All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Crystal Palace enjoyed a hugely exciting and productive transfer window over the summer, but things weren’t always as captivating on that front for the south London club.

During the 2014/15 season, Jordon Mutch joined the likes of Zeki Fryers, Martin Kelly and Fraizer Campbell in coming to Selhurst Park doors following a £5.71m switch from fellow Premier League side Queens Park Rangers.

It appeared to be a sensible transfer at first glance. Although the 6 foot beast had failed to find the back of the net in a frustrating six-month stay at QPR, he had impressed at previous employers Cardiff City.

Mutch bagged seven goals and provided a further six assists in 35 top-flight appearances throughout 2013/14, catching the eye despite the Bluebirds’ eventual relegation.

The box-to-box dynamo penned a four-and-a-half-year contract with Palace after spending just 25 weeks at Loftus Road, much to the delight of then-Eagles manager manager Alan Pardew.

“Jordon’s a player that caught my eye against my Newcastle side and he’s a young player with potential,” Pardew said. “It hasn’t quite worked out for him at QPR, so we’ve given him the opportunity to come and play here.

“He’s got talent, he can score goals, and in our environment, hopefully, he’ll have more success than he did at QPR. You need to score goals from all areas of the pitch in the Premier League, and that’s an area where we can improve.”

However, things went horribly wrong for Mutch during his time in south London. The former England under-21 international made just 11 Premier League starts for the Eagles before being sent out on loan to Reading in January 2017.

Another loan stint at Vancouver Whitecaps followed in the subsequent campaign before he was allowed to join South Korean outfit Gyeongnam FC on a free transfer.

Stints in Norway and Australia have followed for Mutch, who left Palace after failing to register a single goal or assist in 40 appearances for the club, and the 29-year-old is currently plying his trade with Macarthur FC in the A-League.

The whole saga was a regrettable nightmare for both player and club, and it’s a deal that both parties will surely wish turned out rather differently.

In other news… Signed for £3.42m, now worth £40.5m: Parish struck gold for Palace over £130k-p/w gem 

One of the biggest plus points from Ange Postecoglou’s reign as Celtic manager so far has been Tom Rogic.

The Australian pair have worked together at international level before and it would appear that the attacking midfielder’s career has been revived somewhat.

In 2020, it looked as though Rogic was heading for the exit door. There was interest from overseas and a campaign of rarely featuring only heightened the chances of a departure in the last few months.

Yet, Postecoglou’s arrival has been timely. Rogic scored against Dundee in the 6-0 rout and then claimed an assist in the 6-0 hammering of St Mirren too.

A first start for his country since 2019 over the last two weeks also signified how big of a comeback he’s made.

Yet, after returning to Glasgow this weekend, he looked off the pace. Few can blame the Aussie for a tired display after travelling around the world but Celtic can be fortunate that it didn’t cost them.

The Hoops still routinely beat Ross County 3-0 but were let down by the 28-year-old who was taken off with 12 minutes remaining.

It was a performance that was distinctly out of character with the midfielder’s showings this term.

He gave away possession on 16 occasions, the second-highest number by a Celtic player and prevailed in just 22.2% of his defensive duels.

That meant that Rogic won two of the nine aerial and ground battles that he competed in throughout the clash.

On top of that, his pass success rate stood at a measly 71%, the worst by any Hoops player apart from Albian Ajeti.

The Australia international did provide two key passes but his ill-disciplined performance was summed up by a couple of fouls.

Rogic has impressed significantly under the stewardship of his fellow countryman but this was a display to forget for Celtic’s number 18.

Here’s hoping he can rediscover his early season form sooner rather than later.

AND in other news, Celtic dealt massive injury blow ahead of Ross County, Postecoglou will be gutted…

Rangers will be hoping to return to winning ways as they face Livingston in the Scottish League Cup on Wednesday night.

The Gers were held to a 1-1 draw by Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership at the weekend, which came just after a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Lyon in the Europa League.

Steven Gerrard will surely be hoping for an improvement from his side after the draw with Motherwell, with a place in the semi-final up for grabs tonight.

How many changes will Gerrard make? Here is our predicted XI for the match…

We are predicting that he will make six changes, with Leon Balogun, Jon McLaughlin, Calvin Bassey, Juninho Bacuna and Alfredo Morelos coming in.

Between the sticks, we are predicting that Jon McLaughlin will be given a run-out ahead of Allan McGregor. Rotating the goalkeepers between the different competitions could help to keep the squad morale high in the Rangers squad, rather than having players unhappy at a lack of game time.

We published an article explaining why £3.1k-per-week dud Jack Simpson must be axed, with Leon Balogun replacing him in the XI.

Next to Balogun, however, we are predicting that Calvin Bassey will come in to give Borna Barisic a rest. The Croatian could sit this one out to ensure that he is 100% fit for the clash with Dundee at the weekend.

In midfield, we believe that Juninho Bacuna will be handed a start. He made his debut for Rangers as a substitute against Motherwell, opening the door for him to be placed in the starting XI for this match. It could be an ideal chance for him to show Gerrard that he deserves to be playing in the Premiership week-in-week-out.

The final change we are predicting is at the top end of the pitch. Whilst Kemar Roofe and Scott Wright keep their places, Alfredo Morelos comes in for Fashion Sakala. The Colombian international has only scored once in five Premiership appearances this term and is in desperate need of a confidence boost, which is why we believe Gerrard will start him in this match in the hope that he will finally hit the goal trail.

AND in other news, Fresh development emerges on “instrumental” gem that’ll excite Rangers supporters…

Marcus Bent believes new Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira “missed the boat” by failing to beat Watford to the signature of free agent Josh King.

Vieira, who was appointed as Roy Hodgson’s successor last month, got his Palace reign off to a disappointing start after suffering a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

Marc Guehi, who completed an £18million switch from the Champions League holders in the summer, made his full debut at Stamford Bridge and Joachim Andersen appeared in an Eagles shirt for the first time following his big-money move from Lyon.

But Palace struggled to carry a threat in front of goal and Bent believes King should have been among those to come through the Selhurst Park door.

Former Bournemouth striker King was released by Everton, following a six-month spell, earlier this summer. But, with the 29-year-old boasting 48 goals in 172 Premier League appearances, newly-promoted Watford quickly added King to their ranks.

Ex-Everton and Palace frontman Bent reckons Vieira was wrong not to push for the Norway international.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Bent said: “Teams and managers make mistakes. It happens and this is one of those. Josh King has done really well and they definitely missed the boat.”

A number of Liverpool supporters are fuming after the Reds were drawn to face Atletico Madrid in their Champions League group.

Jurgen Klopp’s side did well to qualify for Europe’s top club competition last season, following an injury-ravaged campaign without fans at Anfield.

In the end, Liverpool finished third in the Premier League, giving them an opportunity to win a seventh European Cup in 2021/22.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

On Thursday, the Reds found out who they will face in the group stage, with Atletico, Porto and AC Milan pitted against them in a tough-looking Group B.

It was Atletico who knocked Liverpool out in the last-16 back in 2019/20, with Diego Simeone’s team proving to be something of a bogey team for them.

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

Liverpool fans unhappy at Champions League draw

For that reason, these Reds fans were not happy on Twitter, with Atletico sure to provide two stern tests for Klopp’s men.

“Lord help me”

Credit: @ItIsWhatItIsra

“Ughhhh. Again. Just wanted someone different”

Credit: @TheOnlyBrianG

“2nd place isn’t bad”

Credit: @LiverpoolQuinn

“We have to play against a back 10”

Credit: @fikx_

“Lol worst possible IMO. Boring”

Credit: @_bubblxs

“Not looking good so far”

Credit: @Kloppista_LFC

In other news, some Liverpool fans are angry at some pre-Chelsea news that has emerged. Read more here.

Kevin Phillips is very impressed with Glasgow Rangers’ signing of Charlie McCann and has even said he could be the next Billy Gilmour.

The Lowdown: Gers complete McCann signing

Last week, the Gers completed the signing of McCann from Manchester United (rangers.co.uk).

The 55-time Scottish champions reportedly spent a fee of £750,000 on his services (Manchester Evening News), and the 19-year-old will initially join up with the Gers’ B squad.

The Latest: Phillips impressed by McCann

Speaking to Football Insider, former Premier League striker Phillips shared his delight with the deal. He said:

“It’s great to see.

“I think that actually comes from the manager. I’m sure that’s his move.

“Signing players like that, you can’t do it in your first season at a club, as a manager.

“You have to earn that trust from the board or the owner. He’s done that. It’s a bargain as well.

“He’s won the trophy and they will listen to him. Rangers are planning for the future.

“What can they do to aid the club’s progress? Signing top young talents is a good place to start.

“Rangers could have the next Billy Gilmour. It’s another very exciting move from the club.”

The Verdict: Easy comparison

The comparison to Gilmour, given how the Scotland international came through the Gers’ youth system before moving to Chelsea, is an easy – perhaps even lazy – one to make from Phillips. However, given that the Gers were willing to spend close to £1m to capture the midfielder’s services despite him never making a first team appearance, McCann clearly has talent.

The Gers have been looking to bring in several exciting young talents in recent years such as the likes of Tony Weston and James Graham. At 19, McCann is not too far from playing senior football, you would have thought, and hopefully he can make that step at Ibrox in the near future.

In other news, this Rangers man is on the verge of a move away from Ibrox.

It’s no secret that the world of football sponsorship is big business. Almost every year a new financial record gets broken for the most expensive sponsorship, with recent examples including Emirates Airline’s £300 million deal with Real Madrid, as well as the £448 million seven-year agreement between Manchester United and the car manufacturer Chevrolet. It’s clear that sponsors think it is worth the cost.

One element of football sponsorships that is becoming increasingly visible is the tie-in between football teams and online casinos. A huge number of iconic teams, including Celtic, West Ham, and Crystal Palace, are all sponsored by online casinos. But why is this the case? Read on to find out some of the reasons.

Many casinos offer sports betting

One of the main reasons why almost 60% of English Premier League clubs have had at least one sponsorship with an online casino is because many of those casinos also offer betting on those same football teams, creating an obvious tie-in. Once a casino has caught a football fan’s attention, they can start marketing other products to them.

For example, Mr Green Casino, which sponsors Celtic, offers a range of sports betting services, but it also offers immersive live casino gaming and award-winning blackjack online services that visitors can try. In some ways, football betting is a way of getting people through the door, so that they can gain access to some of the casino games on offer.

Casinos are flush with cash

Running a Premier League football club is, to put it mildly, expensive. That’s why most of the top clubs will only consider sponsorships from massive companies with plenty of resources to invest. That’s why casinos are an obvious choice for many.

The online casino industry has experienced massive growth over the course of the past decade, with some of the top UK casinos ranking among the most profitable companies in the country. There are few better candidates who are willing to stump up millions and millions of pounds for long-term sponsorship deals.

Casinos care about branding

The casino industry is a PR-conscious one that tends to prioritise brand visibility above most other forms of marketing. It does not take a genius to figure out why a football team sponsorship would be a stellar way to raise the profile of an online casino. Tens of millions of people will be exposed to an online casino brand whenever a footballer wearing a sponsored strip appears on the screen.

This is the kind of publicity and brand visibility that is impossible to attain via any other medium. Casinos know that football sponsorships work, in part because the exposure that such sponsorships afford is so massive that it is always bound to result in an influx of customers.

For both football clubs and online casinos alike, brand sponsorships of this kind work. It is for these reasons why it is unlikely that online casinos will be disappearing from football strips and stadia anytime soon.

According to 90min.com, Southampton are interested in signing Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey this summer.

The Lowdown: Saints stepping up preparations

After a 15th-place finish in the Premier League last term for Southampton, Ralph Hasenhuttl and co will be desperate to improve this coming campaign.

So far, they have made two new signings – Romain Perraud has joined from Stade Brestois (southamptonfc.com), and Dynel Simeu joined from Chelsea (chelseafc.com).

The Latest: Saints eye Bailey

Now, though, it seems the Saints are ready to launch a stunning move for Bailey.

They are not the only side interested, however, with Aston Villa, Leicester, Everton and Wolves all also said to be in pursuit.

Leverkusen are looking to for £25m to part ways with the Jamaica international.

The Verdict: Stunning

There is no doubt about it – if Hasenhuttl and co are able to capture Bailey, it would be a major coup for the St. Mary’s Stadium outfit.

The 23-year-old enjoyed a magnificent campaign last term, scoring 15 goals and providing 11 assists in all competitions for Die Werkself (Transfermarkt). He has long been an exciting talent – he has even been compared to Arjen Robben (Bundesliga.com).

The £25m fee could well be an obstacle for the Saints – Hasenhuttl previously said they would struggled to spend more than £10m on a single player this summer (Sky Sports). However, if they could make an exception in this case, they would have a truly top player on their hands with room to grow at just 23 years of age.

In other news, Southampton fans are livid with an update on this 27-year-old.

Many Wolves fans have been left buzzing as a transfer update emerged on Antonee Robinson.

As per Football Insider, the Midlands club are plotting a move to sign the Fulham ace in the summer window, who is valued at £10m by his team.

In spite of the Cottagers’ relegation from the Premier League down to the EFL Championship, Robinson was a standout player for them, ranking highly among his teammates in terms of tackles (1.6 per game), interceptions (1.3), clearances (1.9), key passes (one), dribbles (1.8) and crosses (one) in the top flight (Whoscored).

With his extra Premier League experience, Robinson would certainly be a handy squad option at left-back for new manager Bruno Lage, and at just 23 years of age, the American still has a lot of potential to improve further.

Thus, £10m could turn out to be an absolute bargain for the Molineux faithful should they sign him.

Wolves fans on Robinson transfer update

These WWFC supporters buzzed as the transfer update was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that signing Robinson would be ‘class’:

“Young, cheap, brings good squad depth, Jonny and Marcal too injury prone. Do it IMO.”

Credit: @adenwwfc_

“Him and Rayan would be great options imo seeing as Jonny and Marcal are injury prone now”

Credit: @_tomwwfc

“He looks a good investment sure he’s worth a punt. Taller than some which is a necessity at the back!”

Credit: @Billywi62142167

“Would be cool! I liked his defensive play when he faced us, and he is young. Plenty of potential.”

Credit: @johnlanham1

“Get him…. with Rayan would be class…”

Credit: @_Prajay30_

“He was a tank when we played them away, he didn’t let Semedo run down the wing. I say we bring him in”

Credit: @TheWaddd

In other news, find out what recent transfer update has Wanderers talking here!

Kevin Campbell has predicted that Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard will move away from Parkhead this summer despite a breakdown in talks with Leicester City.

The Lowdown: Postecoglou 2021/22 rebuild begins in earnest

Expecting to considerably rejig his squad throughout the summer transfer window, Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou will be keen to formulate a side capable of challenging for the Premiership title this season.

High-profile outgoings are expected to be a key element of this regeneration. Kristoffer Ajer looks set to complete a £13.5m move to Brentford, whilst Ryan Christie has been linked with a move to Sampdoria in recent days.

Another man who has been linked with a Celtic Park exit is 23-year-old Edouard, who was in discussions with Leicester before stumbling blocks curtailed the switch [Foxes of Leicester].

Since then, the Hoops have completed the signing of forward Kyogo Furuhashi from J-League outfit Vissel Kobe [celticfc.com].

The Latest: Campbell believes Edouard exit ‘is going to happen’

In light of the Japan international’s arrival, Campbell believes that it is only a matter of time before Edouard leaves Celtic. The former Arsenal striker told Football Insider:

“I’ll be honest with you, it is going to happen.

“Edouard will want it to happen pretty quickly and I think the reason it has taken a little bit longer is because the move to Leicester fell through. I thought he was going to go and play under Brendan Rodgers again.

“He will be worried about getting injured in pre-season because if you’re injured you have to toe the line. But I think he will be alright, and I think he will get his move in the end.”

The Verdict: Edouard sale this summer makes sense for Celtic

Contractually, the 1.87m (6 foot 2) maestro is free to leave the Scottish giants for nothing at the end of May 2022. Inevitably, this dynamic probably means that the Bhoys will look to sell Edouard in order to recuperate a profit on the £9m they paid for him in 2018 [Sky Sports].

In 2020/21, he registered an impressive 28 goal contributions in 40 appearances, with 22 goals and six assists to his name [Transfermarkt]. His intent to regularly be involved in attack is admirable, averaging 3.5 shots per game in the Premiership across the campaign [WhoScored].

However, Celtic should look to sell the talented striker now in order to avoid losing him for free next summer, so Campbell’s premonition of a short wait for Edouard to get his move elsewhere could well come to pass.

In other news, Celtic have opened talks with this £130,000-a-week ace