All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Marcus Bent has named the player who he thinks Aston Villa should sign as a potential replacement for Jack Grealish… 

What’s the talk?

Former Premier League player Marcus Bent has suggested that Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli could be the ideal replacement for Jack Grealish at Aston Villa. Bent thinks that Manchester City will sign the Villa captain and has named Alli as his potential successor.

He told This is Futbol:

“I think Grealish is going to go to Manchester City.

“Dele Alli is his own worst enemy. When I was at Leicester City, Paul Dickov would fight himself in the locker room. Alli has to uncover those demons and do what he has to do because his footballing skills and ability are needed.

“Two years ago, he was a starter for the England national side. I think there has been stuff off the pitch which has contributed to him not playing at the top level.

“Everyone needs a second or third chance and he is a good player. He might have matured now and it’s time for him to flourish. I think he needs that confidence boost and to show himself that he still has the ability to play at this level.”

Smith would love him

Grealish has been heavily linked with a switch to The Etihad this summer and TalkSport claimed at the end of last month that he will complete a British record £100m transfer to Pep Guardiola’s side upon the conclusion of the European Championships. If true, that would leave a gigantic hole for Dean Smith to fill ahead of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign.

The 25-year-old provided six goals and 10 assists in 24 league starts last term for the Villans, averaging a phenomenal WhoScored rating of 7.56. This highlights how important he is to the club and why NSWE must bring in a top-class replacement to fill the void if they do sell him.

Alli could be the man they need and Smith would love working with the former MK Dons star at Villa Park next season. Although he endured a rough 2020/21 campaign, failing to score in the Premier League, he has shown his quality in the past and Smith could enjoy getting the best out of him and recapturing the 25-year-old’s form as he could turn into a crucial player.

Former England international Darren Anderton once compared Alli to England greats Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes, labelling him as a “freak of a talent” and a joy to watch. 

He told GOAL:

“I’ve got to say that I loved Stevie G as a player and Scholesy but Dele Alli, for his age, is just a freak of a talent. I love his arrogance on the pitch, how clever he is in finding the positions that he does and his willingness to try everything. He is a real joy to watch.”

The £100k-per-week maestro has had three seasons of 19 direct goal contributions or more in the Premier League for Tottenham. In the 2019/20 campaign, Alli managed eight goals and four assists in 21 starts, with his best season being his haul of 18 goals and seven assists between 2016 and 2017 for Spurs.

This suggests that, when at his best, he could be as influential as Grealish with his goals and assists from the attacking midfield positions.

Therefore, Smith would love to have him at the club and that is why – if Grealish leaves – NSWE must pounce on a deal for Alli.

AND in other news, Villa suffer major blow in pursuit of “extraordinary” £30m gem, Smith will be gutted…

As per club insider Claret & Hugh, West Ham United and manager David Moyes may have been gifted a possible boost with their sources sharing a ‘remarkable’ behind-scenes development.

The Lowdown: Injury worries…

Moyes and his West Ham side have had to cope with mounting injury problems over the last month with the biggest absentees by far being Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-updates/” title=”West Ham latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The defensive duo were mainstays before being sidelined, prompting Moyes to look to the transfer market in search for emergency cover as many links to centre-backs emerge.

Supporters will be anxious to know the timeframe of Zouma’s return with Ogbonna set to miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery.

ExWHUemployee recently claimed that the Frenchman is ‘ahead of schedule’ with another insider C&H now sharing more good news.

The Latest: Insider shares ‘remarkable’ Zouma development…

According to their information, Zouma has now started walking on grass for the first time since picking up his injury and ‘hopes are now high’ for a ‘much quicker’ return.

C&H go on to state, barring any setbacks which are possible, that he could even be back in action ‘as soon as mid February’.

Sharing what they’ve heard from an inside source, as quoted in the piece, Zouma’s progress behind-the-scenes is apparently ‘remarkable’.

The Verdict: Big boost…

This update should come as music to the ears of Irons supporters given Zouma’s impressive start to life at Rush Green. The France international, labelled a ‘colossus’ by Moyes, has made more clearances per 90 than any West Ham first teamer whilst proving to be a very reliable presence at the back (WhoScored).

Winning the fourth-most aerial duels out of their entire squad also (WhoScored), the 27-year-old’s return could not come sooner enough given Moyes’ lack of defensive cover.

While West Ham may well still sign a centre-half going by reports, having Zouma back as soon by mid-February would certainly come as a big boost for Moyes as the Scotsman aims to guide his side to Champions League qualification.

In other news: £45m star likened to Suarez now keen to join West Ham, find out more here.

Manchester United have been in the process of appointing their next manager to take charge at Old Trafford this summer, and with Erik ten Hag the favoured manager to take the role new information has emerged about his potential coaching team that will work with him at the club.

What’s the word?

According to Chief Football Writer for The Mail on Sunday, Rob Draper, ten Hag is lining up Robin van Persie to join his management team at Man United this summer.

Draper tweeted late on Saturday night:

“Van Persie being lined up as Man Utd asst – but ten Hag still in talks, no deal yet.

“Ten Hag still wants assurances over how club will be run…”

Supporters will adore him

Van Persie provided a fairy-tale during his first season at Old Trafford, with the Dutch striker scoring “goal of the century” as claimed by Sir Alex Ferguson, to guide Manchester United to their 20th Premier League title victory in 2013.

The star forward scored 58 goals and provided 21 assists during his three-year tenure with the Red Devils, so the idea that he could come back and become part of the management team to guide United back to the glory days that once were will surely delight supporters who adore him.

The two time Premier League golden boot winner has the invaluable experience earned with Arsenal and Man United that could give ten Hag a real insight into the challenges of the league and can certainly help the current squad understand what it means to win trophies at the club.

Van Persie retired from playing football in 2019 hanging up his boots at 35 years old, and has since been making an impact in his assistant manager role at Feyenoord Rotterdam after being promoted from his technical coach role last summer. Coming back to the Premier League to work alongside ten Hag would be a huge next step in his career on the sideline.

With that being said, Manchester United have not even officially reached an agreement with the Ajax boss, and until ten Hag is confirmed we don’t expect other members of the coaching team to be decided until the deal is done, but the idea of Van Persie returning to the club will surely have supporters very excited.

In other news: MUFC make “shock approach” for “cold” £50m “warrior”, it’s bye-bye Rashford

According to a report by Tuttosport, as translated and shared by Sport Witness, there has been yet another development in the Dusan Vlahovic transfer saga involving Tottenham.

The Lowdown: Tottenham eye Vlahovic swoop…

As per numerous sources over the past two weeks, it is possibly the worst kept secret in football that Spurs are interested in Fiorentina’s star striker.

Following on from their alleged summer bid to sign the 21-year-old (Fanta Calcio), new manager Antonio Conte’s arrival at N17 has seemingly boosted Spurs as they lead the chase to bag Vlahovic in January.

According to La Gazzetta (via Sport Witness), Fabio Paratici’s Tottenham are indeed ‘perhaps the favourite’ to secure his signature and a meeting has already been held with Fiorentina officials in London.

Both Conte and Paratici have also apparently agreed to target the player among their list of names as both Spurs officials plot to take the Serbia striker, according to a report by TUTTOmercatoWEB.

Now, sharing another development, Tuttosport (via SW) have an intriguing update on Fiorentina’s sale stance.

The Latest: La Viola want Spurs to sway their star…

As per the Italian news outlet, La Viola are apparently hoping Tottenham, as well as any other English club, ‘tempt’ Vlahovic and make their move ‘in the coming weeks’ so they can start a bidding war with fellow interested side Juventus.

It is believed that they are eager for Spurs to provide some competition in January and force Juve to lodge a higher bid for the player’s services and vice versa – especially given how keen the Old Lady are on his signing.

The Lilywhites apparently represent a nice ‘trap’ in this regard as Fiorentina seek to make as much money as possible.

The Verdict: Worth the money?

Vlahovic stands out as one of the most exciting star talents in European football, scoring 21 Serie A goals last season and continuing in that vein over 2021/2022 at such a young age.

The forward’s 10 goals and an assist so far this season highlight just how imperious he has been in front of goal already this campaign and Spurs would be remiss not to go all out.

Valued at around £45 million by Transfermarkt, Paratici and co may need to offer much more given his glowing reputation and the amount of competition for his services.

Lauded as ‘incredible’ by Serie A expert Conor Clancy, a bidding war with Juve may be a small price to pay as Tottenham seek to sign a very exciting striker to partner Harry Kane.

In other news: Alasdair Gold says Conte has been left blown away by another Spurs player in coach’s dream who smashes training, find out more here.

Crystal Palace left-back Tyrick Mitchell could miss the FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea through injury, according to The Evening Standard.

The Lowdown: Mitchell goes off

Labelled as ‘popular’ by former Eagles boss Roy Hodgson, the defender was forced off against Leicester City in his team’s 2-1 defeat on Sunday.

The 22-year-old has been a key member of Patrick Vieira’s squad during his first season in charge, starting every Premier League game.

However, he had to make way against the Foxes after just 34 minutes with what appeared to be a calf problem, and along with Michael Olise, he could now be in a race against time to feature at Wembley.

The Latest: Nervous wait

The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick shared a story regarding Mitchell on Monday.

He revealed that the full-back was due for scans on the problem on Monday, with Palace facing a nervous wait on the extent of the damage.

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

As mentioned, Mitchell has been an ever-present figure at Selhurst Park this season, so it would be a major blow if he is unable to feature at Wembley next weekend.

The Palace academy graduate has been their best-performing defender, as per WhoScored, and he is the only senior out-and-out left-back on the books for the Eagles.

Vieira will be keeping everything crossed that Mitchell can recover in time, as otherwise he will have a few selection headaches over the coming days.

In other news: Vieira now wants Parish to bring 25-assist star to Palace; club preparing to lose their player. 

Crystal Palace embarked on a mass overhaul of their first-team squad over the summer, allowing several experienced campaigners to depart before replacing them with exciting, young acquisitions.

And the early indications are that the capital club’s dealings were a huge success. The likes of Marc Guehi, Odsonne Edouard and Conor Gallagher have all hit the ground running at Selhurst Park, propelling Patrick Vieira’s new-look side to a memorable victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

However, while there can be little doubt over the incomings in south London, the club’s hierarchy arguably made a few mistakes when allowing some seasoned professionals to walk out the exit.

Winger Andros Townsend has been excelling at fellow Premier League club Everton in the opening weeks of the new campaign with five goals for the Toffees already, but defender Patrick van Aanholt is another who Palace chairman Steve Parish may have some regrets over.

After joining the Eagles via a £9.45m move in January 2017, the attacking left-back went on to make 134 appearances in all competitions, scoring 14 goals and providing six assists in the process.

His impressive performances for Palace saw him soon became a pivotal part of the English sides system under former manager Roy Hodgson, earning him 19 caps for the Netherlands senior setup as a result.

But while the ex-England boss brought stability to Palace during his tenure, Hodgson has left behind an imbalanced and unstable playing squad, with the Selhurst Park outfit having the oldest squad in the top flight in 2020/21.

Consequently, Van Aanholt was one of the players sacrificed to make way for the new era in south London and was phased out of the Palace starting XI in the final few weeks of last term, allowing promising full-back Tyrick Mitchell a chance to shine.

However, the now 31-year-old still made 22 Premier League appearances for Palace, recording 1.4 interceptions per game and 1.1 defensive dribbles per game, the third-highest totals in the Palace squad for each metric, respectively.

His departure on a free transfer in the previous window has left Mitchell as the only natural left-back in Vieira’s squad, while Van Aanholt’s eye-catching performances for Galatasaray in the Europa League will surely leave Parish and co. lamenting their decision to let the defender go.

And, in other news…Signed for £0, sold for £49.5m: Parish struck gold for Palace over £90k-p/w gem

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly keen to bring PSV Eindhoven winger Noni Madueke back to north London this summer.

What’s the story?

According to Sky Sports, Spurs are one of three Premier League clubs interested in securing the highly-rated 19-year-old’s services, with Leicester City and Wolves also credited with an interest.

The report states that PSV are set to demand between £30m and £34m for their prized asset, a valuation which could prove too costly for the English trio with less than two weeks remaining of the current transfer window.

Tottenham fans will be buzzing

Madueke, who was born in Barnet, came up through the youth ranks with Tottenham until he was released at the age of 16 and then moved to Netherlands back in 2018 when PSV came calling.

Since then, the England under-21 international has gone from strength to strength. After making his debut for the Eredivisie giants in 2019/20, Madueke enjoyed his breakout season last term.

In 32 appearances for Roger Schmidt’s side in all competitions, the skillful winger bagged nine goals and provided a further eight assists for his teammates, establishing himself as one of Europe’s most exciting young talents.

Sky Sports claimed that his impressive performances caught the eye of some of the continent’s top clubs, stating: “Last season, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Manchester City were among the top clubs tracking his development, as he scored seven goals and created six more in the Eredivisie.

“And a string of scouts from Europe’s elite clubs – including Juventus – were said to have been watching him against Benfica on Wednesday night.”

The youngster has started the new campaign in scintillating form as well, contributing to six goals in just seven outings as PSV attempt to qualify for the group stage of the Champions League.

However, prising him away from the Philips Stadion may be a tricky task for Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, after Schmidt claimed that the talented teenager would be staying put this summer in a recent interview.

Speaking to ESPN (via Football.London), he said: “I’m not afraid [of Madueke leaving], why should I be? He will one day leave PSV if he continues to develop like he is now.

“I’m not afraid it will happen now. We can’t sell key players anymore. We’ve already done that with Donyell Malen, Denzel Dumfries and Pablo Rosario, so we can’t lose any more.

“And PSV is also a fantastic club for Noni to develop. He is very young, he can play a lot here, score goals and cheer with the team. I think he feels very good here.”

Potentially bringing Madueke back to north London could go down as some of the best business Levy has managed to pull off in years, and given the teenager’s obvious talents, it’s a coup which could have Spurs fans buzzing if the club chief gets it over the line.

In other news…Pundit cannot see £40.5m-rated ace leaving his club for Spurs 

As per Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge (speaking to GIVEMESPORT), Tottenham defender Cristian Romero has suffered a ‘serious strain’, rather than a tear to his hamstring, as first thought.

The Lowdown: Spurs’ injury woes

Argentine defender Romero is not the only injury Tottenham are currently dealing with. Central midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, once hailed by teammate Harry Winks as ‘a technically gifted player’, has been sidelined for a long period after suffering a knee injury, which has meant missing the last five matches.

Emerson Royal also missed the recent 3-0 win over Norwich as he was unavailable due to an unknown injury. This was a blow for Spurs, as he currently leads the team in tackles, with 3.6 per game.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-developments-2/” title=”Spurs developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Romero sustained his injury whilst on international duty with Argentina last month. Unfortunately for Antonio Conte, this will continue to affect Tottenham’s defensive stability, as his average of 1.3 blocks per game is the highest at the club by a fair margin.

The Latest: Bridge gives Romero update

Conte had recently stated that Romero’s injury is ‘serious’, but has thus far failed to go into any details. However, Bridge has confirmed that the 23-year-old has not torn his hamstring.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “I kind of thought the worst when Conte said we will know more in seven to 10 days, but I’m told it’s not a tear, it’s a serious strain. So, is that January? He did say January or February.”

The Verdict: Not as serious as first thought

To Spurs fans’ relief, Romero’s injury is not as bad as first thought. Bridge has shed light on the fact that the Argentine has not torn his hamstring – an injury that can keep a player out of action for over three months.

It is still unclear as to when he will return, but it sounds like best case will be January, a potentially massive relief to Conte and co coming off the back of the hectic Christmas fixture period.

Romero has been regularly applauded since moving to Spurs from Atalanta earlier this year, even drawing praise from Brazil legend Cafu, who admitted that he had a ‘very good game’ in the Copa America final. The Lilywhites faithful will surely be counting down the days until his return.

Aston Villa’s defence has pretty much picked itself over the last 18 months after some solid results and excellent performances under Dean Smith and now Steven Gerrard.

Emiliano Martinez is the undisputed number one goalkeeper, while Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Matt Targett make up the back-four in front of him when they’re all fit. The likes of Kortney Hause and Axel Tuanzebe make the central defensive positions somewhat competitive, but the full-backs have been pretty much set in stone.

So when Targett suffered a head injury against Manchester City and was forced off, there were instantly worries from Villa fans as to who would fill in and how much of a blow it would turn out to be in the upcoming games.

If the win and performance against Leicester is anything to go by though, they needn’t have worried because Ashley Young is on the scene.

The former Manchester United man made his name as a winger, lighting up the Premier League for Villa before his move to Old Trafford where he won the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League. But during his time up north, Young’s game transformed from a flying winger to a reliable full-back. That was solidified when he moved to Italy with Inter Milan and won the Scudetto playing as a left wing-back.

Upon his return to Villa Park in the summer on a free transfer, where he signed a £50k-per-week deal, many lauded his versatility as a big reason why the deal was a good one for the club despite him being 36-years-old these days. His performance against Leicester in the 2-1 win from left-back proved them right.

He won 100% of his tackles on the day and only Emi Buendia completed more dribbles than him in a Villa shirt during the game. Despite being naturally right-footed, he kept the width well to stretch the Leicester defence and was a threat going forward with his crossing ability. His performance meant Villa barely missed Targett in the game and were able to pick up three points without him.

With a trip to Anfield up next, Gerrard will want his strongest defence available to him. But with Young’s experience and winning mentality, that could well include the veteran who the Villans boss dubbed “outstanding” in a wing-back role to provide a threat going forward as well as security defensively against the most potent attack in the country.

As he proved only last weekend, he can be game-changing in that position.

AND in other news, Matty Cash stole the show against Leicester.

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have gone wild for an update on exciting youngster Conor Coventry from a Rush Green source.

The 21-year-old has been subject to heavy interest from Peterborough over the last week as The Posh make a move to sign him on loan for the 2021/2022 season.

He has excelled in pre-season for West Ham and is widely regarded as the possible next big talent to come through at the London Stadium, drawing some comparisons with Declan Rice.

When news broke of the Irons considering his loan exit for this campaign, there was plenty of uproar on social media given their lack of depth in central midfield.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-gossip/” title=”West Ham latest gossip…” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Now, a West Ham source has brought news from Rush Green, explaining to Football Insider that manager David Moyes has ‘pulled the plug’ on a Coventry exit.

Indeed, the Scotsman has apparently changed his mind on the talent and wants him in West Ham’s first team over what will be a long and gruelling campaign fighting on multiple fronts.

Flocking to this development, it’s safe to say many Hammers are ecstatic over the U-turn – find all of their best reactions to the news, in reply to West Ham Fan Zone and West Ham News & Views, down below.

West Ham fans flock to Coventry update…

“Great decision”

Credit: @oogle_bleh

“Yessss”

Credit: @TalkinWestHam

“Wow a good decision kick on young fella”

Credit: @rkellyboy

“Brilliant news”

Credit: @JODYALLEYCAT

“Best news I’ve heard all day!”

Credit: @LindsayWesker

“Excellent news. Equivalent to a new signing”

Credit: @JBsOpinions

“Hallelujah”

Credit: @Timmywink

“so glad to see Moyes putting his foot down about our youth lads! Gotta get the new blood into the squad, heaven knows we need the depth”

Credit: @ryryboltwrap

In other news: ‘Yessss’, ‘What we’ve been asking for’…West Ham fans have also erupted over this ‘beautiful’ club post, find out more here.