Tom Dumoulin has a clear advice for young compatriot: "Olav Kooij should grab that offer from AG2R with both hands"

Olav Kooij is one of, if not the biggest name out on the transfer market this winter and clearly the interest in the 23-year-old sprinter was enormous. Eventually, it seems that the Dutchman is most likely heading to Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale to write a new chapter in his career. According to Tom Dumoulin, it should be a no-brainer to jump after their generous offer.

"Yes," Dumoulin answered clearly at in the podcast De Grote Plaat about whether his compatriot Olav Kooij should seek fortune in another team. "Olav Kooij should of course grab that offer from AG2R with both hands," he has a clear opinion on the young sprinter's new home.

"Visma | Lease a Bike is a fantastic team and he is actually doing really well there, but Olav has simply outgrown the team. Not in the sense of: that team is no longer good enough for him. But he simply cannot take that next step. And that next step for him is to go to the Tour de France and win stages there. He is capable of that and it is high time for that."

"He now has to start in the Giro and that is a Giro with the least number of sprint stages in the history of the Giro. And he also has a poor preparation because of his crash in the spring. That is a shame. One of the best sprinters of the moment cannot show what he has in him. He belongs in the Tour," Dumoulin said.

On the other hand, Dumoulin can also see the perspective of Visma | Lease a Bike who aim to fight for overall victory with Jonas Vingegaard. Then there's simply no room for compromises. "I completely understand that they can't offer him that at the moment. Then it's up to Olav to take the brave step and seek his fortune elsewhere."

Could the rising star of Matthew Brennan become a decisive factor in Kooij's departure? "No, I wouldn't be afraid of that as Olav. If you don't have the confidence as a young sprinter that you can't beat an even younger sprinter... No, Olav has already proven that he can compete with the top sprinters, Brennan still has to prove that."