Ian Wright has suggested that he was extremely underwhelmed by the performance of one
Arsenal transfer target at Euro 2024 over the weekend, insisting that he could have been taken off at half-time.
Of course, clubs will be wary of reading too much into the performances of players at Euro 2024,
as there have been plenty of occasions in the past where a player’s form at a major tournament has proved to be a complete anomaly.
But there will be several top clubs keeping an eye on the best talents on show this summer,
with many surely excited to see Xavi Simons in action for the Netherlands.
Arsenal are one of the sides interested in the £52 million-rated Simons,
who scored eight goals and contributed 13 assists in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig last season. So some may have been expecting him to shine similarly to someone like Jamal Musiala.
Ian Wright underwhelmed by Xavi Simons
However, speaking on Wrighty’s House after the Netherlands knocked Turkey out in the quarter-final on Saturday,
Ian Wright claimed that he was far from being blown away by the 21-year-old’s display.
“Can I say something? A player I was a little bit disappointed with from the Dutch side, the Netherlands – Xavi, Xavi Simons. I was expecting a little bit more in respect of him on the ball,” he said.
“I know they took Steven Bergwijn off in the first half. You think to yourself I could see that, but if they took Xavi Simons off, I would have thought, yeah,
I could see that as well because even in the second half, not enough,
didn’t see anywhere near enough of this guy, with what I have heard and seen from the Bundesliga. I think I am looking for a little bit more dynamism from this guy. I am not seeing it.”
Arsenal target still waiting for everything to permanently click
Simons appears to be the kind of player who could take the world by storm if he ends up at the right club for him,
having already been on the books of Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, PSV Eindhoven, and Leipzig.
His spells in the Netherlands and Germany have provided a sense of the quality he possesses,
but he is yet to show that he can make that impact for PSG. And he has only scored one goal in 19 appearances for the Netherlands.
But England should be wary of Simons stealing the show in their semi-final on Wednesday. It will certainly be a performance Arsenal, and many other clubs will be monitoring.