Iconic former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has been critical of one Mikel Arteta transfer target after his latest Euro 2024 display.
Arsenal have been known to hold an interest in Xavi Simons.
The Dutchman started for the Netherlands in their 2-1 win over Poland at Euro 2024 on Sunday.
Whilst Ronald Koeman’s side ultimately got the win, thanks to a late goal from Wout Weghorst, the Netherlands ought to have been home and dry far earlier. They were extremely wasteful in the final third, particularly in the first half when they dominated the game.
Simons was culpable for some of this profligacy. There can be no denying the 21-year-old’s talent. He is extremely skilful, technically gifted, and can be riveting to watch. However, it is fair to say that he is not the finished article as a player yet, which is perfectly understandable given his age.
Despite this, Mikel Arteta remains keen on bringing the 14-cap international to the Emirates Stadium. The £52 million playmaker has also attracted Premier League interest from Manchester United, and has been hailed by Netherlands icon Ruud van Nistelrooy.
However, as things stand, the Gunners have made no formal move to sign the player. Given that signing a central midfielder is now the top summer priority for Arsenal, and they are also in the market for a left-back, striker, and goalkeeper, it is perhaps likely that signing Simons will be beyond the club this summer.
Arsenal legend Martin Keown seems to be of the opinion that it would be a bullet dodged for the North London club should they miss out on a deal for the PSG ace.
Martin Keown takes aim at Arsenal transfer target Xavi Simons during Netherlands v Poland
Keown was far from impressed by what he saw from Simons against Poland.
Commentating on the match for the BBC (16/06/2024), the former centre-back noted in the 70th minute, after Simons had been withdrawn from the action, that: “It’s a bit off the cuff with Simons, isn’t it? Running everywhere, okay, does he flatter to deceive? Is there really an end product? It’s pleasing on the eye, but I don’t know how much he really creates.”
Of course, it is harsh to judge Simons off the back of a single performance, particularly as he has just enjoyed such a fine domestic campaign on loan with RB Leipzig, where he racked up 10 goals and 15 assists in 43 outings, across all competitions.
In any case, he will be keen to answer his critics when the Netherlands take on France next time out at Euro 2024.
Arsenal players and transfer targets at Euro 2024
In this week’s episode of Cannon Fire – The Arsenal Insider Podcast, Will Jones and Rahul Lakhani discuss the European Championships. With 11 Arsenal players set to feature at the tournament, the pair debated which players could be fighting for their futures, and which are destined to succeed on the international stage.