Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez is coming under criticism for his form over recent weeks after the rumoured Tottenham target ended up staying put at De Kuip in January.
It was widely reported ahead of the January window that Gimenez was the centre-forward who is at the top of Spurs’ radar, with many at the North London club allegedly viewing him as the man to fill Harry Kane’s shoes (The Mirror).
The 22-year-old has been unstoppable in front of goal over the last 18 months, even beating Luis Suarez’s record for the most goals in a calendar year in the Eredivisie (AS).
However, the Mexican international ended up remaining in Rotterdam last month after Feyenoord reportedly decided that they did not wish to lose their star man mid-season (David Ornstein – BBC Transfer Gossip Daily Podcast).
More recently, some outlets have suggested that Tottenham could reignite their interest in Gimenez next summer and could battle London rivals, Chelsea and West Ham for the player’s signature (Medio Tiempo).
Santiago Gimenez is struggling for form
However, it turns out that the centre-forward has not been pulling up trees in Dutch football lately, having failed to find the back of the net in his last three games.
Journalist Maarten Wijffels has now stated that the drop off in Gimenez’s form is quite alarming and has criticised the striker’s body language over recent weeks.
Wijffels told Algemeen Dagblad (as relayed by SoccerNews) about the rumoured Spurs target’s recent performances: “There is really nothing left at all. If you see how he sits there after his substitution, there really is a pathetic pile of a man.
“Of course, you might hit a goal again and you might be on your way, but still. Players also look at you like ‘heads up pal, you could do with doing a bit more’. The decay is really quite big.”
Spurs Web Opinion
It might not be fair to jump to any major conclusions based on a few bad games. Tottenham will likely be keeping a close eye on Gimenez’s performances over the coming months before deciding whether to splash the cash on him next summer.
However, the longer Richarlison carries on his current run of form, the more likely it is that Ange Postecoglou would decide against spending big on a centre-forward.