All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

[ad_pod ]This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…West Ham are poised to sign Sebastian Haller from Eintracht Frankfurt, the Bundesliga club have confirmed.

The Hammers have agreed a fee of £45m for the striker, which could rise to £50m depending on certain performance-related bonuses, per sources.

The news comes after Tuttosport reported that a bid worth €60m (£54.2m) had been tabled for Torino striker Andrea Belotti.

The Serie A club rejected the offer but one has to wonder: Is Haller the better option?

He is slightly cheaper, of course, but he scored 20 goals in all competitions last season.

Per Understat, he made 29 appearances in the Bundesliga, scoring 15 goals and registering nine assists.

He averaged 2.23 shots per 90, along with 1.57 key passes; that’s a pass leading to a shot.

His expected goals (xG) rate of 13.69 was outperformed, meaning that he took chances that he was not expected to. His expected assist (xA) rate of 7.37 was also outperformed, meaning that his team-mates were clinical when he gave them the ball.

He averaged an xG per 90 of 0.57, meaning he was expected to score in every other game in the German top-flight.

Belotti, meanwhile, scored 17 goals in all competitions and 15 in Serie A, the same as Haller. Per Understat, he registered three assists.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He averaged 3.40 shots per 90, along with 0.95 key passes.

While they scored the same amount of goals, Belotti had a higher xG rate than his number of actual strikes – 17.01 to 15 – meaning that he missed chances he should have scored, while he was also unable to turn provider. He averaged an xG per 90 of 0.46, which is significantly lower than Haller’s.

On the surface, the pair are similar but, scratch a little deeper, and one sees that Haller is a more potent, and more productive, option.

He regularly looks to bring others into play and is also a more clinical finisher than the Italian.

Neither player, of course, has any experience of playing in the Premier League but one feels that West Ham have made the correct call.

Haller is a cheaper option – perhaps due to his lack of standing outside of Germany; he hasn’t won a senior cap for France, while Belotti has won 22 for Italy – but he could well prove a bargain.

[ad_pod ]Footballers are talented folk, just ask Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva.The little Portuguese wizard impressed us all last season, in what some might consider his breakthrough campaign, landing himself firmly in the Premier League team of the season.And it seems his abilities aren’t just restricted to the football pitch either.Modern football facilities are packed with all manners of entertainment to provide players with things do to outside the realm of football.Indeed, pool tables, games consoles, swimming pools, gyms, saunas and, of course, table tennis tables are likely to be available to the elite stars.And Silva, who’s currently travelling with the squad around Asia, has evidently been making the most of his opportunities over the past couple of years to hone in on his talents as a ping pong star…

Ah, Bernardo, you stop that right now.

Just when we were beginning to wonder if there’s anything he can’t do.

Pep Guardiola’s side are set to face Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan in their next fixture before facing last season’s runners-up, Liverpool, in the community shield.

Bernardo will sure be hoping to transfer his flair on the ping pong table back onto the football pitch.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

The jury is well and truly out on Leeds ahead of the upcoming season.

Fans have already voiced their concerns, particularly with the defence and ahead of a campaign which should have been full of excitement after Marcelo Bielsa signed a new deal, there is a degree of negativity surrounding Elland Road.

For the Whites, they will likely be one of the frontrunners again for promotion but in many senses, that is already under threat, especially if you consider their summer activity.

It’s not been an easy ride for the Championship club who have seen Pontus Jansson leave whilst there have also been murmurs that the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Kemar Roofe could also depart.

An injury to the latter may put that in doubt but proceedings just seem to have been going from bad to worse.

It’s been a strange summer, one in which Bielsa met up in Australia for their tour late after naming just 16 players in his squad, breaking the team into two.

But, if the Argentine isn’t careful, all of this negativity could carry into the new season.

The biggest problem, however, has been in terms of the lack of incomings, something that the manager and top officials at the club are proving to be extremely short-sighted in.

The fact of the matter is that Bielsa is misplacing his trust this summer and it could cause Leeds problems once the campaign gets underway in just under a week.

The former Marseille boss is reportedly a huge fan of Ben White but it’s important to factor in that he’s never played at this level before.

It’s wrong, therefore, to think that he can act as a replacement for Jansson and the fact they only have him and Gaetano Berardi to partner Liam Cooper is a huge concern.

But it’s also in attack where faith has been misplaced.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

In simple terms, Bielsa is wrong to assume Leeds can get through the season with what they have.

More targets should have been pursued this summer and that’s evident now that Roofe has been injured.

His ankle issue has left Patrick Bamford as the main striker, a player who missed 20 matches himself last season.

It’s admirable that the 64-year-old has so much faith in the crop of players that took him to the play-offs last term but it could also get him into serious bother.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

According to The Sun journalist Phil Cadden, Newcastle United attacker Jacob Murphy is wanted on loan by four Championship clubs.

Indeed, Cadden claimed on Tuesday afternoon that Fulham, Derby County, Huddersfield Town and Sheffield Wednesday were all eyeing loan moves.

Murphy, who joined Newcastle from Norwich City in July 2017, has managed just one goal in 41 appearances for the Magpies in all competitions.

The attacker spent the second half of the 2018-19 campaign on loan with West Bromwich Albion – netting twice in 15 appearances.

It does not appear that the 24-year-old is in the plans of Newcastle boss Steve Bruce, though, which could lead to a summer exit.

[ad_pod ]

A number of the Magpies’ fans have been on social media reacting to the latest speculation surrounding Murphy.

And it would be fair to say that there are a lot of differing views when it comes to the former England Under-21 international, as shown by the tweets below:

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

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

According to Sky Sports, Arsenal prospect Eddie Nketiah is heading to Leeds to undergo a medical, before completing a season-long loan move to Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

What’s the word?

The 20-year-old was one of the shining stars of Arsenal’s pre-season this summer under Unai Emery, and it initially appeared the north London side were keen on having him around as a back-up striker to Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

However, it was then reported Nketiah was being put up for loan, and despite suggestions Bristol City were the front-runners for his signature, Leeds have stolen a march.

[ad_pod ]

Sky Sports add that discussions between Nketiah and Bielsa swung things Leeds’ way, and the England U21 international now looks set for a campaign in the Championship.

Bielsa’s guidance

Whilst Nketiah would no doubt have learned a lot staying at Arsenal and being shown the ropes by the likes of Lacazette and Aubameyang, a full season of first-team football at a senior level will do the striker the world of good.

But even more so than that, plying his trade under Bielsa for a year could be a career-changing moment for the young forward. The Leeds boss is well-renowned for his tactical genius and comes with the glowing recommendation of some of football’s most high-profile managers, including Pep Guardiola.

Bielsa will give Nketiah a footballing education he may not have found elsewhere, and will help improve his work off the ball in particular. How to press, timing of runs and being the side’s focal point. Emery himself is considered somewhat of a tactical coach, so having a season under Bielsa will simply help Nketiah acclimatise that much better when he does eventually make his return to Arsenal.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

For much of last season, Jordan Ayew cut a forlorn figure up top.

The Ghana international struggled for the majority of the campaign, scoring just one league goal whilst drawing criticism from some supporters who had grown tired of his ineffective performances.

Speaking of ineffectiveness, it was this particular adjective that the former Swansea man was not against Everton on the opening day.

Ayew was voted as Man of the Match by the Eagles supporters for his efforts against the Toffees, and it is hard to argue with that decision given how well he played.

In attack alongside Christian Benteke, the 27-year-old was one of Palace’s most influential players on the day.

The 6 foot forward was involved in some of the best attacking moments for Roy Hodgson’s side, having had one shot, recorded one key pass and embarking on one dribble against the Merseysiders.

He had a chance to equal last season’s goal tally in just the first game of the campaign when Christian Benteke put him one on one with Jordan Pickford, although unfortunately, the England international was equal to his effort.

Speaking of Benteke, it was alongside the Belgian on Saturday where Ayew looked far more potent than he did when alone last season, as the former Liverpool striker was unavailable for a large period through injury – he missed 22 games last term with a knee problem, meaning he was barely around to play alongside the Ghanaian.

Ayew is a fairly diminutive figure on the pitch and doesn’t win a massive amount of aerial duels, so having him next to a more physical presence in Benteke seemed to do him a world of good in terms of getting involved – as aforesaid, it was Benteke who slid Ayew in on goal with some nice combination play, so you can definitely argue that there is a potential partnership there.

After a troublesome campaign last term, Palace look to have found a way to get a bit more out of Ayew.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

Emile Smith-Rowe looks to have a bright future ahead of him at the Emirates Stadium.

The 19-year-old had a spell at RB Leipzig last season, which unfortunately did not go to plan because of some injury issues, but he is back at Arsenal and may have a shot at some game time this season.

The teenager featured in the Gunners’ PL2 game against Brighton and Hove Albion on Friday and managed 62 minutes before being taking off. He put in a good performance, and even scored a fantastic goal as his side won 2-1.

AFTV’s Robbie has his say on Arsenal’s owners in the video below…

Arsenal shared a clip of the effort on their official Twitter account on Monday, and it is fair to say that the club’s fans were delighted with the attacking midfielder’s quality as he finished off a great run.

Some fans even compared him to Manchestester City’s Kevin De Bruyne. From afar, there is a slight resemblance, although quality and experience-wise he is inevitably some way off the Citizen at this point.

If Smith-Rowe can go on to be half the player the Belgium international is, then he will have done well for himself. This is, after all, a Premier League superstar who has bagged 41 goals and 69 assists from midfield in 177 City appearances.

The Gunners faithful were vocal on Twitter, and you can see some of the best comments below.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

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

It is well known that Aston Villa splashed the cash this summer.

12 players have arrived. £144.5m has been spent. Comparisons to Fulham have been made.

On Friday night, the west Midlands club put some of those ‘doing a Fulham’ doubts to bed by defeating Everton 2-0 at Villa Park, who themselves had not conceded a goal in the Premier League before then.

Club-record signing Wesley, who commanded £22m of that total spend, scored his first for the club whilst playoff hero Anwar El Ghazi nabbed a second in the game’s dying stages.

Most notably, Villa kept their first clean sheet of the season with the partnership of Tyrone Mings and Bjorn Engels probably deserving better than just the one from their three opening games.

One of the biggest question marks this summer was surrounding Mings, who re-joined the club following a successful loan spell last season – his arrival coincided with a record ten straight wins to launch them into the playoffs, which they ultimately went on to win.

Mings’ time in the Premier League has been nothing to shout about in the past, having made just 17 appearances across four seasons on the south coast, but the £20m that looked like an awful lot for someone with so little top-flight success now looks worth every last penny.

On the chalkboard

It may only be three points from three games with five goals conceded, but the 6 foot 5 colossus has made measures to justify his price tag.

His statistics for the season to date are rather impressive – he is averaging 10.7 clearances per game, which is first in the league, with 15 of his 32 being headed clearances – also more than anyone else in the top-flight.

The 26-year-old is second for blocks per match at 2.3, only bettered by Arsenal’s David Luiz, whilst he has rated well both in interceptions per game (1.7) and aerial duels won (3.3), per WhoScored.

Find out which Premier League stadium has been ranked the worst in the video below…

His performances from last season as well as his early showings in the Premier League this campaign have earned the attention of England boss Gareth Southgate, who was in attendance on Friday.

Mings was undoubtedly one of the catalysts to that outstanding winning run and even though there is still a long way to go in this season, the early signs are encouraging in proving he was worth every bit of that high price tag.

Under the stewardship of John Terry, a Premier League great for Chelsea, he will surely only mature further and get better as he enters the peak years of his career.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]Juventus have announced their squad for the group stages of the Champions League and the exclusion of a familiar face has saddened some Liverpool fans.Emre Can is the man to miss out, and there is some sympathy for him from the Anfield faithful despite the German international moving to Turin after rejecting a new contract with the Reds.A natural reaction could be to make fun out of the midfielder, but fans are choosing not to be vindictive and instead feel sorry for Can, who had clearly looked to join the Italian champions to further his career and opportunities in such competitions.The Old Lady have failed to balance their squad efficiently over summer, and have now been left with seven first-team centre-midfielders – including Can – which could be the reason behind why he has had to miss out.Some fans have used the opportunity to show their appreciation for the player, acknowledging the fact that he may have been poorly advised in his decision to leave.Here are some of their responses to the news on Twitter.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Crystal Palace goalkeeping coach Dean Kiely has revealed exactly what it is that Roy Hodgson does in training in order for his Crystal Palace side to be so well organised.

Kiely played for Palace’s south London rivals Charlton on 222 occasions and also made 11 appearances for the Republic of Ireland national team, and his words give a great insight into how the former England manager works.

What did he say?

Kiely told Love Sport Radio: “If you’re ever lucky enough to come and watch Roy Hodgson train on the grass, the defensive shape and how he drills the team, it’s not just the back four and goalkeeper – it’s the 11, how they work.

“What Roy does really well is he keeps reminding the players that if they switch off or take it for granted, that’s when they’ll get hurt, so the demands are massive.”

Having the desired effect on the pitch

Whilst it has been well-documented that the Eagles don’t score too many goals – Connor Wickham, Jordan Ayew and Christian Benteke scored just two league goals combined last year – you cannot deny that Palace are a very well-drilled side from a defensive aspect.

They finished the 2018/19 season with the sixth-most clean sheets in the Premier League, and so far this term, they sit top of that same list with two clean sheets from four games – they have also conceded just two goals, the least of any team in the division.

Scoring goals is arguably the hardest part of the game, but Hodgson deserves a lot of credit for counterbalancing his side’s lack of quality in front of goal by organising his troops to an admirable standard, so much so that they have been at the right end of the table regarding defensive statistics for a while now.

The 72-year-old’s work on the training field is truly reaping the rewards out on the pitch.

[ad_pod ]