Santiago Gimenez seemed poised to be the great heir to Olivier Giroud, but the Mexican striker’s performance, despite the expectations and the over 30 million euros paid to Feyenoord to bring him to Italy last January, has been far from satisfactory. Since donning the Milan jersey, 'Bebote' has scored just six goals, four of which came in the very first matches, giving the Rossoneri fans the illusion that they had finally found a striker worthy of this role.
After the Champions League exit against his former Feyenoord teammates, a match in which he had also scored, Gimenez disappeared from the scene, even falling behind in the pecking order under Sergio Conceiçao, who came to prefer Abraham first and then Jovic. The story with Allegri doesn’t seem to have changed either, partly because the Mexican is not the quintessential Allegri striker, as pointed out by Milan News.
It’s therefore no surprise that Milan is searching for a new center-forward, one capable of guaranteeing plenty of goals, something Bebote is currently not delivering. Saturday’s debut against Cremonese highlighted all of Gimenez’s struggles, from suboptimal physical fitness to equally fragile mental condition, as the 2001-born player is still far from the dominant figure who impressed everyone in the Netherlands.
In just six months, the sentiment has shifted from “Santi immediately” to boos at San Siro. Yet Milan still intends to back their number 7, hoping the January investment can still pay off. Much, however, will depend on two key factors: who arrives to play alongside him, an unpolished striker or a more experienced one, and whether Allegri will deploy Leao as the main striker. In that case, Gimenez’s chances could be minimal, and it will be up to him to prove he deserves more opportunities.
