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Xavi Simons is quietly joining the list of Tottenham's expensive but failed signings. |
In the early hours of November 2nd, Chelsea secured a convincing 1-0 victory away at Tottenham in the 10th round of the Premier League. In that match, Xavi Simons experienced a forgettable moment after being brought on by manager Thomas Frank in the 7th minute, only to be substituted in the 72nd minute.
A forgettable match
Early in the match, the Dutch midfielder was brought on from the bench to replace the injured Lucas Bergvall. Simons had a lackluster performance, and in the 73rd minute, when Spurs needed to attack to find an equalizer against Chelsea, the £51 million signing was substituted for the less well-known Wilson Odobert.
This reflects manager Thomas Frank's lack of confidence in one of Tottenham's most expensive signings this summer. Spurs fans have become increasingly frustrated with the 22-year-old's performance since joining from RB Leipzig.
Simons has only registered one assist in all competitions for his new team so far. Many experts and English football fans believe that Simons is not keeping up with the pace of the league, being too slow and indecisive in all situations.
Having shone in the Bundesliga, Simons has struggled since moving to the Premier League. A shocking statistic: Since the start of the season, the Dutch midfielder has only touched the ball in the opponent's penalty area seven times.
Although manager Thomas Frank has always supported and believed in Simons' progress in the media, his decision to substitute the player in the defeat against Chelsea speaks volumes.
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Simons is struggling to adapt to the intense demands of the Premier League. |
Simons has long been known for his skillful dribbling and clever handling in tight spaces. He is well-suited to the number 10 or left winger role in Tottenham's flexible 4-2-3-1 system. However, the Premier League is far more demanding than the Bundesliga, where the intensity of play, pressure, and aggression from opponents can easily overwhelm midfielders like Simons who rely heavily on dribbling.
Lessons from Wirtz and Sancho
While the Premier League's "big-name" signings often face scrutiny – from Manchester United's Antony to Chelsea's Mudryk – Xavi Simons has been under less pressure since the start of the season.
The reason also stems from the player's low transfer fee, just £51 million, far less than other deals. However, the Dutch attacking midfielder continues to demonstrate the level of risk involved when Premier League clubs buy players from the Bundesliga.
With a transfer fee of £51 million (including add-ons), Simons is at high risk of becoming a wasteful signing, the latest blunder from the Bundesliga.
This isn't the first time a young talent from the Bundesliga has struggled upon arriving in the Premier League. Players like Jadon Sancho, Timo Werner, and more recently Loïc Badé have all experienced similar periods of "culture shock."
But Simons' case is particularly alarming because he was bought to replace James Maddison – who is struggling with injuries – and to boost the attack under manager Ange Postecoglou.
Instead, Simons became a pale imitation of precisely what Spurs wanted to eliminate: a lack of aggression, explosiveness, poor tackling, and a tendency to be drawn into the opponent's pace.
Spurs' management were once confident that Simons would be "the perfect combination of Dutch technique and German speed," but reality showed he wasn't ready for the demanding intensity of English football.
With Florian Wirtz, a player costing almost three times as much as Simons, also struggling to adapt to the Premier League, English clubs may need to reconsider the trend of making "big-name" signings from the Bundesliga.
Source: https://znews.vn/xavi-simons-la-cu-lua-moi-nhat-cua-bundesliga-post1599217.html
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