everton-news-benitez-kamara-romero-dumfries” title= “Read the latest Everton transfer news!”]

After all, Dumfries was one of the star men during the recent European Championships.

Although his country were knocked out in the last 16 by the Czech Republic, he was a rampant threat down the right-hand side.

Former footballer, David Meyler, took to Twitter to hail the lively threat of Dumfries as “unbelievable,” during the Championships.

It’s easy to see why. He scored twice at the Euros, combining frantic energy with vast physical power and immense speed.

Although a defender by trade, it’s his attacking statistics and attributes that stick out. The PSV brute registered 1.5 shots, one key pass and one dribble per match for his country this summer.

Remarkably, his creativity was even better for his club side in 2020/21. Dumfries supplied six goals for his teammates, providing 1.4 key passes per match.

With that in mind, he should be a player who’s able to get supporters off their seats next term.

Pivotally, he looks an ideal fit to replace Seamus Coleman. The Irishman has lost a yard of pace but what set him apart from other defenders in the division was his prolific creativity.

During his time at Goodison, Coleman has registered 31 assists and 26 goals.

If Dumfries can get anywhere close to replicating that haul then he’d be a magnificent signing. Either way, just the idea of landing someone who’s shone at a major tournament should delight fans.

AND in other news, Everton may repeat their Walcott howler by signing £30m gem who Rafa compared to Messi…