Xavi Simons vs Eberechi Eze: Who should Tottenham sign under Thomas Frank? – Opinion

Daniel Levy has been grinding out in the transfer market as he looks to make some marquee transfers to support the incoming head coach Thomas Frank and ensure that the current roster has players just are capable to play in the system that the Dane head coach will be looking to implement at Hotspur Way.

It will clearly be a change of tactical setting and structural framework at Tottenham with the arrival of the former Brentford manager, given that the Lilywhites will move into a mid-block structure and system-first approach, which is a huge variance from the one they deployed under Ange Postecoglou. And this demands intelligent and fast-thinking players who are capable of not only attacking freely but also understanding zones and systems given how Spurs walk into a more transitional setup.

And in this context, it is interesting to think about the links to both Xavi Simons and Eberechi Eze of late, given how they end up raising a fundamental question to the football fanatic in me: Who of the two fits Frank’s tactical identity better? I will try to elaborate on the scribbles about this that I made on my notepad pondering about both the players within Thomas Frank’s structure…

Lets get into both the players in a brief…

Firstly, both of them are right footed players who like to make those inward from the outside runs from that left channels both both of them go about themselves just in a different way. While Eze can be called a CAM, you can play him as a left winger (maybe an invered left winger) while Xavi Simons is somone who can play as a CAM but if I am slotting him on the left, I would still call him a left sided attacker given how the latter doesn’t wing play traditinally he is someone who is more technical as he feints through his markers then gliding past them (if it makes sense).

Eze is someone who is more of a ball carrier capacity player who has that final third thrust, while the La Masia academy graduate is more of a tempo controller who has that technical elegance about him.

Xavi Simons vs Eze: Who tactically fits into Thomas Frank’s side?

Simons is someone who is more suited to playing in a structured framework given how he thrives within clear instructions about his playing capacity, especially when he has that space of rotating triangles between full-backs, central midfielders, and inside forwards (classic Barcelona graduate). And you can play him out on the wide or as a #10 who floats through the sequences. I do think that he would form slick link-ups with the likes of Maddison, Bentancur, and Udogie. I think Simons would be a more ball-dominant player who will thrive in the transitional setup at Tottenham whilst bringing some sense of creativity.

Coming to Eze, I think that he is elite in progressing the ball vertically, and every now and then he tries to rely on solo brilliance to make a difference, so you’d see him trying to offer solo chance creation when systems break down, and that would be key against low blocks. When it is about roles, he is not someone who would just operate within zones; he likes to float more and break the shape to create opportunities. He could be a maverick-style player in the team, especially when Thomas Frank wants to bring a sense of chaos and make the game very open.

Author Opinion: I think Tottenham should sign Simons.

I know that Eze has that flair and ball-carrying speed complemented by his fast feet that helps him wiggle his way through his carries but I do think that Xavi Simons is a much better fit for that tactical system that Thomas Frank is expected to deploy at Hotspur Way, one that is more dynamic but has still some systematic approach about it and this is where in my opinion Simons gives you that flexibility whilst having positional discipline that fits perfectly in a functional system set-up rather than an individualistic one. And moreover he also offers value upside (given his age and resale prospects). Moreover, Simons does have that Champions League experience, and is a better tactical fit from his years at PSV, PSG and Leipzig.

Tottenham need transition plug-and-play players (particularly after Ange), and Simons gives you that and more.

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If you were given a choice, who would you take at Tottenham – Xavi Simons or Eze? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.