All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Tanguy Ndombele’s future at Tottenham Hotspur has come under intense scrutiny after reports of a bust-up with Spurs boss Jose Mourinho emerged in recent months.Â

The 23-year-old has endured a difficult first season at Tottenham after his club-record arrival from Lyon last year.

Recent reports revealed that Spurs are in negotiations to sell Ndombele to Inter Milan this summer. However,ÂDaniel Levy has insisted that the six-cap France international is not for sale despite falling out of favour with Mourinho.

Also, Inter Milan are interested in other Premier League targets such as Manchester United duo Chris Smalling and Jesse Lingard as Antonio Conte seeks to make several changes to his squad.

However, Fabrizio Romano suggested that there will be further updates following the conclusion of the Europa League campaign.

According to the Italian transfer expert (via @TheSpursExpress), the Serie A giants are ready to resume talks with Spurs to sort out a deal for the Frenchman in the summer. It is understood that the Lilywhites will let Ndombele leave north London as long as a club meets their valuation.

The Spurs chairman has reportedly slapped a £63m price tag on his head. However, Inter are yet to submit a formal bid, and Paris Saint-Germain are not prepared to spend such a significant sum of money.

Ndombele scored two goals and supplied two assists in his first full season in the Premier League but his time in the top flight has been blighted by injury and fitness problems, as well as a change in management, which could be enough to unsettle anyone.

He may be able to turn his career around should he given the chance to do so, but it is up to Mourinho to get the best out of a player who was once described as one of Europe’s best prospects.

The summer transfer window is set to close at 11pm on October 5, so Inter still have plenty of time left to strike a deal with Levy.

Tottenham fans, do you think Levy should sell Ndombele in the summer? Let us know your views in the comments below!

Newcastle have been inconsistent under Steve Bruce but Charlie Nicholas has defended him as he is accomplishing his goal of keeping his team safe from relegation.

What did he say?

The Sky Sports pundit predicts that the Magpies will beat Crystal Palace 2-1 this weekend and although that will please fans, some supporters may not like hearing what else he has to say about the club.

Newcastle did well in recent weeks to pick up points against Manchester City and Sheffield United but an abysmal display against Burnley demonstrated that there is a lot of work to do, with zero shots on target achieved.

Despite that, Nicholas has faith in Bruce’s abilities, so much so that he thinks his team will return to winning ways despite missing Allan Saint-Maximin, while Miguel Almiron and Jonjo Shelvey are doubts, having missed the clash against the Clarets.

Watch Man Utd vs Newcastle Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

Writing in his Premier League predictions for Sky Sports, Nicholas said:

“Newcastle are there to survive in the Premier League, and they are four or five wins from doing it already, which is a testament to the results they have earned this campaign.

“Steve Bruce has done a remarkable job, but it is about trying to hold a unit together, and I think he will do that again this weekend.”

The former Arsenal striker also touched upon Miguel Almiron, stating that the team needs his pace and movement due to the absence of their other skilful winger.

Not what fans want to hear

Some supporters were against Bruce since day one and there are still large portions of the fanbase who oppose him due to the idea that he is a “yes man” to Mike Ashley.

He, therefore, faces a difficult task to win them round and will need more than a few good results to achieve that, mainly because the style of football he has implemented is far from pleasant on the eye.

The claim he is doing a “remarkable job” will probably not be warmly greeted by fans, particularly as Nicholas also suggests that the club can expect little more than to survive year after year.

A football legend: Can you get over 80% on this Gazza quiz? Find out now…

It is exactly that lack of ambition which frustrates supporters so much and why many want Ashley and Bruce out of the club, as they both represent an ethos of a side treading above water.

Currently, the Magpies are taking one step forward and two steps back, with performances such as the one last weekend rightly unacceptable to fans, and with Crystal Palace operating in a similar style to Sean Dyche’s side they could pose problems for Bruce and Newcastle as well.

Elsewhere, with Newcastle reportedly interested in Everton’s Mason Holgate our team of Football FanCast writers gave their verdicts on whether he’d be a good addition.

After stumbling to a 1-1 draw against Luton last time out, Leeds got back to winning ways in impressive fashion with a 3-1 triumph over Blackburn on Saturday afternoon.

And one of the stand-out performers on the day was undoubtedly Mateusz Klich.

The Poland international has been an ever-present for Marcelo Bielsa’s side this season, making 43 appearances across all competitions, and his performance against Blackburn was up there with one of his best.

As per Sofascore, his 7.7 match rating was the highest of any player on the pitch, and with his goal and assist, it’s no surprise why. Klich also completed 80% of his passes, made two interceptions, and provided a further two key passes.

And after seeing his display, Leeds fans flooded to Twitter to share their reactions.

A couple of Leeds fans suggested that Klich’s performance showed that he is back to his absolute best.

So with just five games to go, Leeds have taken another big step towards clinching automatic promotion with their win over Blackburn.

Is it Haaland Snr or David Hopkins? Your Leeds knowledge will be put to the test with this quiz…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

More inspired performances like the one produced by Klich, and Bielsa’s side will surely be crowning their return back to English football’s top-flight sooner rather than later.

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…

Gareth Bale appears to be fluttering his eyelashes at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Real Madrid superstar gave an interview to BT Sport in which he hailed the club’s appointment of Jose Mourinho and backed them to win silverware sooner rather than later.

He said: “Having [Jose] Mourinho there is an amazing statement from the club, I think he’s a serial winner.

“Tottenham want to win trophies and I don’t think there’s a better partnership than Mourinho and Tottenham together to try and win some trophies.”

Forever a Spurs legend: Honour Pochettino by getting 100% on this all-Poch quiz…

AS has claimed that Spurs want to bring Bale back to the club he left for Real in 2013, and one has to wonder whether or not that would be the best idea.

Bale’s quotes, of course, could be innocuous, or they could point towards a desire to leave the Santiago Bernabeu.

Bale, after all, has been regularly booed by the Real fans and caused controversy after posing with a flag on international duty with Wales, emblazoned with the words “Wales, Golf, Madrid, in that order”.

Spurs, though, ought to steer well clear.

This is a player who is approaching the twilight of his career – he turns 31 in July – and who has little to no resale value whatsoever.

One could see the acquisition of Bale as a potential boon for chairman Daniel Levy and he’d be right to think that – shirt sales would soar and headlines would be written, but Bale is not the player he once was.

Last season, in 29 league appearances, Bale scored eight goals in La Liga; this season he has just two to his name thus far.

This is not to mention that Spurs already have a number of options up front, not least Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, who have 22 Premier League goals between them already this term.

Regardless of what Bale says, he simply isn’t worth the money he would cost.

It is of no surprise that his only serious suitor in the summer came from China; it is instructive of his current character that he wanted to go.

Forget the romance, Spurs shouldn’t go anywhere near their former hero.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans have reacted to a new report about Mauricio Pochettino. 

Over the years, Liverpool Football Club have attracted fans from all over the world and when you look at their history, it’s not hard to see why.

However, this has led to a huge influx of ‘plastic fans’ or ‘fakes’ or ‘glory hunters’ who are merely supporting the club because of its success – these so-called supporters are the bain of a true fan’s life.

A ‘plastic’ often won’t follow the endeavours of the team on a day-to-day or even a week-to-week basis, know much about what’s happened in its past and ultimately won’t stick with it through the tough times.

But you can bet your bottom dollar that they’ll be there celebrating after the next big trophy or title, lapping up all the glory alongside you.

Today you have the chance to prove whether you’re a proper Reds fan or just another ‘glory hunter’ by taking our ultimate 25-question quiz on the red half of Merseyside!

Questions will cover everything from the very beginnings in Anfield in the late 19th century to the modern-day and Jurgen Klopp’s exciting UEFA Champions League-winning and potential 2019/2020 Premier League-winning team. “It’s our year,” remember?

Display how much you know about the previous times that the Kopites have lifted the trophy of Europe’s premier club competition and all the other titles they’ve achieved in their silver-encrusted history.

Show us your knowledge of Anfield such as why the famous Kop is named so and the remarkable players that have graced its hallowed turf from 1892 to 2019, including some of those in the first-team squad now.

And what about the legendary managers that have taken charge of the Reds as the decades have rolled by and some of the incredible matches that have heralded some of the club’s most iconic moments?

Give it a go…

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

Mark Warburton has shown he likes to mix up his formations and a slight change in the current system could reap big rewards.

Just yesterday we suggested that using a 4-2-3-1 could get the best out of Ryan Manning and Lee Wallace, and now we believe that a 5-2-3 is another system he should also consider using.

On the chalkboard

When Brentford comfortable dispatched the R’s a few weeks ago Warburton decided it was time to ditch the 4-2-3-1 system he had in place, but so far a return to 5-3-2 has not fixed his team’s defensive problems, with four goals conceded in two games.

As a result, it would be wise to alter his system slightly to a 5-2-3, and operate with two defensive midfielders whose primary job is to protect the defence and cut out any passes into their own final third.

Doing so should make QPR more organised and tougher to break down, but it will also have a positive effect on the forward players as it could grant them more freedom to express themselves in attack.

A forward three of Ilias Chair, Eberechi Eze and Nahki Wells would be able to interchange up-front and create chances for one another, with the wing-backs also performing their typical role, meaning QPR will be able to maintain their attacking strength.

Watch Queens Park Rangers Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Finding balance

At the moment it is all about finding the right balance for Warburton, but in organising his team into two separate sections he can delegate responsibility effectively.

He has the personnel at his disposal to make a success of it, too, with Geoff Cameron and Dominic Ball two defensive-minded players who are able to play in deep-lying midfield.

The attacking trio mentioned above have already proved themselves as well – Chair even grabbed an assist for Wells’ goal against Middlesbrough, and with Eze given free rein he too could wreak havoc.

Eze has already achieved more successful dribbles than any other Championship player this season and in a role which would allow him to play closer to Wells, the pair could thrive.

The striker has been key to QPR this term, and continuing his goalscoring record will be a top priority, but with two supporting teammates he should get even more chances, and that should lead to more goals.

The change in system would help Wells and the other strikers in the squad, while also addressing the big concern of the defence.