Tottenham midfielder Joao Palhinha impressed with the quality of Xavi Simons after Villarreal victory
Tottenham Hotspur’s search for creative players during the summer transfer window took them to different parts of Europe.
After raiding London rivals West Ham United for Mohammed Kudus, Spurs had to toil for adding another creative midfielder to Thomas Frank’s ranks. They suffered heartbreak in the form of missing out on Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze, while Como rejected a bid for Nico Paz. Eventually, Spurs ended up persuading Xavi Simons to leave RB Leipzig and join the club in the final week of the transfer window.
Xavi Simons has arrived in north London amid a lot of fanfare. The Netherlands international deciding to take up the No.7 jersey vacated by club legend Son Heung-min has only heightened the expectations at Spurs.
Joao Palhinha impressed by Xavi Simons’ quality
Thomas Frank threw Simons at the deep end against West Ham last weekend, and he performed well. He produced an assist from a corner kick for Pape Matar Sarr’s goal as Spurs thrashed West Ham 3-0.
The creative forward made his Champions League debut for Tottenham against Villarreal on Tuesday. Starting on the left flank again, the 22-year-old linked up well with left-back Djed Spence and created some problems for the Villarreal defence. Off the ball, he was tenacious and did not shy away from the odd challenge, picking up a yellow card for a foul in the first half.
Fellow summer signing Joao Palhinha was asked about how Simons has been settling in at Tottenham. The Portugal international was quick to state that he’s been impressed with the young playmaker. He feels that the Dutchman brings great quality and competition within the squad, and will help the north Londoners a lot in “key moments”. Here is what Palhinha told the media (via Youtube) after Tottenham beat Villarreal.
“A lot of quality, offensively, for sure, he will bring a lot of things. He’s a really young player with a lot of talent. I think he will help us a lot in key moments.”
“It’s one more player to bring competition in for the squad, because I think when you have so many top players in the squad, it’s going to be much more competitive for the places.
“I think when you sign these kinds of players, it’s because they will bring a lot of good things, and it’s a young talent and will help him to improve, and he will improve on the pitch to win games.”
Simons speaks after Champions League debut
Simons said after his Champions League debut for Tottenham that he signed for the club mainly due to their presence in the elite European competition. Not only that, but the Netherlands playmaker also added that Frank had a big influence over his decision to join the Lilywhites last month.
Frank has no hesitated to hand the player back-to-back starts against West Ham and Villarreal, and the 22-year-old has done well. Regarded as one of Europe’s best attacking talents, Simons has a lot to give to Tottenham. This is just the beginning for him.