Bournemouth, Everton or Nottingham Forest: Is Genk’s Robin Mirisola ready for a move to the Premier League?

Bournemouth, Everton or Nottingham Forest: Is Genk’s Robin Mirisola ready for a move to the Premier League?

Ekrem Konur revealed on Monday that three Premier League sides are interested in young Genk forward Robin Mirisola. According to Konur, Bournemouth, Everton and Nottingham Forest are all monitoring the young Genk forward, with the club looking to receive between €20–25m for the forward. While the 19-year-old has stepped up into the first team this season, is he really ready for a move to the Premier League?

Genk have always been able to produce young talent, and Mirisola is just the next in a long list of players who have come through the Genk system. Yet, he is still young, and in my opinion, not quite ready for a step up to the Premier League just yet. Clearly, Bournemouth, Everton and Nottingham Forest must see him as a long term investment, especially if they are willing to part with a substantial amount of money for a player who has only played 31 senior games. This season, Mirisola has scored three goals and provided two assists for Genk, a decent return for a teenager stepping up to senior level.

Selling Hyun-Gyu Oh in January has certainly fast tracked Mirisola’s route to the first team. Jusef Erabi was signed in the summer as the back up to Oh but has not been able to convince Nicky Hayen or his predecessor Thorsten Fink that he is worthy of a starting role. This has left Hayen with either a 21-year-old Aaron Bibout or the teenage Mirisola. Hayen has used both at times, yet the two strikers are both development projects for the club. Neither has been convincing enough to be considered the out and out first choice striker at the club this season. Genk’s success in past seasons has come because they have been able to find a consistent goal scorer, and it is no coincidence that they are struggling this season without one.

If either of the three Premier League sides do put in a bid that Genk cannot turn down, then it would be in everyone’s interest for Mirisola to return to Belgium on loan. Genk had this agreement with RB Leipzig for goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoort, who remained with the club for a few seasons before leaving in 2024 to join the Bundesliga side. This meant that RB Leipzig ended up bringing in a goalkeeper who had played 169 times for Genk, an important amount of experience given the position he plays.

Plenty of young players have left their sides too early and ended up getting lost in the system and sent out on loan to other sides that may hinder rather than help their development. If an agreement was struck that kept Mirisola at Genk for a season or two, the buying club would benefit far better than having Mirisola in house, as Genk’s track record for developing talent speaks for itself.

Premier League sides have been hoarding young talent in recent years in attempts to avoid ‘missing out’ on the next wonderkid. However, this has ben detrimental to the development of many players. Mirisola should certainly not turn down a move to the Premier League, as the financial benefits are huge and a football career is short. However, getting first team football is just as beneficial in the long-term. The striker isn’t ready to make the step up to the Premier League just yet, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be in the future.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson