All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Arsenal are keen to strengthen their bid for the Premier League title and could now move for one of Europe’s best wingers after contacting his agent.

The Gunners have made an excellent start to the campaign and look to be on course for another successful campaign under Mikel Arteta, albeit they will likely be judged on whether they manage to deliver a first top-flight crown since 2004.

Admittedly, having to stew for two weeks after a frustrating draw with Sunderland where Brian Brobbey brought the hosts level late on is a tough pill to swallow. However, success is defined by your ability to bounce back, and Arsenal look to have a renewed sense of character in comparison to previous years.

Waiting on players to come back from injury to help with their heavy fixture schedule is something Arteta will be banking on, and the Spaniard has indicated Gabriel Jesus has his part to play as the Gunners look to move closer to the title.

He said before his side drew in the North East: “A player who is very unpredictable, full of energy, and super competitive. A player who comes from a context of difficulty in the last few seasons, due to various nasty injuries, so the level of hunger and desire that he is going to bring to the team is going to be amazing.

“So I’m thrilled to have him, I think he’s going to add something extra to the team that we don’t have, and make sure that very soon we see him on that pitch making an impact for the team.”

Even then, it may be some time before the Brazilian is fully fit, so it will come as no surprise to hear that Arsenal are now keen to strengthen their forward line once the January window opens, and talkSPORT revealed this week that the north Londoners want to sign a youthful forward.

Arsenal make contact with Borussia Dortmund attacker Karim Adeyemi's agent

According to TEAMtalk, Arsenal have initiated contact with super-agent Jorge Mendes over Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi as they look to bolster competition out on the right flank, with Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke currently competing for a first-team slot.

The Bundesliga giants will insist on recouping a figure of £62 million in January. Meanwhile, the Germany international has a £71 million release clause and is also attracting interest from Manchester United. What’s more, and perhaps more interestingly, Arteta personally views him as the ideal upgrade to Brentford loanee Reiss Nelson, and Arsenal are convinced that Adeyemi can rival summer signing Noni Madueke.

Andrea Berta is further boosted by the report’s claim that Adeyemi is more keen on a move to London than Manchester, so a deal could be there to be done.

Karim Adeyemi’s Bundesliga statistics — 2025/26 (Fotmob)

Shots

16

Shots on target

5

Completed dribbles

13

Chances created

8

Touches in opposition box

38

Known for his explosive speed, Adeyemi has registered three goals and three assists in 14 matches this season, and he is now at risk of opting not to sign an extension at Dortmund, with his current contract set to expire in 2027.

Arsenal have entered a bidding war for one of the Premier League's best midfielders

London is his preferred destination, potentially offering a crucial boost to Arteta, and it remains to be seen if he eventually puts pen to paper at the Emirates Stadium.

Newcastle United’s December fixture list is looking extremely busy already.

By the time the action-packed month closes, Eddie Howe’s Toon will have played eight games in all competitions, with Bayer Leverkusen up next for the frantic Magpies in the Champions League.

So far for Howe and Co, it’s been one draw and one win in the hectic month, with the 2-1 win over Burnley secured last time out in the Premier League far more nervy than it needed to be, after the hosts had gifted the ten-man Clarets a penalty right at the death.

Thankfully, no late fightback was on the cards, but with fixture congestion obviously going to become a big issue the more the month goes on, some changes could be on the agenda for the trip to Germany on Wednesday night, whether it’s because of tired legs or an actual drop in performance.

Where Eddie Howe needs to rotate against Leverkusen

With 17 shots tallied up on the Burnley goal throughout, Newcastle, arguably, should have notched up a far more comprehensive win against Scott Parker’s valiant visitors.

Nick Woltemade didn’t cover himself in much glory up top, in this regard, with just 18 touches of the ball passing him by, leading to zero on-target shots being powered at Martin Dubravka’s busy goal.

With Yoane Wissa back and available for selection after a lengthy injury, too, it could well be the perfect time to test out the ex-Brentford striker from the start against Leverkusen, with the German dismissed as having a “sloppy” performance, as per the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope.

He wasn’t the only performer on the pitch that stood out for all the wrong reasons, though, with Jacob Ramsey struggling throughout, next to Bruno Guimaraes, who grabbed another memorable Toon strike.

Sandro Tonali and Joelinton will likely walk back into the midfield spots ahead of Ramsey, who would give up the handball that gifted Zian Flemming a 94th-minute lifeline.

Anthony Elanga also continues to look lost in Newcastle black and white, with just one of his seven dribbles coming off against Burnley, but other Newcastle faces managed to cement their first-team position even more on Saturday afternoon, as this often hit-and-miss attacker continues to turn around his initially underwhelming season.

Newcastle's "best player" is now undroppable again

Newcastle have been very hit and miss so far this season, but with three Premier League victories now from their last four clashes in the tough division, Howe will hope his wobbly team have turned a corner.

Anthony Gordon certainly has, with the ex-Everton winger’s days of drawing blanks in league action this season firmly over, as he has now converted two crucial penalties back-to-back at St. James’ Park.

Without the England international’s ice-cold precision from the spot, the Magpies might well have been staring at two completely different results.

It’s been a very sharp turnaround in fortunes for the 24-year-old, with one analyst claiming that Gordon had entered “Gabriel Obertan territory” earlier in the campaign when he was consistently drawing blanks in the Premier League.

Obertan would only go on to score three goals for the Toon across a difficult 77-game spell, having never lived up to his early hype in England, when on the books of Manchester United.

Thankfully, Gordon now looks to have recaptured his gung-ho best, away from looking passive down the channels, with Howe – come the full-time whistle of the Burnley win – even labelling the Liverpool-born forward as the “best player” on the pitch as his “direct running” ultimately helped Newcastle overcome a stern Clarets battle.

PL games played

10

PL goals scored

2

PL assists

0

Champions League games played

5

CL goals scored

4

CL assists

1

Looking at the table above, too, Gordon has the chance to firm up why he deserves to be one of Howe’s first names on the teamsheets by putting in another memorable showing in the Champions League at the BayArena, having mustered up a sublime four goals and one assist this season in Europe’s first-class competition.

With a whirlwind 37 goals and assists amassed over his previous two seasons on Tyneside, too, Gordon will hope he can enter into another purple patch of form after suffering from some shaky moments here and there this campaign, off the back of his manager’s glowing words.

There’s certainly plenty of action ahead for Gordon to sink his teeth into, as he prays more words of praise come his way soon from his manager and beyond, alongside Newcastle continuing to pick up more wins.

Fewer touches than Ramsdale & 1 duel won: Newcastle star could be dropped

This Newcastle star struggled in the 2-1 win vs. Burnley

ByJoe Nuttall 5 days ago

Tottenham Hotspur have been something of a mixed bag this season, but at least the Londoners are well set for a prolonged period of success, having recruited a range of exciting young talents over the past few years.

While there are many teenage talents waiting in the wings, Thomas Frank and Ange Postecoglou before him have succeeded in integrating youth, with the average age of Tottenham’s starting 11 in the Premier League this season 25.2, as opposed to a 27-year-old average during the 2022/23 campaign.

Who could be a better purveyor of this new focus than Micky van de Ven? The 24-year-old has increasingly become a talismanic force for the Lilywhites.

How Van de Ven is becoming the main man at Spurs

Van de Ven isn’t quite a spring chicken, having racked up 51 Premier League appearances, but he’s still well before his prime as a centre-back, and he’s still emerging as a superstar for Tottenham.

The Dutch defender has been described as “world-class” by journalist Sonny Snelling, with his remarkable blend of athletic power and position-bending pace making him a force to be reckoned with.

It is crucial that Tottenham keep him in their ranks over the coming years, with few players more influential than him in the Premier League. It would be difficult for Spurs to sign an even better star to strengthen their backline, after all. Certainly, it would be difficult to find someone capable of mimicking the former Wolfsburg player’s dynamic skills.

Of course, Tottenham’s prudence and promotion of their academy talent has seen them land such a player already.

Spurs have signed a bigger talent than Van de Ven

Van de Ven is a unique profile, but then Tottenham have also signed a singular talent in Luka Vuskovic, with the 18-year-old bearing the skillset to become one of the Premier League’s finest.

Hailed as a “freak talent” and a “freak athlete” for his physical profile by analyst Ben Mattinson, Vuskovic is currently plying his trade out on loan in Germany with Hamburger SV, with Spurs having wrapped up a deal for the youngster in 2023, yet to integrate him into the senior set-up.

While there is much work still to be done, the Croatian prospect has only increased the hype across his first few months in the Bundesliga, having established himself as a core part of Hamburg’s defence, who are 13th after ten matches.

Looking at how the teenager compares with Van de Ven this season, it’s easy to see why there is so much chatter around his name. You might even say Van de Ven is being outperformed by the younger man.

Translation from the Bundesliga to the Premier League can prove a hard task, but Vuskovic certainly has what it takes, and his physical attributes are only going to develop further over the coming years.

Matches (starts)

11 (11)

8 (8)

Goals

3

1

Assists

0

0

Clean sheets

3

2

Touches*

69.9

82.5

Accurate passes*

54.6 (92%)

53.0 (86%)

Chances created*

0.2

0.8

Dribbles*

0.3

0.3

Recoveries*

3.7

4.4

Tackles + interceptions*

2.3

1.6

Clearances*

3.4

9.8

Duels (won)*

3.1 (53%)

8.9 (72%)

With this in mind, we might consider the 6 foot 4 teenager to have what it takes to become Tottenham’s leader at the rear, ahead of Van de Ven, ahead of Cristian Romero.

In fact, WhoScored believe that Vuskovic’s performances have been so impressive that he gets into the European Team of the Season so far, higher-rated, in fact, than Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes beside him.

Not just a warrior at the back, in the words of U23 scout Antonio Mango, much like Van de Ven, he is “turning into a goal machine” having netted seven goals on loan at Belgian side KVC Westerlo in 2024/25.

Though Vuskovic still has some developing to do, there’s no question that he’s a potential superstar, and if he does come to partner the Dutchman down the line, he might even outstrip him.

Spurs have their new Parrott in academy star who's been "compared to Kane"

This Tottenham Hotspur youngster could be a future star in North London despite his struggles this season.

ByDan Emery Nov 20, 2025

Leeds United have only scored 11 goals in their 11 Premier League matches so far this season since they won promotion from the Championship last term.

The newly-promoted side have struggled to find the back of the net on a regular basis. That has not been because of a lack of creativity, though, as the Whites have created 14.7 xG in the division, per WhoScored.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

2.89

1

-1.89

Jayden Bogle

0.88

0

-0.88

Brenden Aaronson

1.79

1

-0.79

Joel Piroe

0.73

0

-0.73

Pascal Struijk

0.65

0

-0.65

Dan James

0.47

0

-0.47

Jack Harrison

0.41

0

-0.41

As you can see in the table above, too many players have been wasteful with the chances that have been created for them in the Premier League so far this season.

Summer signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin, in particular, has not been clinical enough as the starting number nine for the West Yorkshire outfit, underperforming his xG by roughly two goals.

With the team’s struggles in front of goal in mind, supporters may be thinking about what the club could do to solve the issue, whether that is through promoting academy talent, making signings in January, or recalling players from their loans.

One star who is currently shining out on loan away from Elland Road is centre-forward Joe Gelhardt, but he looks set to remain at Hull City until at least the end of the season.

Why Joe Gelhardt will not be returning to Leeds United in January

HullLive recently reported that the English striker is expected to remain with the Championship club until next summer, despite the Whites having the option to recall him in January.

The report claimed that Leeds do not have any plans to recall Gelhardt from his loan because they feel that he is in the best place to develop as a player at Hull, who are interested in a deal to sign him permanently next summer.

This shows that Daniel Farke and his coaching staff do not believe that the 23-year-old marksman is the answer to their current problems in the Premier League, or else they would be planning to bring him back to Thorp Arch to bolster the squad for the second half of the season.

The Leeds loanee has plundered seven goals and two assists in 13 Championship starts for the Tigers so far this season, per FotMob, which is why there may have been some supporters wondering if the club would look to recall him.

xG

4.59

Top 4%

xG on target

5.98

Top 3%

Goals

7

Top 2%

xA

2.48

Top 7%

Assists

2

Top 20%

Chances created

13

Top 24%

As you can see in the table above, Gelhardt has finished his chances at an incredibly efficient rate, outperforming his xG by just over two goals, but Leeds have reportedly decided that he is not the answer for them in the Premier League.

This means that Farke will have to look elsewhere to solve his team’s goalscoring woes, and he should forget about Gelhardt to unleash a young star from the academy.

Leeds' Gelhardt replacement

17-year-old centre-forward Harry Gray made his first-team debut for the Whites against Stoke City in the Championship last season, but he has yet to make an appearance in the Premier League in the current campaign.

Derby County, Swansea City, Charlton Athletic, and Hull City are four Championship sides reportedly chasing a deal to sign the teenage marksman on loan for the second half of the season when the January transfer window opens for business.

Leeds, though, should reject their advances and, instead, look to unleash Gray in the first-team with the hope that he can provide the goalscoring touch that has eluded their current options up front.

The England youth international, who was hailed as a “powerful” player by Como scout Ben Mattinson, has been in fantastic form for the club’s academy in the 2025/26 campaign, with his most notable moment being his hat-trick against Scunthorpe in the National League Cup in September.

On top of that hat-trick, Gray has also scored five goals in six Premier League 2 games and two goals in two EFL Trophy matches, per Transfermarkt, which means that the teenage forward has racked up ten goals in all competitions this season.

The 17-year-old talent had the chance to play against a League Two first-team, Accrington Stanley, in the EFL Trophy before the international break, and showed that he can make an impact against senior opposition.

Sofascore rating

8.6

Shots

3

Shots on target

3

Goals

2

Pass accuracy

71%

Fouls won

3

Ground duels won

4/8

Aerial duels won

2/7

As you can see in the table above, Gray did struggle with the aerial duels in the game, understandably as a 17-year-old against first-team centre-backs, but he did hold his own in physical contests on the deck and scored two goals in the game.

This suggests that he is ready to compete against experienced defenders, even if battling for aerial balls is not his strength, which is why Farke should look to reward him with a chance to impress in the Premier League this season.

The impressive teenager has done all that he can do to impress the head coach with his performances this season. He has scored goals at an exceptional rate in every competition for the U21s, showing that he can be ruthless in front of goal and find the back of the net on a regular basis.

As aforementioned, Leeds have not taken enough of their chances in the Premier League so far this season, which is why they need a lethal marksman who can make the most of the opportunities that are being created.

Bamford 2.0: Leeds chase ST with 15 goals in 25/26, he'd save Farke's job

Leeds United are interested in signing a striker who could save Daniel Farke’s job at Elland Road.

ByDan Emery Nov 15, 2025

With this in mind, Farke must unleash Gray in the first-team to see if he can make the step up, whilst Gelhardt is left to see out the rest of the season with Hull.

Any doubts about Newcastle United’s quality have been extinguished by a run of October form that has led to six wins from seven matches in all competitions.

Newcastle are making headway in the Champions League and have set themselves back on track in the Premier League with a last-minute winner against Fulham at the weekend. St. James’ Park roared, and then cheers in concert once again when Tottenham Hotspur were dumped from the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.

Still, Eddie Howe’s side are hardly firing on all cylinders, and that especially applies to the final third. However, Nick Woltemade has been nothing but brilliant since completing his club-record £69m transfer over from Stuttgart in August, and the German striker is spearheading the fight for silverware and retention of this seat at the top European table.

Woltemade's prolific start at Newcastle

Woltemade’s crisp header to seal the victory over Tottenham marked his sixth of the campaign, just 11 matches into his Newcastle career.

Alexander Isak’s record-breaking transfer to Liverpool felt like it could have a detrimental effect on the Toon project, but Newcastle have kept on moving forward, with the rangy centre-forward dovetailing into the system.

He loves a header, the German does, but that’s hardly the full scope of his game. Lanky at 6 foot 6, Woltemade has no right to be as technically graceful and intuitive in the tight spaces as he is, ranking among the top 9% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons and the top 5% for shot-creating actions per 90.

And yet he is mesmerising when on the ball. BBC Sport analyst Raj Chohan has even said that “there’s no striker on the planet who moves the ball like Woltemade.”

With this in mind, the Tyneside frontline should be firing on all cylinders, but this isn’t the case. Anthony Gordon is seemingly saving his best displays for the continental front at the moment, while Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy make up solid, if unspectacular, parts of the unit.

But there’s another man who has left much to be desired, and must be frustrated with his tough start to life in black and white as Woltemade thrives beside him.

The Newcastle star being saved by Woltemade

How often have we seen a player struggle to impress after switching clubs in the Premier League? It’s not an uncommon experience, to be sure.

And for Anthony Elanga, this is the reality as he still searches for his first direct goal involvement as a Magpie, having joined Newcastle from Nottingham Forest for £55m in August, one year after Howe’s first bid to snatch him from Evangelos Marinakis.

It’s been an inauspicious start to life in Howe’s squad, it must be said. Elanga has played 14 times in all competitions and has yet to register a goal or an assist.

Still, the Sweden international is one of the fastest players in the Premier League, and while his playmaking success has dried up of late, he ranks among the top 8% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists per 90.

And there’s a good reason that the big bucks were spent on his signature. For Nottingham Forest, the 23-year-old was a menace, with his fleet-footedness and tendency to directly take on his man playing to the strengths of Howe’s counter-attacking system.

However, deeper statistical analysis would suggest that even across his two terms with the Tricky Trees, Elanga left something to be desired. He is not the most active in taking on his opponent, despite his pace, and does not dribble with the intensity of frequency that perhaps his physique suggests is within his capacity.

Matches (starts)

36 (25)

38 (31)

Goals

5

6

Assists

9

11

Shots (on target)*

1.5 (0.6)

1.1 (0.6)

Pass completion

75%

78%

Key passes*

0.9

1.3

Big chances created

14

9

Dribbles*

0.8

0.7

Tackles + interceptions*

1.1

0.7

Duels (won)*

2.9 (44%)

3.0 (45%)

With just four Premier League starts in a Newcastle shirt this season, it’s perhaps premature to analyse the data on a wider scale, but we can observe that Elanga is currently averaging only 1.8 successful duels per game, completing just 18% of his dribbles besides.

With a nominal amount of shots unleashed each game and not a big chance yet created, it’s not difficult to see why he’s struggling.

But Elanga needs only take a leaf from Anthony Gordon’s book. After all, the Three Lions star flattered to deceive after completing a £45m transfer from Everton in January 2023, then clicking into gear in 2023/24, winning the Newcastle Player of the Year award after posting 11 goals and ten assists in the top flight.

Gordon has yet to fully spread his wings this season, but he’s tenacious and talented and undoubtedly the focal point out wide for Newcastle. Elanga will use him as inspiration.

Now, Gordon is one of the most prominent wingers in the Premier League, seemingly Thomas Tuchel’s preferred pick on the Three Lions’ left flank as the 2026 World Cup looms ever closer.

While Elanga’s sticky form continued with a 6/10 display against Tottenham, as noted by the Shields Gazette, there is a wide recognition of the winger’s talent, and he will improve as he continues to develop under Howe’s wing.

This is all to say that fans would be silly to give up on Elanga after only a few months at St. James’ Park. There’s a real player in there, a star who the club scouted extensively.

Perhaps he’s mimicking a former version of Gordon, but if that is the case, then the best is yet to come.

New Tonali: Newcastle's 8/10 ace has been an "incredible piece of business"

Newcastle have proved their skill in the transfer market once again this summer.

ByAngus Sinclair Oct 30, 2025