PSV Eindhoven manager Peter Bosz is desperate to retain Xavi Simons as Premier League giants Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United keep tabs on the Eredivisie Golden Boot winner.
In the midst of a stunning debut season at PSV, Philips Stadium legend Willy van der Kerkhof shared his theory that this baby-faced baller ‘might be better than (Cody) Gakpo’.
With Fabrizio Romano reporting that Arsenal, Tottenham, Man United and Brighton have all asked to be kept abreast of Xavi Simons’ situation this summer, Van der Kerkhof’s theory may soon be put to the test.
Xavi Simons labelled ‘better’ than Cody Gakpo
Liverpool signed Simons’ former PSV captain Gakpo in a £37 million deal in January.
A 20-year-old forward in his first ever season of senior football wasted no time in inheriting Gakpo’s crown, scoring or assisting no fewer than 15 league goals following the Dutchman’s mid-season departure while taking on a talismanic role for one of the country’s biggest clubs.
Simons ended the campaign with 22 goals and 12 assists in all competitions; sharing the Eredivisie’s Golden Boot with FC Utrecht poacher Anastosios Douvikas.
‘We really want to keep him’
No wonder Bosz, the former Ajax and Borussia Dortmund coach who recently replaced Ruud van Nistelrooy in the PSV dugout, is desperate to see Simons stick around.
“Of course, we really want to keep him,” Bosz tells the Eindhovens Dagblad. “It is clear that the boy is being targeted a lot because he is a good footballer.”
Unfortunately for Bosz, the decision may be taken out of his hands. Paris Saint-Germain sold Simons to near-namesakes PSV last summer, and are now ready to trigger the £5 million buy-back clause in his contract before potentially selling the one-time Barcelona kid for a considerable profit (Romano).
Some will have concerns about whether Simons is really ready to make such a step up. Gakpo had four-and-a-half seasons of first-team football under his belt before joining Liverpool, after all. But Arsenal found out first hand in the autumn that this is a footballer with rare talent and self-confidence.
Simons was the best player on the pitch as PSV beat Arsenal in the Europa League group-stage; leading Mikel Arteta’s defence in a merry dance with footwork Fred Astaire would be proud of.
And, as some have suggested, it may be no coincidence that Simons’ new agent is the son of former Arsenal chairman David Dein.
“It indicates that he is searching (for his next move),” ex-PSV ace Aad De Mos tells Eindhovens Dagblad. “Maybe he’s thinking about Arsenal. His new agents have many contacts at Arsenal.”
Darren Dein’s Doubled agency, according to Transfermarkt, also represents Cesc Fabregas, Mathieu Flamini, Gael Clichy and Alex Song. All former Arsenal players.
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