Feyenoord’s CEO Dennis Te Kloese has shed some light on the sale of Santiago Gimenez in the 2025 winter transfer window.
After weeks of links and negotiations, Milan finally got the man that they hoped would be the starting striker for years to come when they signed Gimenez in early February of last year from Feyenoord.
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Things did not start well as the Dutch side knocked the Rossoneri out of the Champions League despite the Mexican scoring, and it has now been over a year since Santi last scored a league goal for Milan, which speaks volumes about his struggles to adapt.
A dream for Santi
The Feyenoord chief executive Te Kloese spoke in an interview with the program Faitelson Sin Censura about the decision to sell Gimenez mid-season, with his words relayed by MilanVibes.
“Santiago really dreamed of joining AC Milan, which had been one of his favourite teams since childhood,” he said.
“For us, it was a void he left in the middle of the season, but it’s not easy for the player, and sometimes not even for the club, which doesn’t have the time to adapt nor the pace to fully integrate into such a complex environment at the clubs he joins. I think there’s a little more time to adapt in the summer.
“Any club that wants to resolve something in the January transfer market does so by solving the issue directly, immediately taking the burden off the team, and they pay a fair bit more for it.
“Furthermore, it was noticeable that when he played against us in the first match he was still a bit disoriented, while in the second match he played quite well, but we already had the advantage.”
With just one day to go until the end of April and a home World Cup with Mexico on the horizon, the present is intertwined with the future for Gimenez. The transfer rumours surrounding El Bebote swirl in the background, and he hopes to end the season well to silence them.
Moncada the idiotic genius