As Tottenham Hotspur expressed their interest in Simeon ‘Simy’ Nwankwo during last summer’s transfer window, via The Telegraph, some in North London may have feared that history was about to repeat itself.
When it comes to signing strikers, Spurs’ track record doesn’t make for particularly comfortable reading.
Fernando Llorente did not come close to replicating his Swansea City performances in the English capital. Roberto Soldado and Vincent Janssen, meanwhile, will go down alongside Helder Postiga and Grzegorz Rasiak as some of the most disappointing signings in Tottenham’s modern history.
Yes, Simy would have arrived after the season of his life. He scored a remarkable 20 Serie A goals for a Crotone side who finished 19th, a whopping 14 points adrift of safety.
The 6ft 6ins Nigeria international even outscored Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lorenzo Insigne and Lautaro Martinez. Dusan Vlahovic, arguably the most coveted striker in world football, netted just one more than the Crotone talisman in 2020/21.
But one season of fine form does not a elite-level centre-forward make.
History is littered with players who shone in their breakthrough top-flight season before failing to reach those heights again. Michu, to name just one.
Did Tottenham dodge a bullet with Simy?
Simy had only ever scored ten Serie A goals before 2020/21 begun. His most impressive displays, meanwhile, came at second-tier level, in Italy and Portugal.
Newly-promoted Salernitana jumped at the chance to bring Simy to the Stadio Arechi once Tottenham’s apparent interest died down. But if Salernitana thought the late-blooming 29-year-old could replicate his Crotone displays alongside the legendary Franck Ribery, they were very much mistaken.
One goal in 19 games tells it’s own story.
And, on the final day of the January transfer window, Simy was farmed out on loan to Serie B outfit Parma. Italian publication Tuttomercatoweb, meanwhile, labelled him a ‘sensational flop’.
“He didn’t have the right approach. It’s as if he wasn’t eating at our table. We are disappointed,” says former Salernitana CEO Ugo Marchetti.
It looks highly unlikely that Simy will be back on Spurs’ radar any time soon.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
