Chelsea are in discussions to sign RB Leipzig’s star Zabi Simmons on a deal worth around £61 million, but former Premier League striker Jan Eige Fjordhort is not convinced by the move.
Chelsea has been warned against signing Xavi Simons this summer, claiming that the 22-year-old could turn out to be like Christopher nkunku. Bruce has been discussing with RB Leipzig about his contract with Simons, with the German club demanding a forward of around £61 million.
Simons contributed 19 goals to Leipzig last season, and was permanently involved with the club last summer, lending out his previous campaign. However, former Premier League striker Jan Eige Fijolthoft is not sure Simons is the perfect fit for Stamford Bridge.
Nkunku joined Chelsea from Leipzig in 2023, but he has struggled to make a lot of impact with just 11 goals in 78 games, and Fjortoft believes that the same could happen to Simons if he joins the Blues as well.
“You have to tell them, they’re fair to their kind of plans,” he told ESPN. “They have the defined type of player they want to enter. But you can see that they are linked to Zabi Simons, meaning that it’s nkunku again, right?
“There’s something about their transfer strategy. I understand that I’m going to go to big players and biggest talent. But looking at Joao Felix, when was he last had 5-6 games?
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“He’s one of the floaters floating around big clubs. Chelsea is true in their transfer strategy, but I don’t know if they need to take as many players as they do.
“It’s a bit unfair for young players because these days they need to do good things right away. In our time, this will be a young child who will take his time to prove that good.
“I don’t know if Xavi Simons will take the next step or make Chelsea better. Chelsea has a lot of players like him, so I feel like I want this kind of personality. He’s a great player, but can he take the next step?”
Fjortoft also expressed concern about the Simons’ temperament and questioned whether it could develop from a good payer to a great player. He continued: “He has links to Bayern Munich and various clubs, but will he take the next step?
“And they don’t already have that type of player? You never know about these players because there are world class players who were on loan a few years ago, but there’s something about Simons’ temperament I’m not 100% sure of.
“Is he a good player and a guy who can turn himself into a great player? You see that potential in some players, but I don’t know about Xavi Simons.”
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