All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Gabriel Agbonlahor has offered his thoughts on an interesting statistic regarding Rangers veteran Allan McGregor and his form at Ibrox.

What’s the talk?

Former Premier League forward Agbonlahor has admitted that Rangers will need to take the rough with the smooth when it comes to McGregor’s performances this season.

Reacting to the statistic that McGregor has the joint-worst save percentage (50%) in the Scottish Premiership, the pundit said it is to be expected.

He told Football Insider: “That’s going to happen, you’re going to be rotated.

“At McGregor’s age, you’re going to get those moments when you’re in and out of the team. He’s been a great servant to the game, a great servant to Rangers.

“So, I’m sure that he’ll play his fair share of games for Rangers and they’ll still get some good performances out of him.”

Time’s up

The time has come for Steven Gerrard to make a ruthless decision over McGregor’s future. He is out of contract at the end of the season and Rangers need to cut the chord with him to refresh their goalkeeping department for the 2021/22 campaign.

His main competition in the first-team is Jon McLaughlin, who is 34 and also out of contract in 2022. We published an article explaining why he deserves a new contract and should be the number one for Gerrard in all competitions next season, hinting at McGregor’s departure.

The 39-year-old, as Agbonlahor said, has been a sublime player for Rangers throughout his career. He has racked up 401 first-team appearances for the club during two spells, keeping an impressive 186 clean sheets and conceding 313 goals.

McGregor, who is on £13k-per-week, has not been in the best of form this term and his best days could be behind him as he heads towards his 40th birthday. It could be the right time for him to depart from Ibrox and see out his days elsewhere or retire and potentially join the coaching department at the club if Gerrard is willing to take him on to bolster the ranks behind the scenes.

Last season, he saved 85.3% of the shots he faced and looked like he could continue playing for years to come. However, his 50% save rate – the worst in the division – suggests that his time may be up.

He has been beaten by every other shot on target and Gerrard cannot afford to have a liability between the sticks. That’s why he must axe McGregor next summer if the player does not decide to hang up his gloves on his own accord.

AND in other news, Rangers hit the jackpot with “phenomenal” gem whose value has soared 697% in 2 years…

Southampton extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to four games following their 0-0 draw with West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Saints worked hard defensively to ensure that they came away with at least a point, as they kept the likes of Michail Antonio – who was sent off late in the game – and Jarrod Bowen at bay.

Whilst there were some strong performers on the day, with the likes of Jack Stephens, Alex McCarthy and Mohammed Salisu impressing at the back, there were also some disappointing showings. One player, in particular, who struggled against David Moyes’ side was Norweigan international Mo Elyounoussi.

Ralph Hasenhuttl ditched his favoured 4-2-2-2 formation to line up with a 4-1-4-1, opting to select Elyounoussi as one of his two central midfielders – alongside James Ward-Prowse – ahead of Oriol Romeu in the holding midfield position.

Unfortunately, the 27-year-old – who was on loan at Celtic last season – was unable to showcase his quality in a new position. He was given the lowest SofaScore rating (6.1) out of the 22 starters in the game, as he failed to adapt to playing centrally instead of in his more natural wide role in the side.

Defensively, he offered almost nothing. Per SofaScore, he made zero tackles, blocks or interceptions in 90 minutes on the pitch. He was also dribbled past twice and lost a whopping 85% of his duels, losing nine of his 10 battles on the ground and two of his three in the air.

This suggests that he was not up to the physical battle in the middle of the park as West Ham’s players dominated him in one-on-one duels. He needed to be stronger  in order to either retain possession for Southampton or win the ball back, rather than being a liability by allowing the Hammers to consistently come out on top in battles.

Offensively, he did not fare much better either. Per SofaScore, Elyounoussi had fewer touches (33) than goalkeeper Alex McCarthy (41) and he lost possession 11 times from those 33 touches. This means that he gave the ball away once every three touches, which shows that he was not secure enough with the ball at his feet to be effective in midfield for Hasenhuttl’s team – only creating one chance all game.

The Austrian head coach put his faith in Elyounoussi by deploying him in a brand-new role, but the dud let him down with his performance. He offered next-to-nothing defensively and was not up to the physical challenge of playing in the engine room against West Ham, which is why Hasenhuttl will surely be disappointed with his performance.

AND in other news, “That’s his level” – Exclusive: Pundit drops verdict on Southampton ace after transfer claim…

Manchester United are ‘monitoring’ Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, according to reports this week.

The Lowdown: Unhappy at Spurs

Ndombele’s move to N17 from Lyon hasn’t worked the way both parties would have hoped for but after missing the entire pre-season and the opening three league games, the Frenchman is back in Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad.

He started in the draw with Rennes last Thursday and Sunday’s defeat to Chelsea, but his future remains unclear after rumours of him wanting to leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium emerged in the summer.

The Latest: Pogba replacement

According to Calciomercato, United have started to put plans in place in case Paul Pogba departs the club, and Ndombele is on the list of players who could be brought in.

It is stated that a new deal hasn’t yet progressed between United and Pogba, with the France international free to talk to foreign clubs from January about joining on a free next summer.

Ndombele has three years left on his contract, and having been hailed as ‘magnificent’ by Jose Mourinho, one would think it would cost the Red Devils a big sum to pry him away from north London.

The Verdict: Blow for Nuno

Nuno has only just begun to utilise the midfielder, with Oliver Skipp and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg starting in the opening three league games of the season, so it would certainly be a blow to lose such a talent just when he is on the cusp of forcing his way back in.

A move to Manchester United, a chance to reignite his career at club currently performing better, may be exactly what he needs, but for all the struggles the midfielder has had at Spurs, it’s hard to imagine finding Nuno a more talented replacement in the transfer market – just ask his Tottenham teammates, who reportedly gushed over his talents to West Ham man Declan Rice while on England duty.

To lose the man dubbed ‘unbelievable’ by Rice before the manager has really even had a chance to utilise him would be a real shame.

In other news, Spurs scouts have rivals winger on their radar after impressing display over the weekend. Find out more here.

A number of Liverpool fans have been calling for Divock Origi to leave the club after three Premier League teams were linked with a move for him.

The Reds got off to a winning start in the top flight on Saturday evening, with Jurgen Klopp’s men securing a 3-0 victory away to Norwich City. However, Origi played no part in proceedings, with the Belgian becoming increasingly surplus to requirements at Liverpool.

Last season he started just two top-flight matches and netted only once in all competitions, the goal coming in a 7-2 Carabao Cup romp against Lincoln.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

The 26-year-old will always be appreciated for some of the huge goals he has scored for the Reds, most notably the clincher against Tottenham in the 2019 Champions League final, but his time at Anfield could soon be up.

According to The Telegraph [via Anfield Edition on Twitter], Wolves, Crystal Palace and West Ham are all eyeing up a summer move for him.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-copy-4/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans call for Origi to leave

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to give their approval to the prospects of Origi moving on in the next few weeks.

“I’m on my knees”

Credit: @DannyBains25

“Get him off”

Credit: @pieckbootysweat

“Please please please buy him”

Credit: @Cody3Smith

“Take him please”

Credit: @CHADO_K_

“I beg”

Credit: @JoeeSZN

“Please be true”

Credit: @mdeeks76

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting to an injury update on a rumoured transfer target. Read more here.

Southampton fans are livid with the news that goalkeeper Alex McCarthy has put pen to paper on a new three-year contract at the club.

The Saints have had a mixed start to the season so far. In their first match, they lost 3-1 to Everton at Goodison Park despite taking the lead, but they were able to pick up a point at St. Mary’s Stadium against Premier League title challengers Manchester United.

They may have picked up all three points in that clash had McCarthy not let Mason Greenwood’s shot sneak under him.

The shot-stopper has come in for criticism from the Saints supporters in the past. Now, he has been given a new three-year deal to keep him on the south-coast (The Athletic), and it seems the fans are not too happy with this news.

The news was shared on Twitter by @SaintExtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, with one fan calling it ‘shocking’:

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the McCarthy news below

“Hate this”

Credit: @JordanTritten

“And an entire fan base sighs in disbelief.”

Credit: @JWilloughby7

“Shocking decision”

Credit: @FurmagePeter

“And the window is ruined”

Credit: @woofly32

“Embarrassing he’s the worst starting keeper in the league by far”

Credit: @Austin_Pack

“wouldn’t have him as third choice to be honest. he is absolutely tragic.”

Credit: @fletchsfc

In other news, Southampton fans were delighted with this Martin Semmens move.

Former Everton player Michael Ball believes that it all depends on what players the Toffees move on, as to whether they make a move for Tottenham’s Harry Winks. 

Just last month, journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed that Winks was a possibility for Everton on his Twitch channel, and just a few days ago reported via the same channel that although there had been speculation linking him away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the player is happy in north London.

When asked about the speculation surrounding Winks and if he could come to Everton, Ball exclusively told Transfer Tavern: “Yeah, he’s sort of very experienced already, he’s obviously been at a good club, but it looks like his game time is going to be lessened at this moment in time and I think it’s all about what Everton do with players moving out. 

“Theres a lot of whispers and rumours right now with Andre Gomes, there’s even Allan, even James, Gbamin is coming back from injury so again we can’t really expect him to play 30/40 games next season, so we are going need players in those positions, especially if one or two players move on.”

Winks made 860 minutes of Premier League football across 2020/2021.

Winks featured as a half-time substitute in Spurs’ most recent pre-season fixture, a 2-2 draw against Chelsea.

Get French Football News’ Adam White has hinted Celtic may baulk at Rennes’ £4.25million price tag for Brandon Soppy.

Highly-rated teenage right-back Soppy broke into Rennes’ first-team last season and made 11 appearances for the French outfit.

According to French media outlet L’Equipe, Soppy has entered the final 12 months of his contract and been the subject of interest from Scottish Premiership giants Celtic.

But the report claims Celtic are not Soppy’s only suitors, with newly-promoted Premier League outfit Watford and Udinese, of Serie A, also keen on the talented youngster.

The 19-year-old has won five caps for France’s under-18 side and, with him liking to get forward to create chances, could give new Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou an exciting full-back alternative.

Having made a disastrous start to the new season by already crashing out of the Champions League and losing their opening Scottish Premiership clash of the campaign at Hearts, Celtic have bounced back by beating Jablonec in the first leg of their Europa League qualifier and hitting Dundee for six.

But French football expert White believes Soppy may not be heading to Parkhead as they look to build on their return to form.

He told The Transfer Tavern: “Soppy would be an interesting signing for Celtic. They made a €1.5million bid last summer and lots of clubs are keen.

“Roma and Spartak Moscow were interested in January and Udinese and Watford want him at the moment.

“Rennes want €5million for him, which is probably quite a high fee for Celtic to spend on a young, unproven player like him.”

Fabinho has paid a huge compliment to Liverpool teammate Kostas Tsimikas, calling him his ‘idol’ and hailing his qualities as a footballer.

The Lowdown: Tsimikas struggles at Liverpool

The Greece left-back made the move to Anfield from Olympiakos last summer, but he endured a tough first season at his new club. The 25-year-old was limited to just six minutes of Premier League action in the entire campaign, with injuries often holding him back.

It left Andrew Robertson playing almost every minute of every league game and that workload seemed to take its toll on the Scot, who went five months without a top-flight assist last term.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

The Latest: Fabinho hails teammate

Fabinho clearly thinks highly of Tsimikas, though, following a fan Q&A from the Brazilian on Instagram on Sunday.

Responding to a message from his colleague [via Anfield Watch on Twitter], the 27-year-old outlined his love for the Reds left-back, who he labelled “my idol”.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-8/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Verdict: Breakout season for Tsimikas?

Liverpool need Tsimikas to come good this season in order for him to provide competition for Robertson and allow the 27-year-old a breather from time to time.

The early signs are good, with the former Olympiakos man looking impressive in pre-season to date and appearing fresh ahead of the new season.

Fabinho has been a mainstay of Liverpool’s team over the past two seasons and, having overcome a partly difficult first year at Anfield himself, the Brazilian’s high praise of Tsimikas should not be taken lightly. Hopefully the Greek defender will take off for the Reds like his Brazilian team-mate has done.

In other news, two clubs are believed to be interested in signing one Liverpool player this summer. Read more here.

Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield is unsure if West Brom have the funds to sign Okay Yokuslu permanently this summer and whether he would be willing to step down to the Championship.

Yokuslu initially joined West Brom on loan from Celta Vigo for the second half of last season, where he impressed.

As per WhoScored, Conor Gallagher was the only West Brom player who managed to make more tackles per league game (2.7) than the Turkish midfielder (2.4).

He is now being linked with a return to The Hawthorns, with Spanish outlet Faro de Vigo reporting that the Baggies have held discussions over a permanent deal.

Hatfield, however, has suggested that there could be quite a few sticking points with this one.

“I think there are real question marks over whether West Brom can afford him having gone down,” the reporter told FFC.

“The reports linking him with a move to the club don’t surprise me, although I do think the player himself may fancy himself to play in the top flight.”

After showing that he can add some real bite to the midfield during that brief stint in the Premier League under Sam Allardyce, perhaps a top-flight side could come in for Yokuslu in what would be a blow to West Brom.

Glasgow Rangers fans are far from happy after the Scottish Government confirmed that only 2,000 fans will be allowed into Ibrox to watch the Gers’ pre-season match with Arsenal.

The Gers enjoyed a magnificent term last time out as they won the Premiership for the first time in 10 years without losing a single match in the competition (thefishy.co.uk).

However, the supporters were unable to fully enjoy the triumph and their success as they usually would given stadiums across Scotland were empty due to the coronavirus pandemic.

During Euro 2020, 12,000 fans were allowed into Hampden Park (BBC), but only 2,000 are now allowed to be at Ibrox.

The Gers were far from happy and contacted the government to ask why they couldn’t have more, and they have now received a response, with the regime saying the importance of the Euros meant they allowed more people in (Glasgow Live).

The news was relayed on Twitter by @ibroxrocks, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, with one fan calling the news ’embarrassing’.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the news below

“What a ridiculous response from the @theSNP Covid now seems to know difference between an important international game and club games. What a clever virus this really is. ‘JUST FOLLOWING THE SCIENCE'”

Credit: @ButcherTez

“It’s an embarrassing reply from an embarrassing government who probably can’t remember when the euros were , can’t recall anything , no recollection of previous statements….well that seems to work for them”

Credit: @boxing_rugby

“A virus more intelligent than the government ruling on it.”

Credit: @flickuid

“Let’s be serious it’s a joke..nothing we can say or moan about it’s only going to be that number.”

Credit: @Sodastream1971

“Read the article. It is a issue of lies and inconsistencies. Hard not to imagine that @scotgov is flexing its muscles massively unfairly here – and to what end one wonders – to teach Scottish football clubs some sort of lesson.”

Credit: @andyjd747

“Ridiculous just Ridiculous”

Credit: @_JIMBO55

In other news, Rangers fans were livid at this Club 1872 news.