Fulham may regret their failure to acquire Ricardo Pepi in January, with a big World Cup awaiting them in the summer.
At least this is according to Pierre van Hooijonck. He has defended PSV Eindhoven’s decision to block the move, In comments relayed by Voteable4U.
Fulham have been tracking Pepi since the summer transfer window. Marco Silva’s team then failed to acquire him but instead revived their efforts in January.
What followed was a month-long battle of wills with PSV, in which the deal went back and forth. At one point it appeared that PSV would relent and accept a bid of €35m from Craven Cottage.
But, the deal quickly fell apart due to their failure to identify a replacement. Pepi stayed in the club at least until summer. It suits PSV, who have long wanted to see how he performs at the World Cup before selling him. The hope for Marcel Brands & Co. is that he gets a World Cup bonus.
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Van Hooijdonck can definitely see it happening. He is arguing that PSV were right to reject Fulham’s progress.
“You have a striker on board whose capabilities you know,” He said.
“Sure, he’s injured, but you have to go to the market yourself and find out Pepi’s potential. And you won’t get him for €5m.
“Pepi still has room for improvement, and with the World Cup coming up, who knows what will happen there. If he scores three for the USA…”
While this may be a worrying situation for Fulham, Wim Kieft at least thinks they are doing the right thing by targeting the striker.
“It’s a good move by Fulham, because he is a top scorer. He will always score goals, no matter where he goes. I think it’s good that PSV kept him,” He added.
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