Three Premier League giants who must target Santiago Gimenez

Yanick Vos

• Updated: 7 Sept 2023 10:49 BST
• 5 min read

Feyenoord managed to retain Santiago Gimenez with a new contract this summer but if the Mexican striker has another strong season, a transfer in 2024 is a more than logical follow-up.

Judging from the data from SciSports, it is quite possible that Gimenez will exchange Feyenoord for one of these three Premier League clubs after this season.

Feyenoord has struck gold with the Mexican. Last season he won the competition against Danilo to start and helped the Rotterdam team to the national title with his 15 Eredivisie goals. He finished with 23 goals in all competitions, attracting interest from all over Europe.

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He has been linked with numerous clubs, including Benfica, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United. Feyenoord kept him on board and will desperately need him in both the Eredivisie and the Champions League, in which Atlético Madrid, Sevilla and Celtic are their opponents.

His start to the 2023/24 season has been promising. He has already scored five times in his first four games and leads the Eredivisie scoring charts.

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The Mexico international is already on course to end the Eredivisie season above the magical mark of 30 goals. And if he succeeds, the doors to the top clubs will open.

At 22 years old and possessing obvious quality, Gimenez has an interesting profile for European superpowers who have a lot of money to spend.

Gimenez picky

Feyenoord director Te Kloese also assumes that after this season, top European clubs will report to De Kuip for the services of Gimenez. Several clubs were interested last transfer summer.

“But Santiago has a good head and he has a great character. If a big club came, he would say: 'This is not where I want to go, I don't want to leave yet. I first want to establish myself at Feyenoord and further develop at European level.' Deep in my heart I hope he plays with us for a few more years. But next transfer summer could well be a period in which even bigger clubs will come forward," he told De Telegraaf .

According to SciSports, Gimenez has an Estimated Transfer Value of €16.5 million. Feyenoord expect a bigger fee. There are plenty of wealthy clubs in Europe that are able to put such a transfer fee on the table.

SciSports' Transfer Advice tool provides a helping hand and shows which club suits him best in terms of, among other things, potential development, chances of playing time, playing style, formation and club status. Based on data, there are three English clubs for whom Gimenez would suit best at the moment.

Liverpool

With a club fit of 87, Liverpool is the club Gimenez can best switch to. The Mexican would have a good chance of playing time, partly due to the fact that he Reds only have one real striker in the form of Darwin Nunez. In addition, the Uruguayan is also regularly used as a winger by Jurgen Klopp.

Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo can also play at the point of attack but are natural wingers.

Gimenez and Nunez are similar players as strikers. Both are seen by SciSports as a poacher, a striker who is mainly involved in attacking actions in the box. This type of player likes to receive and shoot in the box and is good at finishing from crosses from the flanks. A poacher is not known for creating chances or involvement in defensive actions such as putting pressure or making tackles, fouls or entering into duels.

With a SciSkill of 79.6, Gimenez would currently be a substitute at Liverpool. However, he has a potential of 100.00, an estimate of a player's peak. For comparison: Nunez also has a potential of 100.00, although he currently has a SciSkill of 85.6. The latter score is slightly higher than Giménez and gives an indication of the level and capabilities of the player. Given Gimenez's potential, the 22-year-old attacker can eventually develop into an important player for the Anfield side.

Newcastle United

Gimenez's future could also lie in Newcastle. With a club fit of 83, a move to The Magpies also fits perfectly with the qualities of the Mexican. Compared to Liverpool, he could develop slightly less at St. James' Park and the chances of playing minutes are also smaller – the Toon already boast two centre forwards in the form of Alexander Isak (SciSkill 91.5) and Callum Wilson (85.3).

Isak is more of a mobile striker, while Wilson plays his role as a striker in a similar way to Gimenez. If one of the two leaves Newcastle after this season, it is not inconceivable that Te Kloese will receive a call from England.

Wilson will turn 32 in February next year and has passed his peak. At his peak, the England striker had a SciSkill of 109.4, but it has dropped to 85.3. Due to his age, he will stop developing and his SciSkill will only decrease further.

Should Newcastle United decide to part ways with him, Gimenez is the perfect replacement based on his profile. With his playing style as a poacher, according to the data from SciSports, he is a copy of Wilson.

West Ham United

It is no surprise that West Ham United contacted Feyenoord for Gimenez on the final day of the transfer market. By signing Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudus, the London club already showed that it is keeping a close eye on the Eredivisie. And with his profile, Gimenez also fits perfectly with the Hammers.

The striker is high on West Ham's wish list and will remain so if he continues in this manner. With a club fit of 82, a choice for the Premier League club would be excellent.

He could develop excellently under David Moyes and his new assistant John Heitinga. With his playing style he would suit Liverpool better and Gimenez would have a better chance of playing minutes at Anfield. Because with Danny Ings (SciSkill 81.4) and Michail Antonio (91.1), the competition at the point of attack is also stiff.