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Xavi Simons concern emerges after £52million Tottenham transfer
Tottenham Hotspur’s £52million acquisition of Xavi Simons evokes a unique mix of excitement, intrigue… and caution. The Dutch star has grown his profile in recent seasons for his sparkling displays with RB Leipzig. Simons secured a move to Spurs just days before the transfer deadlineGetty Simons took his first meaningful steps at Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy before securing a switch to Paris Saint-Germain in 2019. But his time in the French capital was a frustrating one and while he was surrounded by stars including Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi, Simons could find no way of usurping the club’s three diamonds. Moreover, he could barely get minutes on the pitch despite calls from the club’s ultras to hand the budding star playing time. Ironically, it was a former Spurs boss in Mauricio Pochettino who helped strike the final blow to the Dutchman’s time at the Parc des Princes. Simons was handed a rare chance by Pochettino to impress in a Coupe de France tie against Nice in 2022. He played relatively well in an overall drab goalless draw but his crucial miss in the subsequent penalty shootout saw PSG get knocked out at the last 16 stage and Simons was quickly banished back to the bench. He bravely opted against continuing his Parisian adventure, instead building his stock on loan at PSV Eindhoven before securing another loan to RB Leipzig that eventually became permanent. The attacking midfielder registered a total of 22 goals and 24 assists in 78 games for the Bundesliga outfit over a two-year spell at the club and a showreel of goals to fill any player with envy. Simons is now ready for his biggest challenge yet with a crack at the Premier League, something he had previously revealed as one of his burning desires. And while it looked as though he was on his way to Chelsea, it was Spurs who reversed their trend of being on the receiving end of a transfer heist by sneaking in ahead of the Blues to land the Dutch star. GettyThe attacking midfielder impressed during his two-year stint at Leipzig[/caption] Simons was unable to break his way into the first team at PSGAFP A mix of flair and frustration Simons has the look, the style and reputation of a future world beater and while the highlights reel may show just that, his poor attitude which can appear at crucial moments is a flaw that Thomas Frank may have to quickly address. “He’s a really interesting player. I think this is a better fit for him than Chelsea would have been because ultimately the main man at Chelsea is Cole Palmer,” said Bundesliga commentator Kevin Hatchard on the latest episode of talkSPORT show, Inside Spurs. “That isn’t going to be as big a problem at Spurs because I really think he’ll have more room to stamp his authority on the team. “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. “My only concern over him is sometimes the body language is not great, sometimes the attitude isn’t all that it could be.” Hatchard continued: “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?’ Simons has been viewed as a disruptive figure by sections of the German mediaGetty European football expert Kevin Hatchard spoke at length on what Spurs fans can expect from Simons “That might be unfair. That might just be gossip but that has been in the German media. “Even when he left, there was a big editorial in one of the major publications about the fact that this may be a good thing for Leipzig in the long run in terms of the harmony of the team. “I’m sure Thomas Frank will do a great job with him. There will be a few rough edges to smooth out in that regard but in terms of his talent, it’s undeniable. “I think it will be an exciting and positive signing for Spurs.” Huge responsibility on young shoulders Simons is unlikely to be overawed by the bright lights of the Premier League at its star names. The 22-year-old has played at some of world football’s biggest clubs where the pressure to succeed is immense. Simons has earned 28 caps for the NetherlandsGetty That will also be the same at Spurs, however this time there will be a level of expectation and responsibility on him that he has not experienced elsewhere. And that will include how he responds to the physicality and provocation that Simons will undoubtedly receive. “You look at where he’s been and he’s been at huge football clubs so he’s seen how the top stars work,” Hatchard said. “Some of them are more controversial than others. My concern is how he is going to react to some of the physical punishment that’s coming his way. “Because that happens in the Bundesliga and he doesn’t like it. He gets kicked, he’s constantly moaning to the referee. “But if you look at t
Tottenham Hotspur’s £52million acquisition of Xavi Simons evokes a unique mix of excitement, intrigue… and caution.
The Dutch star has grown his profile in recent seasons for his sparkling displays with RB Leipzig.
Simons took his first meaningful steps at Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy before securing a switch to Paris Saint-Germain in 2019.
But his time in the French capital was a frustrating one and while he was surrounded by stars including Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi, Simons could find no way of usurping the club’s three diamonds.
Moreover, he could barely get minutes on the pitch despite calls from the club’s ultras to hand the budding star playing time.
Ironically, it was a former Spurs boss in Mauricio Pochettino who helped strike the final blow to the Dutchman’s time at the Parc des Princes.
Simons was handed a rare chance by Pochettino to impress in a Coupe de France tie against Nice in 2022.
He played relatively well in an overall drab goalless draw but his crucial miss in the subsequent penalty shootout saw PSG get knocked out at the last 16 stage and Simons was quickly banished back to the bench.
He bravely opted against continuing his Parisian adventure, instead building his stock on loan at PSV Eindhoven before securing another loan to RB Leipzig that eventually became permanent.
The attacking midfielder registered a total of 22 goals and 24 assists in 78 games for the Bundesliga outfit over a two-year spell at the club and a showreel of goals to fill any player with envy.
Simons is now ready for his biggest challenge yet with a crack at the Premier League, something he had previously revealed as one of his burning desires.
And while it looked as though he was on his way to Chelsea, it was Spurs who reversed their trend of being on the receiving end of a transfer heist by sneaking in ahead of the Blues to land the Dutch star.
A mix of flair and frustration
Simons has the look, the style and reputation of a future world beater and while the highlights reel may show just that, his poor attitude which can appear at crucial moments is a flaw that Thomas Frank may have to quickly address.
“He’s a really interesting player. I think this is a better fit for him than Chelsea would have been because ultimately the main man at Chelsea is Cole Palmer,” said Bundesliga commentator Kevin Hatchard on the latest episode of talkSPORT show, Inside Spurs.
“That isn’t going to be as big a problem at Spurs because I really think he’ll have more room to stamp his authority on the team.
“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.
“My only concern over him is sometimes the body language is not great, sometimes the attitude isn’t all that it could be.”
Hatchard continued: “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.
“Even when he left, there was a big editorial in one of the major publications about the fact that this may be a good thing for Leipzig in the long run in terms of the harmony of the team.
“I’m sure Thomas Frank will do a great job with him. There will be a few rough edges to smooth out in that regard but in terms of his talent, it’s undeniable.
“I think it will be an exciting and positive signing for Spurs.”
Huge responsibility on young shoulders
Simons is unlikely to be overawed by the bright lights of the Premier League at its star names.
The 22-year-old has played at some of world football’s biggest clubs where the pressure to succeed is immense.
That will also be the same at Spurs, however this time there will be a level of expectation and responsibility on him that he has not experienced elsewhere.
And that will include how he responds to the physicality and provocation that Simons will undoubtedly receive.
“You look at where he’s been and he’s been at huge football clubs so he’s seen how the top stars work,” Hatchard said.
“Some of them are more controversial than others. My concern is how he is going to react to some of the physical punishment that’s coming his way.
“Because that happens in the Bundesliga and he doesn’t like it. He gets kicked, he’s constantly moaning to the referee.
“But if you look at the performance on the opening night against Bayern, Leipzig lost 6-0 and he disappeared.
“If you look at the third goal particularly, there was very little effort to close down Serge Gnabry in the build-up.
“That doesn’t happen all the time but the fact that it happens at all is something Thomas Frank will have to work on.”
