What effect will the World Cup have on the rest of the Premier League season?

Who will fill the void left by Gakpo at PSV?

Cody Gakpo delivered a unique performance at the World Cup. The striker scored one goal in all group matches. No Dutchman had ever succeeded in doing so. And then he also scored with a header, left and right, as proof of his versatility.

With his strong performance, the 23-year-old from Eindhoven forced a transfer to Liverpool and put PSV in a split. The club would desperately need the €50m to be able to write black numbers for this financial year. But coach Ruud van Nistelrooij also said the sale of the best player had reduced the chances of winning the national title.

With nine goals, Gakpo is not only the Premier League’s top scorer. He also provided the most assists (12). It is still uncertain whether PSV will secure a replacement this winter as the club have financial gaps to fill. Eyes will therefore be even more focused on Xavi Simons, the other PSV star.

The 19-year-old midfielder, who came from Paris Saint-Germain last summer, was the revelation of the first part of the season with his uninhibited game. As a reward, he was cleared to travel to the World Cup, where he became the youngest Orange player ever in the knockout stage at a World Cup as a substitute in the Round of 16 against the United States. United.

Is World Cup tastemaker Kudus headed for Ajax exit?

Internationally, there was no shortage of superlatives for Mohammed Kudus’ game at the World Cup. His Ghanaian teammates also thought he had surpassed Ajax’s level. It was only a matter of time before he moved to a bigger club.

Of the eleven active Ajax players in the World Cup, Kudus was the only one who really outdid himself. With two goals, an assist and spectacular play, the 22-year-old midfielder proved to be Ghana’s tastemaker even though the country failed in the group stage.

But when the Eredivisie restarts, he doesn’t seem assured of a place in the base at Ajax. Coach Alfred Schreuder often used him as a striker in the first half of the season, while Kudus himself prefers to play as an attacking midfielder. It was where he often started his dribbling at the World Cup.

The question is whether he can continue his good form from the World Cup with Ajax in pursuit or if, just like last summer, he is aiming for a departure. Ajax then did not want to cooperate. But clubs in the English and German leagues, among others, have not lost sight of him, in part thanks to his strong performances in Qatar.

And what about Andries Noppert and Heerenveen? Will the goalkeeper benefit from his newfound fame with a transfer?

In Andries Noppert’s last official game, he faced Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the quarter-finals of the World Cup with the Netherlands. On Saturday, he will visit the RKC of Michiel Kramer and Hans Mulder at the start of the second half of the season with Heerenveen.

Noppert is slowly waking up from his dream, having been quickly promoted to the Netherlands’ top goalkeeper by national coach Louis van Gaal in Qatar. Without ever having played a serious international match, let alone an international match to his credit. He didn’t betray Van Gaal’s trust.

On his return to Heerenveen, more than a week ago, the club decided to hold a press conference, as many requests as there were for the 2.03 meter goalkeeper who quickly established himself as a cult hero due to his poise. Yes, as a Frisian he says he is still at his dream club, but he also knows that this may be ‘the moment’.

If the 28-year-old Noppert wants to make another fine transfer, the goalkeeper who spent years on the bench at clubs like NAC, FC Dordrecht and the Go Ahead Eagles now looks set to take advantage. Moreover, Heerenveen can earn a lot of money thanks to a goalkeeper the club picked up for free six months ago.

Can Iran international Alireza Jahanbakhsh ignore the unrest in his homeland when he returns to Feyenoord?

Although Feyenoord player Alireza Jahanbakhsh’s Iran had already been knocked out in the group stage, they were one of the most talked about teams at the World Cup. The players refused to sing the national anthem ahead of the first game against England in protest against their own country’s regime.

Jahanbakhsh said the Iranian team in Qatar was focusing on football, but in reality it turned out to be more difficult than expected. The players have entered a kind of minefield between supporters, often sympathetic to the opposition, and the strict Islamic regime, which has been protesting for months to impose more freedoms on women.

According to the American channel CNN, the regime of President Ebrahim Raisi would have threatened the footballers’ relatives with imprisonment or torture if they “did not behave”.

The tears that flowed from Iranian players after the loss to the United States were more than just elimination from the World Cup. As an Iran player, Jahanbakhsh has come under pressure due to the situation in his home country, with leader Feyenoord sporting pressure comes into play again.