After a successful spell at PSV Eindhoven and two promising seasons at RB Leipzig, Xavi Simons , signed by Paris Saint-Germain in 2019, took the next step by joining the Premier League this summer. Seven months after definitively leaving PSG, the 22-year-old prodigy joined Spurs for €60 million . A bold move for the London club, which has yet to pay off so far this season.
Xavi Simons came on, received a yellow card, then was substituted.
Because Xavi Simons was brought in to fill the void left by James Maddison's long absence, following a serious anterior cruciate ligament rupture during preseason. He made a strong impression by providing an assist in his debut match against West Ham in the Premier League (3-0), but his subsequent eleven games failed to improve his already meager statistics. "I have to remember that when players arrive at a new club and in a new country, we judge them on a small sample size. I have no doubt that he will be important for us ," his manager, Thomas Frank, asserted upon his debut.
Since then, Xavi Simons has been far from universally popular in England, but the defeat in the London derby against Chelsea at home only made matters worse. On the bench against their London rivals, the Dutchman came on after Lucas Bergvall suffered a concussion in the 7th minute, but with Spurs trailing, Simons had received a yellow card and was struggling to find his rhythm. Thomas Frank therefore decided to substitute him for Wilson Odobert in the 73rd minute.
The English press is not sparing him
While he appeared visibly saddened when his shirt number was displayed on the fourth official's board, Thomas Frank asserted that "he played on Wednesday night (in the Carabao Cup at Newcastle). He couldn't play with that lack of energy and freshness. There's not much to say about it, that's just how it is ." Having faced criticism from Spurs fans on social media, the 22-year-old Dutch forward has also been targeted by the local press.
"Xavi Simons suffers the ultimate humiliation in the world of football. Tottenham 's summer signing continues to struggle against Chelsea ," headlined the Daily Mail . Joined by The Sun , which ran the headline "SIM-ON SIM-OFF ." Jamie O'Hara, former Tottenham player, expressed his anger at the player: "Absolutely catastrophic today, the score should have been 4-0 to Chelsea. The players seem to have forgotten how to score a goal. Xavi Simons looks like the worst 60 million signing ever, like a youth team player who has never played for the first team, it's shocking ." A complicated situation, as Tottenham will face Copenhagen, then PSG in the Champions League, before playing Arsenal and Manchester United in the Premier League.
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