All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Wolves have a number of wingers in their squad, and with all of them competing to be a starter in the side, there is little room for obvious error when the opportunity arises for a starting position in the team.

Bruno Lage decided it was Francisco Trincao’s time to shine in the line up against Brighton away from home last night in their midweek Premier League fixture, that saw the side take their first three-pointer in five games, securing a 1-0 win at the AMEX.

Despite the win, Lage took to his post-match conference to make an honest statement following Trincao’s mistake in front of the dugout in the final third which led to Wolves conceding a corner, and spoke briefly about the 21-year-old’s time with Wolves so far:

“Sometimes he needs to understand the game better,” Lage said. “That’s the big experience for him and what he can learn.

“If you look at the first 15, 20 minutes, every time he tried to link the game, they counter-press and we lost the ball.

“After that he tried to link the game the way we wanted. In the Premier League there is always a good tempo and a good rhythm, and when you come from outside (England) you need to adapt.”

The Portuguese winger has had inconsistencies in his performances so far, with just one goal and not a single assist in his 14 appearances for Wolves so far this season compared to his position competitor, Daniel Podence, who has offered two goals and two assists for the side in fewer appearances.

He struggled to make an impact on his side last night against Brighton, losing the ball every 2.8 times he touched it which only continues to add to Wolves lower possession record away from home. That sits at an average of 44.1% in the Premier League, compared to 53.2% when the side plays at Molineux.

With that first statistic in mind, it’s clear to see why Tim Spiers described him as “sloppy” in possession earlier this term.

As a result of these poor performances, Lage must make the decision to axe the consistency that Trincao lacks into the team in the attacking third, especially during the congested fixtures coming up over Christmas and New Year, where Wolves can pick up a lot of points and will need to have trustworthy players to elevate their chances to get more comfortable in the top half of the table.

Wolves have an option to buy Trincao for £25m when his season long loan from Barcelona ends in the Summer of 2022, but the forward will have a lot of convincing to do for the club to feel that they should secure a permanent move for him, and prove that he can make a positive impact on the side’s efforts to secure European football next season.

Lage will have to now assess how he is going to move forward with his attacking options, as Wolves have been hit with a devastating blow to their starting side with Hwang Hee-Chan getting injured during the game last night, which could give Trincao the chance to redeem himself.

For now, however, he definitely deserves to be axed; his performances have not been good enough.

In other news: Adama Traore attracting January transfer interest

Wolves will have to act shrewdly in the transfer market this summer, knowing they have limited cash to spend.

The Old Gold could sell Ruben Neves and Adama Traore to finance new faces but that wouldn’t be the greatest of starts of Bruno Lage’s reign.

What’s the word?

With spending limited, a €15m (£12.8m) bid to sign another young player might not be the best of ideas.

However, that’s what Wolves look as though they’re going through with as a report from A Bola claims that they have submitted an offer to sign Kaio Jorge.

The Santos teenager is one of the most promising young players in world football, though, with both Arsenal and Chelsea also courting his services.

That said, it’s the Midlands side who look favourites for Jorge’s signature at the moment with their formal offer putting them ahead of other English clubs.

Better than Silva?

Lage is famed for helping to progress one of the hottest young talents around; Joao Felix.

He came through under the Portuguese coach at Benfica and eventually earned a massive £113m move to Atletico Madrid.

For a young player like Fabio Silva, he will surely be licking his lips over getting to work with the new Wolves boss.

Unfortunately, the teenager has endured quite a tough start to life in England. Silva has shown flashes of quality and earned several starts towards the end of the campaign but he’s still only scored four goals in Wolves colours.

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For a player who cost £35.6m that evidently isn’t good enough but Fosun knew they were paying for his potential.

Jorge, on the other hand, arguably has a lot more promise. That’s despite his price tag being more than half of what Wolves paid for Silva.

He’s been compared to Neymar which, judging by the side he plays for, is hardly a surprise. The Brazilian sensation made his name at Santos before earning his big move to Europe with Barcelona.

Jorge isn’t quite on the same upward trajectory but he has similar qualities. Described as “lethal” by in-depth performance blog Wyscout, the 19-year-old already has 72 first-team matches under his belt, scoring 15 goals in the process.

That’s at a similar rate to Silva who has 57 outings to his name at the age of 18, beating the goalkeeper on seven occasions.

Although Silva’s movement catches the eye, Jorge appears to have a better range of qualities.

His dribbling is mesmeric and he knows how to beat players with relative ease. South American football enthusiast, Tom Robinson, once wrote: “As you would expect from any young Brazilian prospect, Kaio boasts supreme technique and has fantastic quick feet and skills.”

Robinson continued: “While not being an out-and-out skill merchant like some Brazilian attacking talents, Kaio does have the invention, creativity and jeitinho, to try a moment of magic that can turn a game and crucially has the technique and skill to pull it off.”

Those sorts of attributes are often mouth-watering for supporters. Jorge is a menace for defenders and at Santos this year, he has produced an incredible 3.4 shots per game; 1.9 more than Silva.

The Brazilian wonderkid is also fouled 0.9 times more per game than Wolves’ own budding prodigy.

Of course, Kaio is ahead in his development but the comparisons to players like Neymar tell the story.

He’d be a brilliant capture for Wolves, one that could just usurp Silva in the pecking order.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Soro: Celtic must sign “exceptional” 22 y/o who crushed Ange this year…

Pep Guardiola has been handed a huge injury boost at Manchester City ahead of the Carabao Cup Final against Tottenham Hotspur, as Kevin De Bruyne is expected to be fit for the game at Wembley.

The Belgian international was forced off through injury in the FA Cup Semi-Final defeat against Chelsea recently and missed the midweek win over Aston Villa.

However, Pep Guardiola confirmed in his pre-match press conference that the talismanic midfielder is feeling ‘much better’ and that he had trained with the first-team squad ahead of Sunday’s game.

It will undoubtedly be a massive boost for the Spanish manager if De Bruyne is fit to play, as the 29-year-old has been a driving force behind the Citizens’ superb season thus far.

In 24 top-flight appearances, the former Wolfsburg man has contributed five goals and 11 assists, averaging an excellent 7.56/10 rating for his performances.

This comfortably ranks him as City’s best performer in the top-flight this season, whilst his performances in the Champions League have also been exceptional, so it is clear just how important he is in Guardiola’s side.

Spurs’ new manager Ryan Mason will surely be worried that City could dominate the final on Sunday should De Bruyne start, as he clearly has the ability to dictate the game and turn it in City’s favour, whilst his 3.3 shots per game average in the Premier League immediately marks him out as a serious goal threat.

Last season, De Bruyne earned a lot of praise from Premier League legend Thierry Henry, with the Frenchman suggesting that:

“Kevin saw me at Vincent Kompany’s testimonial (at the start of the season) and he said: ‘This year, I’ll get you,’ and I said: ‘You will because you are just incredible’.

“His brain is somewhere else, it’s just ridiculous. I came across him (with Belgium) and worked with him and he’s one of those guys you just have to let play because if you start to understand and comprehend what he’s doing, you’re going to have a headache. He’s on another planet.”

Therefore, if De Bruyne is fit to play then Guardiola should definitely hand him a start, as he could prove to be the game-changer at Wembley.

And, in other news… Mansour call is massive news for Pep, De Bruyne will be delighted 

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic are on the road once again this afternoon with an SPFL clash against Ross County.

After getting knocked out of the Scottish Cup last weekend following a 2-1 defeat to Rangers in the semi-final, the 56-year-old manager will be hoping his side can bounce back by securing all three points today – and, in doing so, take a step closer to the title before next weekend’s Old Firm showdown.

Speaking in his latest press conference ahead of today’s game, the 56-year-old revealed that his side will be without Josip Juranovic through injury, but that Giorgos Giakoumakis will be in contention this time around.

With that in mind, here’s how we feel Celtic could line up this afternoon.

Firstly, having played in all but two of Celtic’s league games this season, it’d be hard to see anyone other than Joe Hart start in goal.

For the back four, with Juranovic out, it seems likely that Anthony Ralston will come in at right-back alongside the centre-back duo of Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers, with Greg Taylor in the left-back position.

In the middle of the park, we think Callum McGregor will lead his team out once again but see a different pair of midfielders line up next to him from the two that he played with last time out.

Having claimed to have “lost his edge” by Pat Bonner, Tom Rogic could be set for a place on the substitutes bench this time out, alongside Reo Hatate – who also failed to impress in last weekend’s defeat at Hampden Park.

With that in mind, we think Postecoglou will give starts to Matt O’Riley and David Turnbull – the latter of whom has been praised for his “phenomenal” performances in the past – to see if they can freshen things up in that area of the pitch.

Then, for the final three attacking positions, we predict that Jota and Liel Abada will keep their places in the side, but also that Kyogo Furuhashi will come in and play through the middle, leaving Daizen Maeda on the substitutes bench.

Whether the 56-year-old Hoops boss goes with this exact starting XI that we have suggested or not, he will undoubtedly want to see a reaction from his players in response to last weekend’s disappointment.

In other news: Sold for £2m, now worth £540k: Celtic struck gold on £17k-p/w dud who “had issues”

The January window of 2019 was a torrid affair for Stewart Donald and Sunderland.

The Mackems approached the New Year period in desperate need of finding a striker to lift the burden from Josh Maja’s shoulders.

However, after Maja’s agent convinced him to move to Bordeaux, the Black Cats were quickly left without a goal scorer. It took a considerable period of time for Donald to find the right man but as things moved closer and closer to the deadline, Sunderland were in limbo.

Clubs they negotiated with knew they needed to sign a forward and thus, they could ramp the price up.

With Maja no longer at the Stadium of Light, they now needed two forwards but they ultimately signed just the one; Will Grigg.

As Tony Coton and Donald squared off in the Sunderland board room, the latter eventually ended up paying £4m for Grigg’s services. That was after having a number of bids knocked back.

He is now on loan at MK Dons after scoring only eight goals in 61 outings for the north-east outfit. It’s fair to say he was a colossal waste of money.

At the same time, Sunderland happened to miss out on John Marquis. A phone call from Coton led to Doncaster telling the Mackems their valuation of the forward was at around £10m.

Completely stunned by the news, they submitted a much lower bid that was ultimately rejected.

Paying such money for a player like that in League One would have been madness, but had they not spent such a seismic sum on Grigg, they could have afforded him a few months down the line.

That’s because Portsmouth paid £2m for his services in the summer of 2019. That came after a season where Marquis had netted 26 times in all competitions. He has subsequently found the net on 28 occasions since moving to Pompey.

Their inability to identify the correct target, therefore, has clearly wreaked havoc with Sunderland. Had they signed a striker of Marquis’ ability and he’d hit the ground running, the Mackems may well already be in the Championship.

Dubbed a “proven striker” by Kenny Jacket, this was precisely the type of player that Donald should have brought to the club.

Of course, they now have 26-goal Charlie Wyke in their possession, but if Sunderland fail to go up again, new owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus may just rue the day that Donald spent £4m on Grigg.

At the moment, it feels like now or never in terms of reaching the second tier for Sunderland. Fall short of promotion again, and they may just be thinking about 2019 again as a period of ‘what if?’.

AND in other news, Phillips would “love” to see 21 y/o at SAFC next season, Speakman must make it happen…

Tottenham Hotspur appear to be leading the race to sign the coveted Jules Kounde this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who delivered a fresh update on the 22-year-old’s future to the 4-4-Two podcast this week.

The Sevilla centre-back has been linked to Spurs as well as their Premier League rivals Arsenal and Manchester United but it now appear that the latter is out of the running.

“Man Utd will sign a new centre-back [this window]. Raphael Varane is a serious option, he’s one of the biggest names on the list. Kounde is no more a big option for United because Tottenham are going for him and keep an eye on Pau Torres,” he claimed.

Kounde, who is currently at Euro 2020 with France, has an €80m (£68m) release clause but is expected to be sold for less than that, with The Athletic’s David Ornstein recently mooting a fee in the region of £50m.

An exciting claim

Spurs’ managerial search may still be rumbling on well into a third month but it’s hugely encouraging news to see that the club is already targeting reinforcements in a key area.

The Lilywhites were amongst the worst defences in the top eight last term, conceding 45 goals from their 38 league games and that largely boiled down to a combination of individual mistakes and a lack of cohesion, with departed boss Jose Mourinho using over 16 different combinations at the back.

This time last year, the club were desperate for a new central defender and the Portuguese only just managed to secure Swansea’s Joe Rodon before the domestic deadline, but that was more in mind for the future than the here and now.

It leaves the Premier League outfit still in dire need of defensive additions, though it seems as if they will be rectifying that for whoever is appointed ahead of next season.

At just 22, Kounde has quickly proven himself at the very top, leading to a place in Didier Deschamps’ France squad. The versatile 5 foot 10 dynamo can play in the middle and at right-back and was named in UEFA’s Europa League Squad of the Season for 2019/20 after Sevilla’s triumph.

The Frenchman continued his fine form into last season, where he graded as Julen Lopetegui’s highest-rated player (7.01) ahead of 18-goal marksman Youssef En-Nesyri and assist-king Jesus Navas, as per WhoScored.

It’s no wonder La Liga expert Euan McTear dubbed Kounde “really special” to The Transfer Tavern. “He’s still so young, he’s got energy, great positioning too. All the centre-backs, not just in Spain I think, but if you look around Europe, he’s got to be one of the highest prospects,” he added.

If that’s not enough to have fans absolutely buzzing, then his average of three aerial battles won, 1.2 interceptions and an impressive 90.1% passing accuracy per league outing should do the job.

That suggests he’s an intelligent ball-playing defender, something that is very much lacking in N17 right now. If Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez have been dubbed one of the worst partnerships in the Premier League, then Kounde will look like an instant hero in a Spurs shirt.

Now with United seemingly out of the running, it’s all in Daniel Levy and Fabio Paratici’s court. They can really appease the fanbase with this move. Get it done.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold reveals fresh twist in Nuno Santo pursuit…

Tottenham Hotspur appear to be edging closer to finally ending their managerial search but it’s not too late for them to appoint one particular candidate…

What’s the word?

According to The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo has held talks with the north London outfit over the vacant manager’s role. However, it is also claimed that the club admire three other managers, in which current Italy coach Roberto Mancini features.

The 56-year-old, who has won 13 major trophies throughout his coaching career, has been out of the domestic game since 2018 when he took the national team job. His Italy side currently remain unbeaten at Euro 2020, so it remains to be seen how soon he could come into contention.

Forget Nuno

It does seem like Spurs are closing in on Nuno, who left their Premier League rivals by mutual consent at the end of last season following a dismal 13th-place finish.

To be fair, the 47-year-old did have to deal with several blows, such as losing Diogo Jota to Liverpool and the cruel injury suffered by Raul Jimenez. Truth be told, it’s no wonder they struggled to score as few as 36 goals.

However, if Mancini is being considered by the Spurs hierarchy, then he should absolutely be considered instead. New sporting director Fabio Paratici should know all about him and his managerial ability.

He has won three Serie A titles and numerous league cups, whilst his previous time in England is also hugely encouraging, having secured Manchester City their first Premier League title in 2011/12.

What makes the Italian such an interesting candidate is his recent transformation of the national team. Italy are the only team at Euro 2020 to have won all their group games without conceding a goal. They boast the best goal difference and have recorded the most shots and through-balls at the tournament, as per Sky Sports.

It’s now 30 wins in all competitions for a team which failed to even qualify for the World Cup in 2018, while Mancini has guided them to the knockout stages of a major tournament for just the third time in 13 years, too.

This change in fortunes is something Spurs can only dream of after recording their lowest top-flight finish in over a decade. If there’s anyone that can reinvigorate a sleeping giant, then it is Mancini who seems well-equipped.

In the past, the Italian has been lauded as an “excellent coach”, whilst he once dubbed himself “the best manager in England” back in 2013.

Paratici and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy must look to Mancini before it’s too late.

AND in other news, Journalist drops major update in Spurs’ manager search which will surely leave fans furious…

Former England striker Kevin Phillips believes Jack Harrison could start for Leeds United against Liverpool next week.

The Whites host the reigning Premier League champions next Monday night in what promises to be a thrilling game at Elland Road.

Two attack-minded teams will lock horns, in a clash which could bring back memories of the Whites’ famous Mark Viduka-inspired 4-3 win back in 2000. The reverse of that scoreline materialised when the sides met at Anfield on the opening day of this season.

Leeds are still buoyant after their 2-1 victory away to Manchester City last weekend, a result which showed they can take on the best in the Premier League, even with 10 men.

[freshpress-quiz id=“351040″]

Harrison tipped to start against Liverpool

Phillips has told Football Insider that he would name the same team for the Liverpool game, but could see Marcelo Bielsa throwing in Harrison:

“It’s Bielsa isn’t it? He’s his own man and he’s quite a stubborn guy so it wouldn’t surprise me if Harrison came back in.

“I’d be disappointed if I was a player missing out after an away win at Man City, I’d like to think he’ll go with the same team again.

“Obviously he’ll have to bring someone in for Cooper but for me, pick the same team and send them in again. Then you’ve got no issues or anyone knocking on your door going ‘why have you dropped me?’.

“It’s Bielsa, we’ve seen him surprise us before but me personally, I’d go with the same team.”

Transfer Tavern take

It is never easy to second-guess Bielsa, but it would be a surprise if he opted to make any changes against the Reds, barring the enforced decision of replacing the suspended Liam Cooper. Leeds will have had a nine-day break by the time the match rolls around, so the team should be well-rested and raring to go again.

That said, with Harrison being their joint-second highest scorer in the league and available once more after being ineligible to face his parent club last Saturday, it’s understandable why Phillips believes he could be recalled when the Reds come to Elland Road in six days’ time.

In other news, one Leeds player has been tipped to have the team built around him next season – find out who it is here.

Former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer has told The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview that Swansea City boss Steve Cooper deserves to be in the mix for the Crystal Palace job.

The south London club are on the lookout for a new manager following Roy Hodgson’s departure and could consider Cooper for the vacancy.

In fact, according to Swansea Independent, the 41-year-old is actually Palace’s No.1 choice to replace Hodgson.

If that is the case and Swansea do end up winning the play-off final on Saturday, it will be interesting to see what Cooper does. Whatever the case, Palmer believes the former England U17 boss should be in contention.

“Listen, he’s had a fantastic season,” the ex-Leeds United player exclusively told TT. “He’s one game away from getting Swansea City into the Premier League, so he’s done fantastically well – that is for sure.”

“He should be in the mix. I think he’s doing really well.”

Again, a lot could depend on what happens in the play-off final, while Palace are also said to be considering the likes of Frank Lampard and Barnsley’s Valerien Ismael, so who ends up in the Selhurst Park dugout is anyone’s guess.

Based on this season, though, Cooper certainly deserves to be in the conversation.

Liverpool are mooted to have looked at Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse as a potential transfer option during the recent transfer window, as reported by GOAL.

Starting off the new term in blistering fashion, the 26-year-old has shone for the Saints, registering three goal contributions in four games; one goal and two assists [Transfermarkt].

Owing to his fantastic form, it may come as little surprise to hear that other clubs were interested in his services during the summer.

Liverpool were reportedly one of the clubs that looked at Ward-Prowse in the summer transfer period, potentially as a replacement for former icon Georginio Wijnaldum who has recently departed Anfield [GOAL].

Of course, Ward-Prowse signed a new five-year deal at St Mary’s last month, putting to bed any speculation that he might leave the South Coast club for the time being [Southampton FC Official].

In light of this news, it was no wonder that plenty of Liverpool fans took to social media to vent their fury at recent developments.

Liverpool fans react:

Replying to LFC Transfer Room on Twitter, here is what some fans had to say about the Ward Prowse links:

“This is so annoying. It’s already in the past. Transfer window already shut. Can we focus on being competitive this season?”

Credit: @AchiyaLarry”Can you just stop now? That’s all we have been hearing for the past 4 months & here we are with only 1 signing.”Credit: @Jordan_KloppEra”Every player in the League was watched by us in the window lads, get it right”Credit: @LFC_Lewis66″Liverpool are not serious on signings, we are like Arsenal”Credit: @trustwealthy106″Interested FC”Credit: @Okotb22″Prepare yourself for more and more of this shameless PR and leaking tactically news to deceive fans. Never expected FSG to bring themselves this low. There was no need comparing our position#LFC”Credit: @VonTheRedIn other news, Liverpool fans fume after a fringe member of the squad was not sold during the window. Find out more here.