On paper, a perennially goal-shy Nottingham Forest side breaking the bank for a prolific centre-forward feels like a rather sound plan.
Only Burnley, Sheffield United and Everton scored fewer goals than Nuno Espirito Santo’s side in 2023/24. With only two in their two Premier League games so far this term, Nottingham Forest do not look like making any real improvements in that department with their current crop either.
So, enter Santiago Gimenez.
The Mexico marksman who plundered 26 for Feyenoord last term and has begun the new campaign with four in four.
But, after Gimenez was linked with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Atletico, Napoli and Real Madrid back in 2023, there is a reason why likely relegation battlers Nottingham Forest appear to have emerged as the striker’s only genuine suitor in the final week of the window.
And the reason is that, since the turn of the year and despite averaging a goal-a-game in 2024/25, Gimenez’s overall form has dipped alarmingly.
The former Cruz Azul poacher was even included amongst Voetbal Primeur’s Flops of the Week, ‘completely invisible’ and managing only 21 touches during Sunday’s 1-1 Rotterdam draw with Sparta.
Nottingham Forest make new Santiago Gimenez bid
Fabrizio Romano reported that very same afternoon that Nottingham Forest had submitted a third bid – worth £30 million – for Feyenoord’s number 29.
And, tellingly, the reaction to that new and improved offer over in the Netherlands is something along the lines of; ‘Feyenoord, just take the money and run’.
“I don’t think he fits in (the Premier League). He lacks a little bit of the physical aspect,” Pierre van Hooijdonk, the former Forest and Oranje hitman, tells Studio Voetbal.
“He also lost every ball today and I think he often jumps in the air for the sake of jumping. I think he would be much better off in Spain or Italy.”
While Gimenez might lack the physicality to truly thrive in England, there are also serious concerns over his ruthlessness.
The 23-year-old is the sort of centre-forward who needs a high volume of chances to find the net. That is a problem Feyenoord can usually deal with – one of the top teams in Dutch football tending to dominate most opponents – but it could become a real issue at Forest when goalscoring opportunities are at a premium.
Feyenoord urged to cash in on Mexico striker
“If I were the director of Nottingham Forest and I were looking for a striker, you would only get Gimenez if he was really cheap, wouldn’t you?,” Feyenoord legend Willem van Hanegem tells Algemeen Dagblad, seemingly baffled as the two-time European champions creep into the £30 million bracket.
“His good matches in the last few months can be counted on one hand. For Feyenoord, a sale would simply be good, although I understand that the player himself must also want it.
“Well, if Gimenez wants to end up in the Premier League, I would say yes to Forest who keep coming back for him. I cannot imagine that the real top (clubs) will come for him.
“He has been really mediocre for too long for that.”
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