Summer signing Xavi Simons makes interesting claim on the Tottenham Hotspur squad’s mentality
Xavi Simons was a late addition to the Tottenham Hotspur roster, arriving in north London in a €65m deal from RB Leipzig.
The 22-year-old had made it clear that he wanted to leave RB Leipzig after an ordinary 2024/25 season, despite them paying €50m to sign him permanently from Paris Saint Germain in the January transfer window. The lack of Champions League football was the major reason behind his decision and the Dutchman got what he wanted in the summer.
Xavi Simons was keen to play in the Premier League, with Chelsea initially pushing to secure his signature. Instead, the Netherlands international ended up at Tottenham, who moved quickly to get a deal done after losing James Maddison through a serious knee injury.
Xavi Simons opens up on Tottenham squad’s mentality
Xavi deciding to take up the No.7 jersey vacated by club icon Son Heung-min has only heightened the expectations at Spurs. The 22-year-old was thrown at the deep end by Thomas Frank against West Ham United last weekend, and he repaid the head coach’s faith by delivering an assist in the 3-0 win.
The twinkle-toed playmaker made his Champions League debut for Tottenham against Villarreal on Tuesday. He did play a decent game, as Spurs edged Villarreal 1-0 at home to kick off their Champions League campaign on a positive note. Fellow summer signing Joao Palhinha claimed after the game that he has been impressed by Xavi, who has brought quality and competition to Frank’s Tottenham.
After his Champions League debut in our famous white shirt, Xavi stated his decision to join the north Londoners has been validated by what he has experienced so far. He also opened up on the Tottenham squad’s mentality, claiming that the entire group wants to win more silverware.
“Obviously that’s the mentality I think from the squad and from the club, to keep winning and I think there’s progression, so we’re going game by game and trying to make the fans proud,” Xavi told Hayters TV.
Xavi has started well at Tottenham
Xavi marked his Premier League debut with an assist for Pape Matar Sarr’s goal in the win at West Ham. He followed it up with a decent performance against a stubborn, well-drilled Villarreal side in the Champions League.
There is a feeling among the White Hart Lane faithful that the Dutchman would be more effective playing centrally rather than out wide. Reputed journalist Alasdair Gold has explained his reasoning behind Frank choosing to use the ex-RB Leipzig star on the left flank.
Xavi is a big talent and has already shown glimpses of his quality on and off the ball in a Tottenham shirt. It will take some time for him to build relationships with his teammates, but across two games, the signs have been very promising. Also, the Dutch talent speaking up on the squad’s mentality to win silverware this season shows that the squad is on the right path under Frank.
