Tottenham Hotspur sealed a dramatic last-minute summer deal for playmaker Xavi Simons in a £52 million deal from RB Leipzig, with the Dutchman preparing to make an imminent Premier League debut.
Following botched deals for Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze, Spurs finally ended their summer search for a creative midfielder by signing Simons on a five-year deal with the option of a further two years — one of the longest player contracts in Tottenham’s history.
|
Xavi Simons for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga last season |
Stats |
|---|---|
|
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 |
|
Fresh off the back of two seasons impressing in the Bundesliga with Leipzig – initially on loan before signing permanently for them earlier this year – it didn’t take long for Simons to swiftly seal another move, this time to England.
Chelsea appeared set to sign the former PSG sensation at one stage, but their dilly-dallying over a deal handed ex-Lilywhites chairman Daniel Levy a chance to hijack the Blues’ talks and sign Simons for Spurs.
In one of his final acts as chair before resigning last week, Levy backed Thomas Frank with the addition of a highly-rated attacker who’s set to step into the injured James Maddison’s shoes.
Simons bagged 22 goals and 24 assists in 78 total appearances for Leipzig, and was a product of Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy before he moved to PSG in his youth.
Bundesliga expert Kevin Hatchard claims that Spurs supporters will be a fan of Simons, but recently hinted at some concerns surrounding his attitude after reports he’s heard in the German media.
“The way he moves, the way he beats people, his intelligence in terms of the way he assists, goals. Very good player to watch, and I think Spurs fans will love him,” said Hatchard on talkSPORT.
“My only concern over him is sometimes the body language is not great, sometimes the attitude isn’t all that it could be. I don’t know him personally, all I do know is that throughout his time in Germany there has been talk of, ‘is his attitude the best? And can he be disruptive?’
“That might be unfair. That might just be gossip but that has been in the German media.”
With Maddison out until 2026 after rupturing his ACL, and Dejan Kulusevski not named in Tottenham’s 22-man Champions League squad as he continues his recovery from a knee problem, Simons could prove to be an absolutely vital addition for Frank.
What Rafael van der Vaart has already said about Xavi Simons
Bearing in mind the excitement around his potential debut against West Ham on Saturday, it is worth pointing out what Tottenham fan favourite Rafael van der Vaart has already said about Simons in the past.
Speaking to Studio Voetbal in 2023, the ex-Spurs star was adamant that Simons could be sensational, saying very few players can do what he can do when showed footage of the 22-year-old striking the crossbar.
“Very few players can do this: in such a small space: accept, turn and shoot the ball on the bar,” said van der Vaart.
“I look at the potential, how good can someone become in the future? With Xavi Simons, everything that makes me very happy.”
When asked if he could be world-class, Van der Vaart said:
“Absolutely. There are always smarties walking around who say: yes, nice against RKC, but he didn’t show it against Sevilla. Believe me, in a few years we will all say: how nice that we can use this boy for the Dutch national team.”
As well as Simons, fellow new signing Randal Kolo Muani could also play against West Ham, so this is gearing up to be one of the most exciting London derbies against the Hammers in some time.
Mohammed Kudus is also braced for a return to his former club, and it will be very interesting to see the kind of reception he gets.
