Journo confirms that RB Leipzig were pleased to accept Tottenham Hotspur’s offer for Xavi Simons
We saw Tottenham Hotspur pull one of the deals of the summer window when the North Londoners signed Xavi Simons for £52m from RB Leipzig.
The Lilywhites swooped in at the eleventh hour in what always looked like a deal that Chelsea were looking to close before Daniel Levy & Co. secured his signatures from under the Blues’ noses.
And while this transfer looks like the Lilywhites have just beaten their Premier League rivals to one of Europe’s most exciting young attackers. But according to recent words, their willingness to cash in on the La Masia academy graduate tells its own story.
Raphael Honigstein speaks about Leipzig sanctioning Simons transfer
Raphael Honigstein has spoken about how Leipzig were “quite happy” to sanction a move for Simons. He went on to point out his inconsistency as the main reason behind the Red Bull-owned club being willing to let Xavi Simons through the doors.
He said (speaking via An Echo of Glory Podcast):
“He solves a lot of problems for any team looking for creativity, he can go past players and open space, he’s a great passer as well. Absolute talent and quality.
“What is lacking is a little bit of consistency, that is why Leipzig were ok with the idea of selling, they are a selling club at this level, but I think in this particular case, they quite wanted him to be gone.
“But he’s 22, there’s a lot of progress still to be made, a lot of development both on and off the pitch for him.”
Frank knows what to get out of Simons
And this is now something that Thomas Frank will have to deal with. Given his antics since his days at Barcelona, it is quite obvious that the 22-year-old has a lot of talent, but it does look like he is still figuring himself out on the pitch. With him, you have someone who has the capacity to make those reel-worthy dazzling runs, but then for each one of those you have spells where he is waiting for the game to find him.
And while he was still doing it for Leipzig, it was unforgivable, and it would be more so when he dons that Lilywhites badge. But the Dane head coach has the history to get the best out of his players, and he would see Simons as a project.
Leipzig were happy to sell Simons because they had seen the gaps which they thought could be upgraded. And this is where the North Londoners came into the picture, and not because the chiefs at N17 do not mind those gaps, but instead because they believe those gaps can be filled.
And while Simons may end up handing some frustration because of his inconsistency every now and then, the thing is, he has that star power that Tottenham needs in the attack, especially given Heung-Min Son’s departure. Given how he is quite stubborn when it comes to his capacities to get better at defence, be it with a shimmy or a perfectly weighted final ball, it would help the North Londoners a lot.
For Thomas Frank, it is about making sure that he can take away this inconsistency but without taking away any of the flair that he has. And if the Dane head coach gets that balance right, then Tottenham will have not just a Maddison alternative, but potentially someone who leads the North Londoners into a new era. There are fewer better gifts Daniel Levy could have handed us ahead of his eventual exit.