Tottenham summer signing Xavi Simons is arguably one of Europe's most exciting young playmakers, with the Dutchman tipped to become a star for Spurs after ex-chairman Daniel Levy sealed a £52 million deal ahead of Chelsea.
Xavi Simons looking to justify potential club-record Tottenham deal
The cost of Simons' signing, as per club insider Paul O'Keefe, could reach around £125 million when factoring in the length of his contract, wages and transfer fee combined.
The 22-year-old signed a five-year deal worth around £195,000-per-week, making him the Lilywhites' joint-highest earner with Cristian Romero.
Simons' five-year deal includes an option to extend his stay by an additional two years, and if the north Londoners take this option, it would be the longest contract ever awarded to a Spurs player.
Over his first two games, the playmaker has already shown real glimpses of his quality and got off the mark with his first assist for Spurs just 47 minutes into his full debut — setting up Pape Sarr for the Senegalese to head home from a corner.
Simons also started his first Champions League game for Spurs earlier this week, and again impressed in flashes, even if he was largely unconvincing and lucky not to be sent off for a second yellow after bringing down former Arsenal flop Nicolas Pepe.
Thomas Frank has elected to start Simons on the left-hand side in each of his first two games, and it will be intriguing to see whether the ex-PSG sensation will be played more centrally in a 'Maddison-type' role soon.
Lucas Bergvall has dazzled for Spurs so far this season and Frank will be keen for the Swede not to lose momentum, so we'll perhaps see Simons more out wide for the time being.
In any case, the starlet, who was also once in Barcelona's famed La Masia academy, is being tipped for stardom in N17.
“I heard Tottenham’s coach give a whole spiel about Simons, saying that he can actually play on the left wing,” said journalist Suleyman Ozturk earlier this week.
“And that’s where he plays now, and you can see that when he gets the ball, there’s a shift in his mind, and he moves on, for example, to Richarlison. There’s a lot of creativity there, and I think that once that comes out in a few weeks, he’s going to be a sensation at Tottenham."
Interestingly, Simons was once believed to be on the verge of joining Chelsea, and super-agent Ali Barat has now revealed the "key" reason why Spurs ended up winning the race.
Why Xavi Simons chose to join Tottenham over Chelsea
Speaking to RMC Sport, Barat says that Frank's influence was a vital factor in persuading Simons to sign for Tottenham over Enzo Maresca's side.
“With Xavi, the key was to clearly understand his priorities and ensure that the club he joined shared his long-term vision,” he said.
“Xavi has a very strong mentality and a big personality. Tottenham and Chelsea are both fantastic clubs with solid projects, and there was genuine interest from both sides.
“But Chelsea was always clear with us; they had certain constraints that made it difficult to move forward in discussions.
“So, when discussions with Tottenham began, it became clear that this would be a project that would be a perfect fit for Xavi, and I think the discussion he had with Thomas Frank was really key to Xavi’s decision.”
Frank has guided the Lilywhites to four wins from six games in all competitions since taking over from Ange Postecoglou, and taking Barat's revelation into account, Tottenham's decision to appoint the Dane is looking more and more like the right decision every week.
Similar to Ange, the tactician appears to have a talent for convincing Europe's most exciting talents, with his predecessor helping Levy to sign Mathys Tel via a Zoom call pitch.
Following James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski's lengthy injury lay-offs, Simons' arrival could be crucial in Spurs' chase for silverware and qualification for next season's Champions League.
It was a statement deal, and beating London rivals Chelsea to his signature was the extra cherry top.