Tottenham summer signing Xavi Simons made his Champions League debut for the Lilywhites on Tuesday in a 1-0 victory over Villarreal, featuring on the left-hand side yet again as opposed to in the number 10 role.
Xavi Simons' mixed first two games for Tottenham
Simons, after failed summer moves for both Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze, arrived at Spurs during the final days of the window as fans rejoiced over finally signing a replacement for the injured James Maddison.
Micky van de Ven
7.4/10
Djed Spence
7.3/10
Rodrigo Bentancur
7.3/10
Mohammed Kudus
7.2/10
Santiago Mourino
7.1/10
via WhoScored
The Dutchman’s signing may cost a club-record £125 million, once you factor in transfer cost, wages and add-ons spread over his potential seven-year contract (Paul O’Keefe), so the pressure is on for him to deliver.
Simons is already off the mark with his first assist for Tottenham after swinging in a corner for Pape Sarr to head home in their 3-0 London derby win at West Ham last weekend, but he struggled against Villarreal in Europe.
The 22-year-old was unconvincing out wide and was fairly fortunate not to be shown a red card after bringing down Nicolas Pepe on the counter-attack, having already been booked, with members of the media branding Simons “unconvincing”.
That being said, he did display flashes of true quality and cut-in from the left with a few dangerous efforts, but Thomas Frank has been told he must unlock Simons.
Interestingly, Bundesliga expert Kevin Hatchard recently drew attention to attitude concerns surrounding the attacker, after hearing certain rumours in Germany, but so far, there is nothing to suggest Frank will have a problem with this.
Spurs legend Rafael van der Vaart also tipped Simons to be world-class all the way back in 2023, and journalist Suleyman Ozturk has now shared a similar view when speaking on Voetbal’s latest ‘Tour of Europe’ episode.
Xavi Simons insight shared after Tottenham message from Thomas Frank
Commenting on Frank’s recent claim that Simons can play on the left regularly, Ozturk shared what he’s noticed about the forward when he picks up the ball out wide – tipping him to become a “sensation” at Tottenham.
The former PSG starlet, who was also a product of Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, dazzled for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.
Appearances
25
Minutes played
2,157
Goals
10
Assists
7
Bookings
5
Shots at goal per 90 minutes
2
Passing accuracy
82.9%
Average match rating
7.32
via WhoScored
One of Frank’s major tasks in his debut Tottenham season is getting the best out of Simons, with the player’s versatility likely meaning we’ll see him utilised in more positions as Spurs’ boss experiments throughout 25/26.