All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

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Lots of Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to discuss John Cross’ column for The Mirror, which states that Barcelona asked about the availability of Virgil van Dijk but were quickly shot down by his representatives.

The Dutchman has emerged as arguably the best centre-back in Europe since arriving at Anfield in a £75m deal from Southampton, which remains as the world-record fee for a defender.

Check out some amazing tekkers in the video below…

Amazingly, the 28-year-old is also the current favourite for the Ballon d’Or award after a tremendous 2018/19 season, in which he won the Champions League and also picked up the PFA Player of the Year award for his efforts.

Given the state of the transfer market right now, in which players like Harry Maguire and Sean Longstaff are valued at £90m and £50m respectively, you would assume that it would take a new world-record fee entirely to prise van Dijk away from Merseyside.

As a result, some Liverpool fans below have decided to mock Barcelona’s interest in the 6 foot 4 defender, with one fan saying that only £1.4bn would be enough!

Let’s take a look at a few more replies from the Liverpool fans on Twitter…

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Manchester United are burning through their 2019 summer pre-season schedule with ease and, more importantly, with great success so far.

After playing twice in Australia and once in Singapore, the Red Devils have now landed in Shanghai where they await a fairly familiar rival, Tottenham Hotspur.

That specific clash will be played on July 25th and will be the second fixture of their International Champions Cup (ICC), a tournament Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer’s troops have already won once before.

Andy Cole, their ex-player and icon, is travelling with the squad as an ambassador, and it’s safe to say he is enjoying his time abroad.

He took to

/B0OFLoChw94/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram to share a brilliant snap of the breathtaking view from Shanghai and it was soon met with plenty of positive feedback from other stars and friends.

Another icon of the game but from a rival club, Ian Wright, was the first one to the scene and he shared some love with his friend.

Wright posted a reply saying how he loves Cole and followed it up with some heart emojis.

It seems that despite being bitter rivals during their playing careers, there’s still enough friendly love in the air between the pair.

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Leeds are in danger of heading into the new Championship season with just Patrick Bamford as their main striker following an injury to Kemar Roofe.

Whether they decide to return to the transfer market remains to be seen but Tutto Mercato Web have laid claims that that’s exactly what they’ve done.

Tancredi Palmeri reports on the website that Leeds have submitted a bid worth €15m (£13.7m) for SPAL’s Andrea Petagna.

However, it’s a rumour that has caused debate among Leeds supporters with some refusing to believe it’ll happen.

One said the club didn’t have a prayer of landing him after he was linked to Leicester for €20m (£18.3m) earlier this year. Another simply said there was no chance that it would go through.

Further fans decided to compare the 24-year-old to former Leeds players as one said he was just like Pierre-Michel Lasogga, someone who scored ten goals in 33 matches for the club. He was also branded as the Italian Billy Paynter.

Petagna netted 17 goals in all competitions in Italy last term but according to Palmeri, SPAL are hoping for a fee closer to €25m (£22.9m) for his services.

Here’s the best of the discussion.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s One to Watch series, which focuses on those players we think are particularly worth keeping an eagle-eye on as the 2019/20 season unfolds.

Kieran Trippier’s transfer to Atletico Madrid has left the door wide open for a right-back to step up and fill the shoes of the departing defender, and despite Serge Aurier expected to be next in line, young Kyle Walker-Peters could be the one to claim the spot for himself.

What’s the story so far

Walker-Peters has delivered some strong displays in his few appearances for Tottenham Hotspur despite not being heavily involved in the first-team. Last season Walker-Peters managed 10 appearances in all competitions and nine the year before that, so he’s still got some way to go before he considers himself a first-team regular.

At 22, he’s not exactly a youngster anymore, but he’s still got a huge chunk of his career left to enjoy and has plenty of learning to do throughout.

He was part of the team that drew 1-1 with Barcelona at the Nou Camp to qualify for the Champions League knock-out rounds, a result that led Spurs onto a wonderful run to the final of Europe’s elite competition.

The defender can play at both right and left-back, and has even had stints in right and left-midfield in the academy. However, his future does look to be on the right of the defence, and there’s definitely some quality to exploit if he’s nurtured well. Indeed, in the 5-0 home victory for Tottenham against Bournemouth back in December, the English defender bagged himself a hat-trick of assists.

What does 2019/20 hold for Walker-Peters?

Trippier’s departure means the right-back spot is up for grabs, but what might be slightly concerning for Tottenham is that none of the other right-sided-defenders stepped up during what was a particularly poor campaign for the new Atletico man.

Of course, Aurier battled injury woes, missing a number of outings with hamstring and groin problems, but one thing’s for certain: if Mauricio Pochettino is going to avoid dipping into the market for new players, one of the remaining options needs to improve.

Walker-Peters should enjoy more game-time and more exposure to the first-team without Trippier there, whether he’s a starter or not. The cup games, perhaps the odd Champions League group stage match and certainly a few Premier League games are likely to be on offer to the right-back who’ll desperately try to prove his worth.

Juan Foyth has enjoyed time at right-back as well, so the competition is there, but with Walker-Peters unlikely to leave this summer, you’d think he’s in contention to play somewhat regularly in north London, particularly after the Argentine sustained an injury in pre-season.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

What constitutes a successful season for Walker-Peters?

Walker-Peters should be looking to battle his way into the first-team, because at 22, he’s not a youngster anymore. Trippier was clearly trusted by Pochettino, but Aurier has looked a mixed bag since his arrival, often showing his class and power and drive, but sometimes looking clumsy in defence as well.

This means the English youngster has a huge opportunity to break into the starting XI and claim regular game-time. It won’t be easy, but that has to be his target.

The Spurs boss has never shied away from trusting youngsters and academy graduates to start regularly, so there’s no obstacle there for Walker-Peters, it’s simply down to his quality and performances. A big season lies ahead for the defender, arguably a defining one as to whether he proves himself to be worthy and capable at the top level, or whether a club like Spurs and their ambitions is just a step too far.

Walker-Peters should aim for…

Appearances: 30

Starts: 25

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Loads of Newcastle fans have been reacting to Rafael Benitez’s column for The Athletic, as he revealed the reason for his exit from St. James’ Park.

Newcastle fans were devastated when Benitez left the club this summer, but that didn’t stop managing director Lee Charnley from criticising the Spaniard in Sunday’s match programme.

Charnley claimed Benitez had been offered the fairest deal the club could reasonably afford, but instead chose to move to China for the money.

Benitez has since disputed that, writing in The Athletic: “Newcastle’s board had a year to sort out my contract but, when we met after the end of last season, they didn’t make me a proper offer.

“They told me they didn’t want to invest in the academy or the training ground – if they like, I can explain the reason why Mike Ashley refused to do that.

“Their idea of a project was a policy of signing players under 24 and, in my opinion, the budget available was not enough to compete for the top 10.

“After that meeting, I knew they would not come back with a serious offer and, when it arrived, 19 days later, it was for the same salary as three years earlier and with less control over signings.

“After three years of unfulfilled promises, I didn’t trust them.”

If what Benitez says is true, then it confirms all the suspicions the Toon Army have had about the Mike Ashley regime.

The former Liverpool boss only wanted enough spending to break into the top ten, yet was not set to be granted his wish or given control over the transfers themselves.

This also perhaps confirms the criticism that Steve Bruce may be a “yes man”, as he is seemingly happy to work under such conditions.

Take a look at some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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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 Telegraph, Liverpool rejected the opportunity to re-sign their former No.10 Philippe Coutinho as part of a £100m package.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Reds made no significant signings following their sixth major European Cup win in Madrid.

Jurgen Klopp and Michael Edwards oversaw the arrivals of Adrian to replace Simon Mignolet, whilst teenage duo Harvey Elliott and Sepp van den Berg also arrived.

Coutinho would’ve certainly been a significant arrival given his pedigree in the game, despite the recent turbulence he has had to endure at Barcelona after a disappointing campaign last term.

Liverpool were right to reject him from a moral viewpoint

Taking great care in not contradicting myself, it was previously argued that the Brazil international would be a good addition primarily for footballing reasons given the lack of creativity in Klopp’s current midfield, and that point is stood by.

Having said that, the decision to reject Coutinho was the correct one from an off-pitch perspective, a viewpoint focusing more on morality rather than what happens on the field of play.

The 27-year-old acted unforgivably in forcing a move away from Anfield back in 2018.

Where do I even start?

Coutinho firstly handed in a transfer request, which is a fairly normal occurrence in the game but still not one that sits right with supporters.

However, after that, the former Inter Milan man appeared to fake a back injury in order not to play for Liverpool, an issue which had magically disappeared by the time it came to international duty with Brazil.

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In addition to this, the 5 foot 8 midfielder even paid a chunk of his £142m transfer to Barcelona out of his own pocket, parting with £11.5m in order to force the move away from Anfield.

His conduct in leaving the Reds was despicable, and whilst he is still a hugely talented footballer who would improve most sides, Liverpool were correct to rebuff the chance to sign him for moral reasons above all.

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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 Daily Mail, Tottenham are one of a number of teams following Rennes starlet Eduardo Camavinga.

What’s the word?

The 16-year-old burst onto the scene in Ligue 1 last season, registering seven first-team appearances for the French side.

The report adds Spurs were keen to sign the teenager during his breakthrough campaign, and the north London side will now have to fend off serious competition to land their man.

The Daily Mail claim that Spurs, Manchester City and Arsenal all had scouts in attendance at Roazhon Park to cast their eye over the midfielder in Rennes’ clash with league champions PSG on Sunday evening.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Camavinga stole the show in front of his keen onlookers, completing every single pass he attempted as he dropped a midfield masterclass to help his underdog side clinch a memorable 2-1 win over Thomas Tuchel’s men.

Statement signing

Having missed out on St Etienne’s centre-back prospect William Saliba to Arsenal this summer, Spurs could deliver an emphatic retort to their north London rivals by sealing a move for Camavinga.

The Daily Mail further add that Barcelona and Real Madrid are also interested in securing the Angola-born ace, so Mauricio Pochettino’s side do have their work cut out.

But ultimately, this is the kind of business Spurs need to do. The top sides across Europe have scouts everywhere, and very rarely does a player go under the radar. Camavinga’s inexperience hasn’t stopped people from already taking notice, and so it’s important to get the groundwork for a deal done as quickly as possible.

Having already made a statement signing in Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon, Spurs could land another highly promising French-based midfielder in Camavinga. It would reiterate the idea the north London side are a viable destination for many of the game’s biggest prospects, and not just a stepping stone to the likes of Barcelona or Madrid.

Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!

Statements are made on the pitch, but they can equally be made off it too. And luring a 16-year-old who dominated the likes of Marco Verratti and Marquinhos in midfield would be send a message that the Lilywhites are here amongst the big boys and here to stay.

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Rovers had a very tough start to the season. They lost their opening two games against high-flying Charlton Athletic and pre-season promotion hopefuls Fulham, but since then they’ve hit a bit of form.

They’re unbeaten in their last three against some tough sides as they’ve played Middlesbrough, Hull and Cardiff, winning two and drawing one.

They’ve also kept three clean sheets in a row, and while Adarabioyo is buzzing with the performances his new team are putting in, this defensive resilience doesn’t bode well for his first-team ambitions.

If Tony Mowbray’s side continue to be so defensively sound the Man City loanee may find it hard to break into the squad, but at the moment he seems to be happy watching from the touchline as long as his team keep up the good form.

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It is surprising to see that Shkodran Mustafi is still part of the Arsenal squad following the end of the transfer window.

Unai Emery said earlier in the summer that the centre-back, along with Mohamed Elneny, had no future at the Emirates Stadium and that it would be better for them to leave for pastures new.

Then, in the last few days before the deadline, the Germany international was linked with Serie A champions Juventus, a deal which in the end did not go through.

“They have the bigger mentality” – Spurs fans come to blows after the North London Derby in the video below…

As such, he remains a Gunners player more than three years after completing his move from Valencia in 2016, although it seems unlikely that he will feature too much this season.

The view from the Arsenal fans, it seems, is akin to disbelief. They clearly expected the 27-year-old to leave north London, and some have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts. You can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

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Villa host West Ham United on Monday, and Dean Smith’s side could potentially be at the bottom of the table by the time that game rolls around.

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The Villans currently sit in 18th, but with every other team playing before them this weekend they may find themselves cut adrift if results don’t go in their favour.

Despite the fact they’ve got a longer wait than many of the other sides, that hasn’t caused Grealish to lose focus.

The 24-year-old captioned his post ‘All eyes on Monday’, and that’s exactly the type of message Villa fans will want to read from their captain.

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