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 a number of top clubs keeping an eye on the best talents on show this summer, with many surely excited to see Xavi Simons in action for 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 in a similar way to someone like Jamal Musiala.
Ian Wright underwhelmed by Xavi Simons
However, speaking on Wrighty’s House after 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 respects 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, I didn’t see nowhere near enough of this guy, with what I have heard and seen from the Bundesliga. I am thinking I am looking for a little bit more dynamism off 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 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 Netherlands.
But England should definitely 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.