Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City have been handed transfer encouragement when it comes to Feyenoord duo Givairo Read and Gjivai Zechiël.
How? Well, it seems that Feyenoord’s resistance to any deals for their rising stars will not be strong enough to resist big money offers should they arrive.
Both players have been linked with potential exits in the last few weeks. That follows a summer in which Read, in particular, looked destined for either a move to Roma or Nottingham Forest.
Feyenoord resisted both sides, seeking fees that neither side wanted to pay. But reports since have indicated that Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City are sending scouts to Feyenoord regularly to keep an eye on him and Zechiël.
January problem
That leaves technical director Dévy Rigaux with a potential problem, says FR-Fans.
They say on the one hand, he will resist offers for both players because losing them – particularly in the January transfer window – would completely dismantle Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team.
From a sporting perspective, losing both players would instantly strip away the entire dynamic of Feyenoord’s right flank and remove a key midfield player too.
| Statistic | Givairo Read | Gjivai Zechiël |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 20 | 50 |
| Minutes played | 1,192 | 4,081 |
| Goals | 2 | 10 |
| Assists | 3 | 10 |
| Goals + assists | 5 | 20 |
| Goal contributions per 90 | 0.38 | 0.44 |
| Minutes per goal | 596 | 408 |
Why financial reality will decide in the end
Feyenoord would prefer to keep both, but ‘the reality may be different’. Rigaux has already admitted that the club’s financial situation is less rosy than most would hope.
When top English clubs – like Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City – starting splashing the cash, Feyenoord can’t afford to say no.
The financial reality is that a winter sell-off is more likely than supporters would like to admit. A payout of €60m for both players combined would provide immediate financial breathing room for the club.
In other words, while Feyenoord may resist publicly, the reality is that they need the money and would have to accept sales, albeit reluctantly. That means the door is open for Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City if they wish to walk through it.
