All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Transfer insider Dean Jones has shared that Newcastle United are now ‘prioritising’ a move for Maxwel Cornet.

The Lowdown: Busy week

It has been a busy week at St. James’ Park, as the North East club have recently had a second offer for attacking midfielder James Maddison rejected by Leicester City.

Having been linked with a move for both Jack Harrison and Burnley’s Cornet as well, it is clear that the Tynesiders are now prioritising attacking reinforcements, having already brought in goalkeeper Nick Pope, central defender Sven Botman and left-back Matt Targett.

The Latest: Cornet a priority

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones has shared that Eddie Howe’s team are now ‘prioritising’ move for Cornet, as they think that he could make an ‘instant impact’:

“He’s definitely one Newcastle are prioritising because he’s available and they think he would make an instant impact in that team, and he’d be ready to go from day one. He’s also really good value compared to other players in his position with that sort of quality. So he’s shot up Newcastle’s wanted list recently.”

The Verdict: No-brainer

Given that he now has the experience of playing in the Premier League, Cornet should be able to settle in quickly, and so this deal is a no-brainer for the Magpies.

Hailed as ‘electric’ last season by The Athletic journalist Andy Jones, the winger was a shining light in a relegated Burnley side, scoring a total of nine goals and making one assist in the top flight (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, the Clarets have already sold Pope to the Toon Army, and have let James Tarkowski and Dwight McNeil go to another Premier League club in Everton, so this is a deal that should be relatively easy to negotiate.

Nottingham Forest have had an exciting summer in terms of their transfer window with 12 new signings secured already, and now they could be set to make their 13th with a new update on a potential target reported.

What’s the latest?

According to Sky Sports Transfer Centre, Nottingham Forest remain interested in signing Watford striker Emmanuel Dennis this summer.

As per the report, the newly-relegated club value their player at £20m but Forest would prefer a deal to loan the player with an option to buy at the end of the season.

Following the story from Sky Sports,  The Athletic journalist Adam Leventhal reported that Forest have now made an opening offer for the player.

Leventhal tweeted this morning:

“Breaking: @TheAthleticUK understands #NFFC have now made opening offer for #WatfordFC’s Emmanuel Dennis. Reported last month re interest, understand that is now developing.”

A big Surridge upgrade

Following the departure of Lewis Grabban and Keinan Davis, there is definitely an opportunity for Forest to strengthen their striker position this summer despite already capturing the services of Taiwo Awoniyi.

Awoniyi was one of the very first signings made this summer by the club, however, Dennis can offer the side some valuable Premier League experience in their pursuit to retain their top flight status this season, and would be a big upgrade on fellow centre-forward Sam Surridge.

Despite both strikers having the exact same number of shots (44), Dennis outperformed Surridge in front of goal in almost every key attribute in the position last season.

Dennis scored more goals (10 v 9), delivered more assists (6 v 3) and created more big chances (33 v 17), as well as having a higher goal conversion rate (22.73% v 20.45%), all whilst playing seven less games than the 24-year-old Forest centre forward, according to Squawka Comparison Matrix.

As a result, the Nigerian sensation who was dubbed “very talented” by Claudio Ranieri could provide a fantastic improvement in Forest’s attacking threat, something Steve Cooper will want to address following the side’s lacklustre attacking performance against Newcastle United in their first top flight game last weekend.

Cooper’s team suffered a 2-0 defeat on their visit to St James’ Park, but it wasn’t the score-line that is a cause for concern because Forest failed to register a single shot on target and created no big chances throughout the game, which will be a big problem should it continue into the upcoming fixtures.

With that being said, the signing of Dennis would be a major coup for the club, as he is not only an improvement on their current starting striker, but can add some great experience on coming up against many of the well established Premier League sides this season.

A move for Manchester United target Cody Gakpo could be done this summer, according to transfer insider Dean Jones. 

The lowdown: Gakpo targeted

The Red Devils have been heavily linked with a move for PSV Eindhoven winger Gakpo recently as Erik ten Hag attempts to strengthen the Old Trafford ranks following a humbling opening day defeat.

With the saga surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo continuing to rumble on and after a promising pre-season was curtailed by an injury to Anthony Martial, United are in need of dependable attacking reinforcements.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-man-utd-updates-5/” title=”Latest Man Utd updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Both Arsenal and Leeds have also been indexed to Gakpo this summer, however, one well-informed onlooker believes a move to Manchester could be possible…

The latest: ‘It wouldn’t surprise me…’

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones – a journalist for Eurosport – claimed that Manchester United could land the seven-cap Holland ace.

He said: “I have seen Leroy Sane linked, but they don’t feel like he’s that gettable at the moment.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if United do try and get Gakpo, though, because there could be something to be done there.”

The verdict: No brainer

Available for £35million according to Sky Sports, signing Gakpo would be an exciting piece of business from the Old Trafford hierarchy.

Linked elsewhere to Ismaila Sarr, there is clearly a desire for versatile and direct attacking options in the ongoing window, with Gakpo described as ‘outstanding’ by Football Oranje editor Michael Bell.

Last season, the dazzling Dutchman – who was dubbed a ‘wizard’ by reputable statistician source OptaJohan – scored a remarkable 21 goals and provided 15 assists in 46 appearances across all competitions for PSV.

Predominantly operating from the left wing in his career to date, Gakpo would provide competition for Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga, although an ability to play on the opposite side and in central areas could also prove imperative.

Arsenal are still mulling over a potential move for Youri Tielemans this summer transfer window but their failure to act could see technical director Edu Gaspar repeat a previous blunder…

What’s the word?

According to transfer insider Dean Jones, the Gunners are still keen on signing the Leicester City midfielder but are yet to officially make a move, as he revealed in a fresh update on the situation to GIVEMESPORT.

“Tielemans is definitely still someone they’re considering an offer for.

“Leicester definitely do not want this one going down to deadline day and losing him then because that would leave them in trouble.

“And the player, to be fair, hasn’t really pushed for anything at the moment, but at the same time he hasn’t had any firm offers.”

Big mistake: Kante 2.0?

Tielemans’ current £33k-per-week contract expires at the end of the season, so this summer could be the last chance that the Foxes garner a substantial fee, with some reports suggesting that £25m would be enough for them to sell.

However, they clearly do not want it to go down to the wire, meaning the north London giants are running out of time if they are truly interested in the 25-year-old as there are less than two weeks until that 11pm deadline on September 1st.

Whilst there are plenty of sufficient alternatives out there – namely Brighton and Hove Albion gem Moises Caicedo, Lazio star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and AC Milan’s Sandro Tonali – Arsenal may not want to miss out on another Leicester man, seeing as they’re still paying the price from last time.

Tielemans is also potentially the most realistic target, given his relatively low fee and experience in the Premier League.

Back in 2016, the Gunners’ hierarchy pulled the plug on a deal to sign N’Golo Kante due to the agent’s own financial demands and despite getting there ahead of arch-rivals Chelsea, it was the Blues who signed him for what now seems like a bargain £32m.

The France international has since gone on to win a Premier League, a Champions League, an FA Cup and the World Cup.

Arsenal opted for Granit Xhaka instead and in that time, he’s been named captain, stripped of it and rewarded with the vice-captaincy, not to mention his spats with supporters off the pitch and the numerous red cards on it.

They could well regret not following up their interest in Tielemans, who has been lauded as a “phenomenon” by ex-Sweden midfielder Par Zetterberg and an “outrageous talent” by scout Jacek Kulig.

The Belgian international returned six goals and four assists for Brendan Rodgers in the Premier League last season, which was more than Arteta’s current deep midfield options of Xhaka and Thomas Partey combined.

As such, Arsenal cannot afford to repeat their Kante mistake with Tielemans, he could well go and rip it up with a rival club and that’ll leave them with many years of regret, just like with the Frenchman.

Edu Gaspar, the Gunners’ technical director, and his staff must now avoid this blunder by getting a deal over the line in the coming days.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano claims Arsenal eyeing £38m “special talent”, he could be Arteta’s own Jarrod Bowen…

An update has emerged on Sunderland and their pursuit of Jan Paul van Hecke in the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Blackburn Rovers reporter Rich Sharpe has claimed that the Black Cats are set to beat their Championship rivals to the signing of the 22-year-old.

The Dutchman is expected to put pen to paper on a new deal with Premier League side Brighton before arriving at the Stadium of Light.

Sharpe Tweeted: “Rovers’ hopes of signing Jan Paul van Hecke set to be dashed, as expecting him to sign a new contract with Brighton and then join Sunderland on loan… …better news in that there’s an expectation the Sepp van Berg deal will go through.”

Dream Daniel Ballard replacement

By securing this deal for the defender, Sunderland could be bringing in a dream replacement for injured centre-back Daniel Ballard.

Alex Neil recently confirmed that the former Arsenal man is facing a spell on the sidelines, saying: “Dan has a small fracture in his foot. He’s going to be out for the foreseeable future, but it is difficult to put a timescale on it.

“We have a few other scans to undertake – and a couple of specialists to see – to fully understand the severity of it, but that process is underway to ensure he then receives the necessary treatment to get him back as soon as we can.”

This has left the club without the player they brought in to start on the right of their back three and van Hecke can now come in to fill that void.

The £4.1k-per-week gem is a right-footed centre-back, which suggests that he would be comfortable on that side of the defence, and he has proven that he has the quality to be a solid player in the Championship.

In the second tier last season, van Hecke averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.00 across 31 outings in the division compared to Ballard’s score of 6.95 on loan at Millwall.

Defensively, the Dutchman – who has been dubbed “highly regarded” by Josh Bunting – caught the eye with 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game and a 60% win rate in his individual duels.

Meanwhile, the former Gunners gem made 3.5 tackles and interceptions per match and won 64% of his battles against opposition players.

These statistics suggest that the two players, who are both 22, have a similar skill level in the Championship as their defensive numbers are not vastly different, whilst van Hecke has the edge when it comes to the average standard of his performances.

West Ham United defender Ben Johnson was visibly ‘struggling’ with injury in the first half against Aston Villa this afternoon.

The lowdown: Johnson injury

The Hammers gave as good as they got for the most part in the first 45 minutes against Villa as David Moyes’ side went in search of a first point, and goal of the Premier League season.

However, the Irons were forced into an early change when young full-back Johnson seemed to injure a hamstring midway through the half.

Watching on, one journalist had his say on the incident and the potential problem facing the right-back…

The latest: Johnson ‘struggling’

Taking to Twitter, Jonty Colman noticed the 22-year-old “struggling” with the injury shortly prior to his 23rd-minute withdrawal in place of Vladimir Coufal.

The football.london writer noticed: ”Ben Johnson struggling with an injury of some form. Likely a straight swap.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-updates-2/” title=”West Ham latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The verdict: Fingers crossed

Injuries have very much begun to take hold at the London Stadium, particularly at the back, with Craig Dawson and Nayef Aguerd both already missing from Moyes’ defensive options.

The West Ham manager will be hoping that the problem suffered by Johnson doesn’t rule him out for too long, despite having a very experienced operator in Coufal to call upon off the bench.

Johnson was having a decent start to the game before his enforced withdrawal, completing five of his nine passes, making two interceptions and winning one tackle (Sofascore).

Should the severity of the issue mean that the England under-21 ace is ruled out for a prolonged period, GSB and Moyes could well be forced back into the transfer market before the September 1 deadline passes.

Manchester United have suffered a blow in regard to a transfer target that Erik ten Hag was hoping to sign for the club and bolster their midfield options.

What’s the news?

That’s according to Dharmesh Sheth, who was speaking to GIVEMESPORT about Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo.

The Sky Sports reporter said: “Moises Caicedo is one that I was told about, that Manchester United were interested in and that they were expected to bid for. But I think the response, even before they got to the bidding stage, from Brighton was that he is simply not for sale. To consider anything you were talking upwards of £70 million.”

The price tag was simply too high for Ten Hag to consider bidding upon and he will have to pursue other targets, although missing out on Caicedo could be a mistake.

Caicedo could have been Ten Hag’s own Kante

The Dutchman got off to an ominous start at Old Trafford, with United suffering dreadful defeats to Brighton and Brentford in their opening two Premier League matches of the campaign.

A morale-boosting victory over Liverpool on Monday will hopefully be the catalyst for better things to come, but there are still improvements to be made, especially in the centre of the pitch.

He scores goals galore! Pay homage to one of his best with this amazing t-shirt! Click here to buy…

Caicedo has been compared to Chelsea stalwart N’Golo Kante, with both being noted as excellent box-to-box players with the ability to control possession in the heart of the midfield.

Renowned South American journalist Tim Vickery spoke to talkSPORT last year about the youngster, saying “A year ago, he was talking about Kante of Chelsea being his role model and he is already more than that.”

He also dubbed the Ecuadorian “wonderful”, and Brighton certainly appear to have signed a gem in the making when they clinched a deal for him in early 2021.

In just eight league appearances for Brighton last term, he averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.04, scoring once (against United, coincidentally) while also registering one assist.

He won 58% of his total duels, completed 70% of his attempted dribbles and made two tackles per match to justify the Kante comparisons, contributing to his team’s defensive and attacking needs.

Journalist Sam Tabuteau described Caicedo as “top-notch”, and while the 20-year-old’s recent performances have been excellent, it surely is only a flavour of the wonderful things that are set to come from him.

Manchester United are believed to have made a late enquiry for Everton forward Anthony Gordon, with the Englishman also attracting in interest from Chelsea of late.

What’s the word?

As per The Athletic – in David Ornstein’s Monday column – the Red Devils made a ‘late check’ on the 21-year-old’s availability before pressing on with their pursuit of Ajax winger, Antony, having since agreed a €100m (£85m) fee for the Brazil international.

The Toffees man has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge throughout the window, with the Blues believed to have been willing to pay as much as £60m in order to prise him from west London.

This report suggests that interest could well have cooled, with the youngster looking likely to remain on Merseyside beyond the September deadline.

Dodged a bullet

The reaction of journalist Rhys Jones to that eye-catching news will no doubt be a view shared by most of a United persuasion, as he stated that the club had “dodged a bullet” by not making a concrete approach for Gordon in the latter stages of the window.

Although an exciting prospect, the £10k-per-week man’s form to date has seemingly not warranted such intense interest from the Premier League’s elite clubs, with it something of a headscratcher as to the size of the fees that have been mentioned.

While the £18m-rated ace netted his first league goal of the season in the draw with Brentford at the weekend, that effort was in fact just his fifth league goal in his top-flight career to date, having also chipped in with just three assists in that time.

With only 53 league outings in the top tier to his name, it somewhat beggars belief as to why he has been linked with such high-profile moves, with the Liverpool-born winger yet to truly prove himself on a consistent basis.

There may be potential doubts over the hefty fee that is set to be paid for the aforementioned Antony, although the 22-year-old will arrive with far greater senior experience under his belt, having recorded 46 goal involvements in just 82 games in all competitions during his time in Holland.

Equally, the former Sao Paolo star also offers the added benefit of having worked under manager Erik ten Hag in Amsterdam, with the player having seemingly been desperate to spark a reunion with the 52-year-old this summer.

Had the Old Trafford outfit turned to Gordon as an alternative for the nine-cap gem there would no doubt have been uproar among supporters, with it unwise to splash the cash on a player whose Premier League record is only marginally better than that of Anthony Elanga (three goals and three assists), albeit with the Sweden international making just 27 appearances.

As Jones alluded, United may have well and truly dodged a bullet.

Former Burnley and Stoke City defender Erik Pieters is currently training with West Brom ahead of a possible free agent deal.

The Lowdown: Pieters profiled

The 34-year-old has enjoyed an impressive career, not necessarily being a standout player at his clubs but proving to be a consistently solid performer at a high level for over a decade.

Pieters has made 225 appearances in the Premier League, highlighting his experience and pedigree, as well as winning 18 caps for the Netherlands.

The veteran is currently without a club, however, and an interesting update has emerged regarding West Brom.

The Latest: Defender training with West Brom

According to The Express & Star, Pieters is training with the Baggies and has been for ‘some time’, although ‘talk of a contract’ has not yet been discussed.

A transfer certainly isn’t ruled out, however, and the fact that Steve Bruce is eyeing up free agents does suggest that a move could come to fruition.

The Verdict: Shrewd free transfer?

Should Pieters look fit enough in training, signing him on a free transfer could end up being a shrewd decision by West Brom, considering the know-how he possesses.

The Dutchman is capable of thriving at wing-back, left-back and centre-back, meaning his versatility would immediately give Bruce more squad depth, and he can be a senior teammate for younger players around him to learn from.

At 34, Pieters wouldn’t exactly be seen as a key starter every week, but his form in his last season at Burnley was still mightily impressive – according to FBRef, he ranks in the 96th percentile amongst full-backs in Europe for tackles and the 99th percentile for blocks (last 365 days).

Journalist Peter Rutzler has hailed an ‘encouraging’ full league debut from defender Issa Diop after Fulham ran out 3-2 victors against Nottingham Forest on Friday night.

The Lowdown: Silva’s side succeed…

The Cottagers, taking on fellow newly-promoted side Forest at the City Ground on Friday, climbed to sixth in the Premier League table with a sensational victory.

Three goals in five second-half minutes sealed their comeback from 1-0 down to eventually run out convincing victors away from home, furthering Marco Silva’s impressive start to their first season back in the big time.

Strikes from Tosin Adarabioyo, Joao Palhinha and Harrison Reed cemented Fulham’s win whilst condemning Forest to their fourth loss on the bounce.

The Latest: Rutzler hails ‘encouraging’ Diop debut…

Taking to social media after the west Londoners bagged a brilliant victory, Fulham correspondent Rutzler of The Athletic hailed summer signing Diop for his ‘encouraging’ full debut alongside Tosin in central defence.

The journalist also goes on to suggest his display probably ‘didn’t stand out as much’ and flew under the radar, but it was ‘very good’ nonetheless.

He explained:

“Probably didn’t standout as much but as well as Willian, I thought Diop had a really good debut alongside Tosin. Composed at the back, tidy on the ball and I also didn’t realise he had the shoulder drop in his locker when stepping out from the back… Encouraging.”

The Verdict: Good news…

Signing from West Ham in a £15 million deal, the Frenchman is still just 25-years-old and is currently tied down to a five-year contract.

If Diop can continue putting in a consistent stream of solid defensive performances, the fact he is still fairly young could make this signing look like a real bargain in the long term.

Past endorsements from trophy-laden bosses like Jose Mourinho indicate he is a player of real potential, and judging by Rutzler’s verdict, it appears he is already starting to turn his career around at Craven Cottage after a lacklustre Hammers spell.