Tottenham Hotspur concluded a massive summer transfer window on a high with the arrival of Kolo Muani on deadline day, but among other marquee additions to the roster at Hotspur Way, Xavi Simons remains the cream of the crop. And this is where the Dane head coach’s first real headache at Hotspur Way starts, given how he will have to work out balancing that left flank quite aptly.
With Son moving to LAFC earlier this summer, complemented by Solomon’s highly anticipated exit, the former Brentford coach is left with a mix of talent that provides a sense of dynamism and depth but with differentiation in their individual qualities and way of operation on the pitch.
Tottenham now have Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel in the frame to play in that left channel, but if you start looking closely, each of them gives you something different, and each one pulls Tottenham in a slightly different direction.
Understanding the options at Thomas Frank’s disposal
Simons is a creator in disguise
If we start to look into those left flank options, we start with the obvious in Xavi Simons, given his marquee arrival at Hotspur Way this summer. Now the Dutch forward is not your chalk-on-the-boots winger, but he is someone who is the happiest when drifting inside and operating between the lines. You’d see him often dictating the tempo of the sequences.
If you stick the 23-year-old on the left flank, then he will quickly turn those zones into another midfield zone by carrying through gaps and passing on the inside, and this ends up suiting Thomas Frank’s tendency to overload in those central zones. But then this doesn’t end up stretching defences in the way a natural wide man would.
With Simons, you get a sense of control and invention in sequences. He is someone who will always link the midfield to attack. But you don’t get someone who is a touchline winger that ends up isolating, marking the full-back and going down the outside.
This is where Odobert comes in…
Playing with a natural wide man in Odobert
If the Dane head coach is looking to deploy someone who is going to hug the touchline and run at people, then this is where he needs to advert to playing Odobert.
Given that we have seen how he is still a bit raw with his abilities,there is this directness about him which stands out given how he is always looking to pin his marking full-backs and force space to open up inside, which adds some much-needed variety to the attack.
But the apparent problem with him is how he is still young, which shows in the inconsistencies on display from him at times, but he is still learning the rhythm of Premier League football, and Tottenham supporters need to be patient with him given how he has all the tools to succeed in the English top tier.
Now that we have seen a controller and a direct-playing winger in Simons and Odobert, respectively, we go to the chaos option in Tel…
Tel bringing in chaos from the left
Tel would be one of those underrated arrivals at Hotspur Way in the recently concluded summer transfer window, especially given how Daniel Levy managed to negotiate a cut-price fee for his signature. We saw flashes of brilliance from him in his initial half-season on loan at N17, where he showed us how he can be explosive with his acceleration and how he has that ability to cut in and finish. Moreover, Tel gives you that restless energy defenders hate.
But the thing is, the former Bayern Munich forward is less of a creator and more of a finisher.
When you put him into Frank’s system, you suddenly have a player who can terrify teams when going forward in transitions and someone with that capacity to turn half-chances into goals. But with him as well, he just had a difficult time in Bundesliga, and he needs to find his confidence back to show his mojo down that left channel.
Tottenham also have Muani…
The Lilywhites signed Kolo Muani on deadline day, and while he is originally more of a central player, the Frenchman likes to drop in that left channel to unsettle defences. He is someone who brings those behind-the-line runs and could also be an interesting option down the left zones.
So who fits the best in Thomas Frank’s playing style?
Now this is someone for whom you’d think that there is no one answer. Given their capacities, Tottenham can use different players and approaches based on opponents.
When you are playing against low blocks where Tottenham needs craft, then Simons makes sense. But when Thomas Frank is looking to add some width and dribbling, then Odobert is the natural pick. And when games open up, you put in the likes of Muani and Tel.
See, now Tottenham don’t have a clear replacement for Son, but they have options, and this is where Frank has the chance to build a left side that is capable of changing the shape depending on the opponent (something that Tottenham haven’t had at Hotspur Way for years).
