Tottenham Hotspur supporters may have one man to thank for Xavi Simons’ move to north London at the end of the last transfer window.
Tottenham signed Simons from RB Leipzig just before the transfer market closed, beating their London rivals Chelsea to his signature.
The attacking midfielder has only played two games for Spurs so far, but he is already impressing.
Joao Palhinha praised Simons following Tottenham’s 1-0 win against Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday, claiming that he brings a lot of “quality” to the team.
Thomas Frank ‘key’ in Xavi Simons transfer
Simons’ agent, Ali Barat, has confirmed that both Tottenham and Chelsea were keen on signing the 22-year-old in the summer.
And while a transfer did become difficult for the latter, Barat has suggested that Simons still needed to be convinced to join the former, with Frank playing his part.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the super-agent said: “There was genuine interest from both sides. Chelsea had certain constraints at that moment, which made it difficult for them to move forward, which we totally respected and they were really clear with us from the beginning about where they were at with it.
“So when discussions with Tottenham began, their connection and clarity stood out and it quickly became clear that their project was a great fit for Xavi’s development. A talk that Xavi had with Thomas Frank was really key because he hit on a lot of good points.
“Xavi has heard ‘Oh, you’re amazing’ before, but Thomas really hit him on the points that he had to work on. It was total honesty. Xavi has got a monster mentality. He’s been a wonderkid since 14 years old. He’s not afraid of challenges. He really took those words from Thomas in a positive way.”
Tottenham fans will be delighted that their club managed to land the Dutchman and get one over their fierce rivals at the same time.
However, some Tottenham supporters want to see Simons in the No.10 position, with Frank playing him as a winger so far.
They may get to see that on Saturday when their side take on Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League.
Thomas Frank’s verdict on Xavi Simons’ Villarreal display
Simons was really good on his Tottenham debut, helping the Europa League winners to beat West Ham United 3-0.
Frank praised Simons that day but had a little bit of feedback for both the Netherlands international and Djed Spence following the Villarreal victory.
He told football.london and the rest of the English media: “Obviously, we are building the offensive structure more and more. Xavi Simons has just come into the club. It’s fair to say he and Djed need a little relationship, of course, to get going.”
The above should come with time. Whatever the case, Frank can be satisfied with Simons’ first couple of appearances for Spurs.
He will also be happy with how his side have started the season, as things are going quite well for them in the Premier League.
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