All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Klopp here to stay.

In the not so distant past, beIN Sports correspondent Tancredi Palmeri made the sensational claim that Juventus had been in touch with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp about their manager position, which was recently vacated by Massimiliano Allegri.

Naturally, Klopp didn’t hold back when responding to the speculation, dismissing it out of hand.

The German coach, who is preparing to lead Liverpool into a second successive Champions League final on Saturday night, has reaffirmed the fact that there is absolutely no chance of him walking away from Anfield this summer, which we are 110 per cent inclined to believe.

“Of course it’s a league that I like, it’s really exciting but all these rumours I hear about Juventus are bull****,†Klopp told Sky Italia (via Liverpool Echo).

“There is nothing true about it. I am not going to leave Liverpool. I know Serie A very well, I follow it and I like it, but I am going to stay at Liverpool.â€

And breathe…

Remarkably, Klopp will be looking to end a run of six straight final defeats in his managerial career when his Liverpool side battle with a club who know a little something about bottling themselves, Tottenham Hotspur.

It just seems nonsensical that Klopp would even consider leaving at this point. The Premier League may not have gone to plan, but surely if they replicate their form from this season next time around then the master of man management has a domestic title to look forward to. Not to mention the fact that they will more than likely be challenging for another major European cup next season. When they’re on the cusp of something special, why would he give that up now?

Simple answer: he wouldn’t.

Liverpool fans, could you ever see Klopp leaving the club? How badly do you think it would damage your future prospects? Let us know in the comments below…

Carabao Cup winners. FA Cup winners. Premier League winners. Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City team really are incredible, serial trophy collectors. 

Their magnificent feat of 98 points, eclipsing Liverpool’s total of 97, was a sign of their relentless nature and never-say-die attitude.

To think they could have been 10 points behind the Reds had they lost to them in January is remarkable, because fast forward four months, and it’s Man City’s name on the trophy.

As ever, Guardiola will surely be demanding more. More from his current players and more from his superiors, so he can continue improving his team.

You may think, where can Manchester City improve? But bearing in mind that Fernandinho is 34 and David Silva 33, the future of central midfield needs to be taken into consideration.

So who is good enough to play for the Cityzens? Step forward, Youri Tielemans, who is currently being linked with a move to the Premier League champions (The Sun).

The Belgium international (who is valued at £19.8 million on Transfermarkt) enjoyed a brilliant loan spell with Leicester City from January onwards this season.

He was always dubbed as a midfielder with fantastic potential and his short stint in England has proven just that.

With three goals and five assists in just 13 Premier League matches, Tielemans was one of the star signings of the season, despite spending a matter of months in a Leicester shirt.

As a younger player at the age of 22, the Belgium prodigy would fit very nicely into Man City’s midfield, seeing as he already has the resounding qualities that could make him a success at the Etihad.

£40 million is how much Tielemans could cost (also per The Sun), nothing that would unsettle City’s enormous budget, so a deal should seriously be considered.

Do you think Youri Tielemans is what Man City need? Can he cut it amid their ridiculously talented engine room? Discuss in the comments down below!

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Real Madrid want to use Gareth Bale as a makeweight in any potential deal for Manchester United’s Paul Pogba this summer, as reported by The Mirror.

What’s the story?

Having just completed the capture of former Chelsea star Eden Hazard, the Spanish giants are clearly on the hunt for expensive talent they feel can usher in a new successful era under manager Zinedine Zidane.

No surprise then that they’re looking at Pogba, one of the outstanding midfielders in European football right now.

The Mirror say Zidane is eager to make the French World Cup winner his next signing, with the surplus-to-requirements Gareth Bale set to be used to tempt United into biting on a potential deal.

The paper say that Bale, who earns £600,000-a-week, could drive down Man United’s £130m asking price for Pogba if an agreement can be reached on the Welshman’s mega-money contract.

Could Harry Maguire be on his way to Old Trafford? Check out the video below to see why it would make so much sense…

Would this move suit United?

Despite Pogba’s problems at Old Trafford, he is a player who has enough talent for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to build a side around over the next few years.

They simply can’t be thinking of selling him this summer, even if Bale is included in any deal.

The Welsh icon is obviously an exceptional player and there would be little doubt about his ability to make an attacking impact in the United team if he did return to the Premier League, but Pogba is simply the kind of talent who can offer more in the long-term.

Where would United have been last season without his 16 goals and 11 assists from central midfield? Far worse off than they ended up.

Pogba rebirth

Having persevered through the mire of the Jose Mourinho years, the Frenchman now has the opportunity to finally be the leader that United need to get back to the top of the game.

If Solskjaer can surround him with ambitious young talent then progress can be made.

Ultimately if the player is not happy staying in Manchester that might dictate a club decision, but if all is well and he remains committed, biting on any Real Madrid deal for him could prove disastrous to the ambitions of the Old Trafford side next season and beyond.

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It looks like it’s going to be a big summer for Tottenham.

The Champions League finalists haven’t signed a single player in the last two transfer windows, so one would assume that the cash has been building up nicely.

Additionally, Spurs made a whopping €69.45m (£61.83m) from their run to the Champions League final alone, which will surely have bumped up Mauricio Pochettino’s transfer budget this summer.

Watch the best UCL final reactions from Liverpool and Spurs fans (and their enemies) in the video below…

The north Londoners have also revealed their list of players who will be let go this summer, with Fernando Llorente and Michel Vorm amongst the names – the pair’s exits will free up £105k from the weekly wage bill as they were earning £75k-a-week and £40k-a-week respectively last season.

So, with money to spend, how could Tottenham line up next season?

After a poor 2018/19 campaign, Kieran Trippier’s future is up in the air and the Englishman has already admitted that he doesn’t know where his future lies.

In that case, a right-back should be a priority and Nice star Youcef Atal has been linked with a £34m move – Spurs have reportedly already made an enquiry.

On the other side, Everton star Lucas Digne is a target and the Toffees have allegedly said that they want Danny Rose and cash for the France international.

Midfield is a very thin area and was further weakened by the January decision to sell Mousa Dembele, so reinforcements there are a must.

Lyon sensation Tanguy Ndombele has been strongly linked with a move, whilst Pochettino is reportedly keen to secure his fellow countryman Giovani Lo Celso; a £53m bid has been submitted to Real Betis.

Danish international Christian Eriksen has placed his Spurs future in doubt by revealing that he’d like a change, so extra cash could be coming in from his potential departure.

To replace him in the front four, PSV Eindhoven forward Steven Bergwijn is on the radar and Spurs are said to be leading the chase for the Dutchman, who is expected to leave the Eredivisie for £35m this summer.

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According to De Telegraaf journalist Marcel van der Kraan – speaking on Sky Sports’ Transfer Talk podcast – Ajax now value David Neres between £71m and £80m.

Everton attacker Richarlison has revealed that he has asked his Brazil teammate to move to Goodison Park in this summer’s transfer window.

However, a deal might be very difficult for the Toffees if Ajax do indeed want between £71m and £80m for the attacker.

The Everton fans have been on social media reacting to the latest claim.

And it would be fair to say that not too many are confident of their club completing a deal for the 22-year-old.

Neres scored 12 times and contributed 15 assists in 50 appearances for Ajax last season as the Dutch giants won a league and cup double, in addition to reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League.

The Everton fans, though, do not believe that their club will be able to sign the Brazilian following the latest developments.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Aston Villa’s transfer business so far has constituted of three attacking players with Jota, Anwar El Ghazi and Wesley all arriving through the door.

It’s clear that it’s an area that needs improving after Tammy Abraham’s loan deal came to an end, but a further attack-minded player who could help them get better in that department is Harry Wilson.

The Liverpool man was exceptional for Derby last term, finding the net 18 times in all competitions as he enjoyed a terrific loan spell.

However, he could now make a move to the Villans who are interested in the 22-year-old per The Mirror.

Wilson would clearly benefit Dean Smith’s men in terms of his goals output but there’s another very specific aspect of his game that could have a positive impact on the side.

That comes in the number of times he was fouled per game in the Championship last season.

On average he was brought down on 2.7 occasions every 90 minutes. It’s a tally that fails to eclipse Jack Grealish’s huge 4.7 times but it matches John McGinn’s total.

Next season, it’s highly unlikely that Villa will enjoy as much of the ball as they did in 2018/19 so they may often find that set pieces are their best route to goal.

Last campaign they scored the joint most from set pieces of anyone in the league, finding the net from 24 dead ball opportunities. That came from 186 shots they had towards goal from those types of situations.

Given the regularity at which Wilson is fouled, the number of free-kicks Villa are rewarded would improve significantly.

Against Brentford back in April, he was fouled seven times whilst against Leeds he was brought down eight times across two matches.

A further ten fouls were then committed on the Welshman across two fixtures against Norwich.

Versus the top sides, it seems like a major ploy to stop him. Therefore, the same tactic may be used against him if he signs for Villa in the Premier League.

Considering Wilson was fouled 116 times last term, it’s clear Villa would earn plenty more set piece opportunities if he arrived. As a result, it would boost one of their greatest strengths.

Sheffield Wednesday will head into the 2019/20 season buoyed by a positive finish to the season under Steve Bruce.

Hillsborough looked back to being something of a fortress under Bruce, and if the Owls can continue that form into the new campaign, then they might just surprise a few people and push on for a shot at promotion.

However, the summer is going to be key for Wednesday, who will be looking to add some quality to the squad following the release of several senior players such as Gary Hooper, George Boyd and Daniel Pudil.

Wednesday have had some quality players on the books in recent times and there have been periods where perhaps they should have been performing better than they have shown over the last 12 to 18 months.

One of the big problems for the Owls which Bruce will be looking to address is quality within the squad, rather than simply adding players for the sake of it who can often sit on big wages and occupy places in the squad to minimal effect.

We have seen this in S6 with the likes of Daniel Jones and Almen Abdi in recent times, both players who were brought in for big wages but offered little to the cause for the Owls in the end.

And it is this sort of player which Bruce will have taken note of no doubt, as he looks to use all his managerial experience to bring success to a Wednesday team which has been starved of any sort of joy for far too long now in the eyes of their passionate fans.

Wednesday have the tools to compete, and while the money might not be there as it was under Carlos Carvalhal a few seasons back, expect Steve Bruce to go out there and get value for money and real quality when it comes to his summer transfer dealings.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to The Sun, Charlie Austin is a target for West Brom as Slaven Bilic looks to ramp up his preparations for the new campaign.

What’s the word?

West Brom’s problem wasn’t particularly with goals last season as Dwight Gayle and Jay Rodriguez scored a combined 46 between them.

The Baggies were one of the highest scorers in the Championship, netting 87 times during the course of the campaign.

However, they do look as though they’re in the hunt for a new striker this summer.

That’s according to The Sun who suggest that Austin is a target for the club. The report claims that West Brom are willing to meet Southampton’s £8m valuation of the player.

They might not face a straightforward chase to sign him as Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Fulham are also interested.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Austin could be game-changing

The 29-year-old endured a pretty dismal 2018/19, finding the net just two times for the Saints in the Premier League.

He found it a struggle to get into the side, starting just 11 times. However, that arguably isn’t a fair reflection of the player he is.

The 6 ft 2 star’s record season in front of goal in the top-flight is 18 strikes but it’s seemingly in the Championship where he feels at home.

During the 2015/16 season, he scored 10 goals in 16 games whilst he netted 19 in 34 for QPR two years prior to that.

West Brom are likely going to need to replace Gayle next season and Austin could be the man to do it.

The former is a player who seemed to flourish in the second tier, finding the net 24 times last term but West Brom’s target comes close to matching him in terms of his Championship record.

Watch fans explain why the Football League is better than the Premier League in the video below…

At £8m, it would be an expensive buy for a side in the Championship but it could prove the difference between whether they achieve promotion or not.

Austin has been part of a play-off winning side before, going up in 2014, so his experience of that situation, as well as his ability to score goals means Bilic could strike gold.

This would be a smart start to the window for the Baggies if they could get a deal over the line.

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Newcastle’s preparations for the forthcoming season have been hampered significantly by Rafa Benitez’s departure. The Magpies failed to agree terms on a contract extension with the Spaniard, which in turn has left supporters worrying about their prospects of remaining in England’s top-flight next season.

Despite having limited financial resources in an inflated market, the 59-year-old performed heroically to initially bring Newcastle back to the Premier League and then to steer the club away from relegation for two consecutive seasons. He also succeeded to unify the support, as most fans have become massively frustrated with Mike Ashley’s ownership.

Not only does Benitez’s departure evoke uncertainty ahead of the new Premier League campaign, but it also threatens to further sour the relationship between the supporters and the club.

Naturally, in light of a managerial departure, there have been several names linked with the vacant post at St James’ Park, and we have identified three linked successors that would undo Rafa Benitez’s commendable work.

Steven Gerrard

The Liverpool legend and Rangers manager, Steven Gerrard, is one of the frontrunners for the Newcastle job. According to the Telegraph, Gerrard alongside Patrick Vieira and Mikel Arteta, are at the top of the club’s managerial shortlist.

While the 39-year-old has performed admirably to cut Celtic’s advantage at the top of the Scottish Premier League from 12 points in the 2017/18 season to nine points in the last campaign, the Englishman made several signings only to limit Celtic’s dominance marginally. In fact, as of March 2019, Gerrard had made 19 signings during his time as Rangers manager.

In the last three seasons, Newcastle have earnt marginally more money from sales than what they have spent on new signings, which complicates their ability to compete in an age of heightened financial strength. Only Tottenham, Watford and Bournemouth had a better net expenditure than Newcastle last season.

Gerrard’s success at Rangers – he has a win ratio of over 50% – has been primarily fuelled by numerous signings, something that wouldn’t be granted to the same degree at Newcastle, which could represent an impediment to any potential success with the club.

Rafa Benitez, a man of esteemed managerial pedigree and tremendous experience, succeeded in exacting circumstances at Newcastle. Steven Gerrard’s limited managerial experience and dependence on an excessive number of signings would make him an unsuitable candidate to assume first-team responsibilities at Newcastle.

Patrick Vieira

Another individual linked with the managerial position at Newcastle, as reported by the Telegraph, is Nice boss Patrick Vieira. The Arsenal great and former Manchester City midfielder assumed first-team duties at Nice at the start of last season, having previously spent two years with New York City FC in the MLS.

Despite progressing from the MLS to Ligue 1 and earning a creditable seventh-placed finish with Nice last season, his first season in France failed to capture the imagination of supporters.

Despite finishing one place higher with an additional two points on the previous 2017/18 season, Nice had one of the worst attacking records in the division, scoring only 30 goals in 38 games – only relegated Caen and Guingamp had worse records with 29 goals and 28 goals respectively.

Furthermore, Nice had the worst goal difference in the top half of the table, and they were defeated in the first round of the Coupe de France against Toulouse.

This isn’t an attempt to deligitimise Vieira’s achievements, and it’s worth considering that Nice had the second-best defensive record in the league (equal with PSG on 35 goals conceded), but stepping up to the Premier League – a division renowned globally for its competitiveness – and operating under the restrictions of an Ashley-run organisation could prove too challenging for the Frenchman.

Watch Newcastle United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Garry Monk

According to the Northern Echo, Garry Monk has been touted as a candidate to succeed Rafa Benitez.

The Englishman had a very promising start to his managerial career at Swansea, where he guided the Welsh club to their best-ever finish of 8th place in the Premier League in the 2014/15 season.

He also did well at Leeds United and came close to guiding the club to the play-offs during his only season with the Whites. However, he has struggled since.

Despite spending a mammoth total of more than £50,000,000 on eight players during his brief stint with Middlesbrough, Monk was sacked less than six months into his spell with, having only won 12 of his 27 games in charge.

At Birmingham, much like Benitez at Newcastle, Monk faced obstacles that weren’t of his own making, as he addressed in his departing statement, but avoiding relegation to League One is a far cry from competing in the Premier League.

Monk would require a club of greater stability than Newcastle to rekindle his best managerial form, and equally the Magpies need a manager capable of providing favourable results instantly.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Dani Ceballos could become one of Tottenham Hotspur’s summer signings as talks over a loan deal continue to progress, per Football FanCast sources.

On the chalkboard

What exactly will Ceballos bring to north London, though, if he ends up completing a move?

Indeed, Spurs are currently haggling over a £45m buyout clause that would allow the club to purchase the Spain international next summer, sources have said.

And one can see why Mauricio Pochettino is so keen on adding the Spain international to his squad.

He made a total of 23 appearances for Real in La Liga last season, with ten coming as a substitute.

Per WhoScored, he scored three goals and averaged one key pass per game, along with just 0.6 dribbles.

His passing completion rate is exemplary, too, and stands at 92.6% from 44.1 average passes. He also averaged two long balls per game, 1.4 tackles and 0.7 interceptions and fouls.

For Spain’s Under-21 side, in the European Championships this summer, his stats are all the more impressive.

He scored two goals and registered two assists in five games, with 2.8 key passes per game, 3.8 dribbles and a pass completion rate of 90.1% from 75 average passes.

That, quite simply, is absolutely exceptional.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Raises his game

One feels that Ceballos does not need to grab the game by the scruff of the neck when he is playing for Real.

They have the likes of Gareth Bale, Vinicius Junior, Karim Benzema and Luka Modric; Ceballos does not need to be the main man.

For Spain’s Under-21 team, though, his stats suggest that he is handed the responsibility of running games, and he stood up to that.

At Spurs, he would likely have a similar role; yes, they have the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min but a progressive central midfielder would be an excellent addition.

Moussa Sissoko can do that and Tanguy Ndombele has been signed to perhaps play alongside him, but Ceballos is a more traditional playmaker and would be able to keep the ball moving, looking to probe defences and find a way through.

Reports suggest that Pochettino is very keen to sign him this summer and has asked chairman Daniel Levy to deliver.

He would be an exceptional acquisition.