Arsenal and Chelsea target tipped for record transfer

Willem Leijgraf

Updated: 9 Oct 2023 16:21 BST
4 min read

Santiago Giménez, Quinten Timber, Calvin Stengs, Igor Paixão, Feyenoord — © ProShots

Keeping hold of Santiago Giménez is gradually becoming untenable for Feyenoord, Dutch journalist and pundit Mikos Gouka believes.

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He expects the 22-year-old striker to leave Rotterdam when a really big club comes calling and thinks that 'the right time' is not important. Giménez, who extended his contract in the summer until 2027, is currently the top scorer in the Eredivisie and is being courted by the European elite.

Giménez's tally currently stands at 12 goals in eight league games and a transfer seems only a matter of time. On the Football Podcast of Algemeen Dagblad, Gouka pondered whether Giménez should leave during the winter break or only after this season.

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“It's difficult to say,” stated the Dutch football expert. “He is not a Rotterdammer. He is not Dutch. He is a Feyenoord player, but that is just the club where he has now settled. So if a really big club comes calling, he will be gone. Whether it is the right time or not.”

Coach Arne Slot also spoke about Giménez's seemingly impending departure. “There are few Dutch clubs that can keep players at all costs,” he said after the striker's brace in the 2-0 win over PEC Zwolle. “In the winter you generally see fewer major transfers, but it is also about what the player wants.”

A wanted man

Giménez has been linked with Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid, among others, and it is expected that clubs will come knocking in January.

“He is a real goalscorer," Gouka said, "but can he compete with the absolute best? Can he do it in the Champions League? He is fit and has confidence that the right ball will come. That is a sign of a good striker. Only the level of the Eredivisie, where he is now, is not that of Real Madrid.”

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If a really big club comes calling, he will be gone. Whether it is the right time or not.

- Mikos Gouka (Algemeen Dagblad)

“If he is really in the picture there or a level below that. Then you are talking about a really big club,” says the journalist. “I think he would fit in there. There is still a lot of room for improvement. He is 22 years old and can also be sold on if he leaves for a club just below the European top.”

It was previously discussed that Giménez could yield a transfer fee of €50 million and Gouka agrees with this. “Yes, I think he will leave Feyenoord for a record amount. I would not rule out that such an offer will one day be on the table."