The Premier League, one reporter says as Nottingham Forest submit an opening bid of £21 million, is the ‘holy grail’ for ambitious footballers hoping to reach the summit of the European game.
Hence why this summer has seen a handful of players make what most would describe as a ‘step down’.
See Dean Huijsen, from Juventus to Bournemouth. The defender joined on the South Coast by £40 million former FC Porto striker Evanilson. See Mats Wieffer, leaving European football at Feyenoord for Brighton.
Daichi Kamada from Lazio to Crystal Palace, Mateus Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon to Southampton, and Niclas Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund to West Ham United.
The financial muscle and the exposure on offer in English football, clearly, is proving to be an almighty leveller, players jumping at the chance to leave A-list clubs in Portugal and Germany for more B or C-list ones on England.
For Feyenoord hitman Santiago Gimenez, however, the decision over whether to follow Wieffer to the UK may depend on whether he feels Nottingham Forest is the right place to continue growing his reputation.
Nottingham Forest want Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez
While the Premier League can be the making of an ambitious young player, a bad spell in England can also serve to taint their legacy.
That is the risk or reward scenario facing Gimenez, HITC reporting that Forest have submitted a £21 million bid.
Feyenoord icon Mario Been watched the Mexican marksman endure a season of two halves in 2023/24. Prolific in the first, profligate after Christmas.
But while Been has reservations about whether a Forest side likely to battle against relegation really is the right destination, he also feels that Gimenez will prove to be a hit surrounded by the creativity of Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White, Jota Silva and Ramon Sosa.
“I don’t think that’s the best club for him,” Been tells ESPN. “If you look at his second half of the season, five million euros would have been enough! But, in the first half of the season, he played excellently.
“I think he is a player who will also score goals in the Premier League. I think he is a striker who can still make a step. He is only 23 years old.”
Eredivisie winner was once a Tottenham Hotspur target
Gimenez, despite a mixed campaign, still ended the season with 26 goals. He has four in three during the opening weeks of the 2024/25 too.
But after being linked with the likes of Real Madrid, Atletico, Napoli and Inter Milan not so long ago –
Tottenham Hotspur also looked at Gimenez before going for Dominic Solanke – is Gimenez willing to accept the offer from a club who narrowly avoided relegation in each of the last two seasons and may be facing another survival fight this time around?
“(His wages) can easily rise to between three and four million euros per year, not counting the bonuses. This makes a possible transfer very lucrative in any case,” reporter Martijn Krabbendam tells Voetbal International.
“But more importantly; it is a ticket to the Premier League. For players, that is the holy grail. Gimenez also wants to go to England.
“But Forest? A good season at Forest offers a chance at an even bigger club. This club could be an interesting stepping stone.”
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