On August 3rd, Tottenham faced Newcastle in a pre-season friendly. This was an opportunity for Thomas Frank's men, newly appointed to the Spurs bench , to perfect their preparations before the European Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain and the resumption of the Premier League . A match that turned into a nightmare for James Maddison. Coming on in the 75th minute, the England international was taken off ten minutes later due to knee pain. The verdict was clear: the 28-year-old attacking midfielder had torn his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
A significant absence for Tottenham, who lost their playmaker for a large part of the season. The London club therefore urgently scoured the market for a replacement. Snubbed by Eberechi Eze, who preferred to join rivals Arsenal, Tottenham finally found their rare pearl on August 29: seven months after definitively leaving PSG, Xavi Simons (22 years old) joined Spurs from RB Leipzig, for 60 million euros . A new step for the former FC Barcelona star, after successful loan spells at PSV Eindhoven and RBL.
Still no goal for Tottenham
In the Eredivisie, then in the Bundesliga, the Dutch international (31 caps, 5 goals) had shown all his talent. Capable of playing on all fronts of the attack, Simons had proven himself indispensable with the Red Bull club between 2023 and 2025 (78 matches, 22 goals and 24 assists). But just like Florian Wirtz, who also made the jump from the Bundesliga to the Premier League, his debut was far from flamboyant. After eight matches played with Tottenham (including 4 starts in the league and two in the Champions League), Xavi Simons was decisive in only one occasion: against West Ham (0-3), on September 13, with an assist for Pape Matar Sarr.
Simons, who started in Saturday's 1-2 defeat to Aston Villa, delivered another lackluster performance. Criticized in the UK, he can nevertheless count on the support of his coach Thomas Frank, who defended him after the final whistle. " I liked Xavi's personality today, especially in the first half. He wanted the ball, created chances, and was aggressive in pressing. Today was a more average game. I have to remember that when players arrive at a new club and a new country, we judge them on a small sample size. I have no doubt he will be important for us ," the German coach said. Why not, starting this Wednesday (9 p.m.), in Monaco in the Champions League ...
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