Tottenham Hotspur are keen on Santiago Gimenez but former Premier League ace Rafael van der Vaart believes Feyenoord should not jump at the chance to sell even if offered shy of £20 million.
With three goals in his last four games – including one against Roma in the UEFA Europa League – Feyenoord’s Mexican marksman may have been forgiven for assuming that he’d silenced his critics again.
But it will take more than a strike against Heracles at De Kuip, Feyenoord cruising to a 3-0 win on Sunday as Santiago Gimenez hit the net again, to dispel Rafael van der Vaart’s doubts.
The £40 million-rated striker has been tipped to follow in Van der Vaart’s Tottenham Hotspur footsteps, his agent admitting that the London giants are one of a number of high-profile clubs – including Inter Milan, Atletico and Real Madrid – to show an interest back in 2023.
Tottenham Hotspur eye Santiago Gimenez
Van der Vaart, however, feels that Feyenoord would be lucky if they are offered even half of that reported £40 million asking price.
“We’ve previously talked about how many players Feyenoord will be losing. Van der Vaart, who played brilliantly with Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, and company at Spurs from 2010 to 2012, said to Stadio Voetbal, “There are many players who are in the spotlight.”
“I’m not sure about Gimenez at all. When he was exceptionally good, I once claimed that he removed all of my doubts. But I didn’t believe he played particularly well, even after this goal (against Heracles).
“You really need to get rid of someone if they offer you twenty or twenty-five million euros.” If someone is willing to pay a high price for him, close the sale right away.
24 goals but plenty of doubters
Gimenez has already surpassed his goal total from the entire Feyenoord 2022–23 Eredivisie winning season with 24 goals in 34 appearances.
But as Tottenham fans are well aware, statistics can be deceiving when it comes to signing forwards from the Dutch football league.After all, when he arrived from AZ Alkmaar, Vincent Janssen—one of the most notorious busts in Spurs’ recent history—was the league’s current Golden Boot winner.
HITC Football is aware that, despite Richarlison and Heung-Min Son’s excellent recent play, Tottenham is looking for a new center-forward. The team of Ange Postecoglou is still interested in Ivan Toney, the Brentford contract rebel.
