Tottenham Hotspur star Xavi Simons has found himself in Rafael van der Vaart’s sights, and the former Tottenham midfielder is not impressed.
De Telegraaf report on comments from Van der Vaart today. he has been criticising Simons on Ziggo Sport’s Rondo. And he admitted he admitted he expected far more from the 22-year-old.
“He disappoints me,” he said.
“I had expected much more from him. He wants so badly to show how good he is. That has the opposite effect
“He was the young talent, and everyone was talking about him. He is still playing a bit like that.”
“Nothing at all”
That disappointment is partly due to what came before Tottenham. Simons had established himself as a star man at RB Leipzig, with 22 goals and 24 assists in 78 games for the club.
He also impressed on loan at PSV Eindhoven, with 22 goals and 11 assists in 48 games in total for the Dutch side. His record at Tottenham, so far, is four goals and five assists in 38 games.
Van der Vaart was watching and can’t understand how it’s gone badly at Tottenham.
“At Leipzig he really had a good spell. Tottenham is nothing at all. After PSV, he also showed it in the Bundesliga,” he added.
Van der Vaart is not the only one unsure about Xavi Simons either. Dutch icon Ruud Gullit has also been watching. And he’s been left with questions as a result.
“He is hyped. I still don’t really know how good he could be,” he concluded.
Premier League numbers disappoint
A cold look at the numbers certainly don’t make for happy reading with Xavi Simons, certainly in the Premier League.
The 22-year-old has managed just one goal and four assists in 25 games this season. Those are not the kind of numbers Tottenham expect from a player who cost €65m in the summer. RB Leipzig certainly don’t regret the deal.
Transfermarkt now value him at €50m. That alone should show how much Simons has struggled this season.
Now Van der Vaart has his sights on him, and he wants everyone to know he’s unimpressed. We’re sure Tottenham fans will share the sentiment.