Bakayoko and Gimenez given transfer advice amid Liverpool and Chelsea links

Updated: 9 Dec 2023 12:14 GMT
3 min read

Johan Bakayoko, Santiago Gimenez, Liverpool, Chelsea — © ProShots

Santiago Giménez and Johan Bakayoko are performing excellently in the Eredivisie this season and this has not gone unnoticed in the Premier League.

Ruud Gullit indicates that the Feyenoord striker and the PSV winger must make a well-considered choice regarding their future because the step from the Dutch league to the English elite is a very big one, according to the Netherlands legend.

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Bakayoko remained loyal to PSV last summer after Burnley wanted to bring him to England for €40 million. The 20-year-old winger wanted to stay in Eindhoven to become national champions and is well on his way to achieving this goal with his club.

Bakayoko has played a major role in PSV's success with four goals and 13 assists and this is once again generating interest. Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Brentford and Borussia Dortmund are said to have put the Belgian international on their wishlist.

What did Gullit say?

In an interview with Gambling Zone, Gullit was asked about the interest in Bakayoko from the Premier League and whether such a transfer would work out well for the attacker.

“He is a good player, but let's not pretend that every signing has a successful first year in England,” says the former player of PSV, AC Milan and Chelsea, among others. “It will most likely be a year of highs and lows because he is playing against teams with attackers who attack as much as they defend.”

“Look at Noni Madueke, for example,” Gullit continues. “He did well at PSV but is now having a hard time in the Premier League. It is a different kind of competition,” notes the 66-cap former Dutch international.

Madueke was sold by the Eindhoven team to Chelsea for €35m in January. In his first six months, the attacker played 12 times and scored once, but this season he has hardly featured in the Londoners' plans so far.

I would rather join a club that knows what they're doing.

- Ruud Gullit on Chelsea's interest in Santiago Gimenez

Another standout in the Eredivisie this season is Giménez, who is notching an excellent return at Feyenoord with 20 goals in 19 matches. The 22-year-old Mexican also has a lot of interest from the European elite, including Chelsea and Arsenal.

“I think Giménez would fit in well at Arsenal. They play the same football as Feyenoord, so he could adapt more easily there," said Gullit, who advises the sharpshooter against a switch to Chelsea. “I would rather join a club that knows what they're doing.”

Giménez also received advice from Hugo Sánchez on Friday. “Santiago has the qualities to succeed at the top,” the 65-year-old Mexican football legend told ESPN.

“If I were him, I would transfer to a really big club as soon as possible. If this winter If a big club comes for him, I would certainly do that. It would be great if Gíménez went to Spain."