Igor Tudor raised eyebrows as he once again left Xavi Simons on the bench for Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool, and when he came on, he looked lost.
Simons has now started on the bench in the last three matches for Spurs, and it is clear that Igor Tudor is not a fan of the Dutch attacker.
What grade do you give Xavi Simons’ time at Tottenham so far? 🤔
Mathys Tel was fancied ahead of him on the left wing, which is a damning indictment of how poor a signing the 22-year-old has been so far.
Thomas Frank or Tudor have failed to get the best out of him, but his performances have hardly given Spurs fans much hope to cling to.
Xavi Simons deserves to be on the bench for Tottenham
Quite frankly, Xavi Simons deserves to be on the bench for Tottenham Hotspur right now following his display at Anfield.
Since his £51 million move from RB Leipzig, the youngster has managed just two goals and five assists in 36 appearances for the Lilywhites.
He has proven to be a hugely disappointing signing so far, which has meant that Spurs have been without a proper creator all season, especially with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski sidelined.
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In the 34 minutes he played off the bench at Anfield, he managed 33 touches, lost possession eight times, and completed just 18 passes.
The winger had a chance to win the game near the end, but like most of his decision-making, he picked the wrong option by shooting and dragged his effort wide.
Who starts in the number ten when both fully fit: James Maddison or Xavi Simons? 👀
Granted, Tudor’s system doesn’t really suit Simons, as he was shoehorned into a flat 4-4-2 and was stuck out wide on the left.
Spurs have needed so much more this season from their marquee summer signing, but he has failed to deliver.
Where Xavi Simons ranks among Tottenham’s 2025/26 signings
On reflection, Tottenham’s summer transfer business this season has been such a massive let-down for the North London club.
At £51 million, Simons has to be ranked as the worst, given the poor value for money so far, with Conor Gallagher and Mathys Tel just behind him.
Tel’s work rate and commitment has been commendable, but it remains a strange decision as to why Spurs paid £30 million to make his deal permanent.
Meanwhile, Tottenham making Gallagher their best-paid player in January smacks of despartion and his impact has been shocking.
Kevin Danso, for £25 million, was probably the best piece of business Spurs did, which just proves how low the bar is.