Cody Gakpo is ‘not ready’ to join a Premier League giant like Liverpool or Arsenal, former Netherlands international Pierre van Hooijdonk tells Studio Voetbal of the PSV Eindhoven talisman.
The new Memphis Depay or the second coming of Luis Suarez? Another Ruud van Nistelrooy for Afonso Alves 2.0?
Whenever a player swaps the Eredivisie for the Premier League – even one as lavishly talented as Gakpo – the same old questions usually arise.
Can he make the step up? Can he replicate his match-winning form outside of a league ranked just above Austria and Scotland in the FIFA Coefficients?
Those are questions we may soon have an answer to.
According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal have opened talks with the £40 million-rated Gakpo. The Gunners are facing competition from Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich but the 22-year-old’s admiration for Arsenal and the legendary Thierry Henry could stand Mikel Arteta’s side in good stead (Sun).
Van Hooijdonk, however, believes that Gakpo would benefit from one more year at PSV. Despite producing 18 goals and 15 assists this term – including a magnificent winner in the Dutch Cup final against Ajax last week – the former Nottingham Forest and Celtic man insists that Gakpo is not quite ‘at the level’ of Memphis Depay before his ill-fated move to Manchester United in 2015.
Should Cody Gakpo snub the Premier League this summer?
“He is not ready in the Netherlands yet. He misses quite a few matches (through injury),” says Van Hooijdonk.
“Hopefully he will play another season with 34 games (at PSV). Memphis was the best in the Netherlands when he went to Manchester United. Gakpo is not at that level yet.”
One-time Tottenham and Real Madrid hero Rafael Van der Vaart, however, sees things differently.
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“Normally, I would say that he should stay as long as possible,” Van der Vaart counters. “But he is already the engine of PSV. If there is a nice challenge, he should go.
“If someone wants to pay forty million, you have to take (the offer) immediately.”
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