Moses Simon: Will He Take The Big Leap?

  At 29 , Super Eagles winger, Moses Simon is definitely at the wrong side of his football career. After being an obedient servant with Ligue I side, Nantes for over five years and with Premier League club-Everton showing sincere interest in the Nigerian international, who was his club’s shining light this season with 18-goal contribution, this may be the last big opportunity for Moses to cross the ‘Red Sea’ 

Though Moses Simon had admitted, severally, his interest to play in the Premier League, he has also said he wasn’t desperate to move to the English top tier.

The Super Eagles winger has admitted that he will leave Nantes if a good offer comes this summer.

Simon has been great for Nantes since he joined the club from Levante in 2019. And in the past two seasons, he has been the club’s best attacker.

So far, Simon has contributed 37 goals and 42 assists in 201 appearances across all competitions.

This season, Nantes have scored 39 goals in the Ligue 1, and Simon has been involved in 18 of them.

His brilliance has seen him linked with bigger clubs in recent years. Marseille and Leeds United have been touted as potential destinations in previous years, but nothing serious came from those speculations.

Now, Simon is set to enter the final year of his contract at Nantes, and it is looking increasingly likely that he would leave soon.

Premier League club Everton have been heavily linked with the €12 million-rated star, but nothing concrete has come out yet.

Speaking about his future, Simon made it clear that he is very comfortable at Nantes. But he is aware of interest from abroad and can’t rule out an exit if he gets a good offer.

“Yes, I’ve heard about the interest, and I know my agent is in contact with some clubs. Right now, I’m still a Nantes player,” Simon told SportsBoom, per Liverpool Echo.

“I’ve always given my best for this club, and I respect my contract. But of course, every player wants to play at the highest level.

“The Premier League is one of the best in the world. If the right offer comes, and it’s good for me and my family, then why not? But I’m not desperate.

“I have peace here in France. It has to be the right project.”

Moving to Everton would be a big step up for Simon in every ramification. He will get a wage bump, he will work under David Moyes who knows how to bring out the best in his players, and he will rub shoulders with other top players.

Also, playing in the Premier League will put him in the eyes of more fans. Moreover, only few players will say no to the allure of the English top-flight.

With his quality, Simon could help Everton improve. The 29-year-old Super Eagles star is unpredictable, as he can send pin-point crosses or cut in to shoot.

Simon is also a good dribbler, and a bit of flair in a blunt Everton side will be a breath of fresh air.

Simon’s terrific performances in the just-concluded French Ligue 1 campaign has seen him top the statistics table for players with the most take-ons in the entire top-flight, with a total number of 65 take-ons.

The 29-year-old winger was an important player for Les Canaris over the course of the season, making 32 appearances for coach Antoine Kombouare’s side, scoring eight goals and registering 10 assists for the French outfit, as they finished in 13th position in the 18-team table.

Nantes managed to win a paltry eight matches, drew 12 and lost a whopping 14 to end up with 36 points, just three points shy of the relegation places.

Despite Les Canaris’ less than impressive campaign, which culminated in the team winning only one of their final five games to end the season, it was still a worthy campaign for Simon.

Nonetheless, Everton might be skeptical about the transfer, as Simon hits 30 years in July, so he won’t be able to offer them a lot of years. The club might look for a younger player who has similar qualities.

Meanwhile, former coach of the senior national team of Nigeria, Gernot Rohr has celebrated the milestone achieved by Nigerian international winger Moses Simon at French Ligue 1 side Nantes after he clocked 200 appearances for the club.

Simon, who has been at the club since 2019 when he initially joined on loan before making a permanent switch the next season from Levante, was once again pivotal to the club maintaining their top flight status.

He picked up a goal and an assist in the 3-0 win over Montpellier that kept them away from the drop zone and took his season’s tally to 10 assists and 8 goals. Only two players in the league had more assists than the 29-year-old in the recently concluded season.

Looking back at his performance since joining the club, Rohr said no Nigerian player has stayed that consistent in the French Ligue 1 for a sustained period like Simon. A feat which made him to rank the Kaduna- born forward as the best ever Nigerian player in the history of the league.

Widely expected to leave the club in the summer, his goal tally of 79 in 200 games is something that Rohr sees as a huge feat, considering the size of the club he is playing for in the placement of French football.

“A lot of Nigerian players have played here and made really good memories, but Simon is different. He will go down as one of the best ever in the history of Nantes and also to me the best Nigerian player ever in the history of Ligue 1, Rohr told an online publication.

“He (Simon) has survived so many coaches at the club and sources will tell you he is the best behaved in the team. The numbers are there and when you look at where Nantes were before he came, then you will understand better. Remember he helped them to win the French Cup,” the coach of Benin Republic concluded.

It however remains to be seen whether Simon would be bold enough to take the final leap from Nantes.