Tottenham Hotspur fans will have got the chance to watch their latest marquee signing for the first time whilst under contract in north London, with new signing Xavi Simons featuring for the Netherlands vs Poland on Thursday evening - but it didn't turn out the way that they may have wanted.
Simons had been linked with a move from RB Leipzig througout the summer, with Chelsea reportedly being keen on his services for a number of months. However, it was Thomas Frank's men who bit the bullet and made a move for the former Paris Saint-Germain starlet, landing him in a £52million deal to bolster their creative ranks, in a deal that was considered a huge coup having qualified for the Champions League in the summer.
Dutch Media Reacted Negatively to Xavi Simons' Netherlands Performance
Although Simons didn't feature in their 1-0 home loss to Bournemouth on Saturday, he will be expected to come into the lineup when they face West Ham United in a week's time, with fans eager to see how Tottenham play with him dictating play from the attacking midfield position.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Xavi Simons has 29 caps for the Netherlands, scoring five goals.
Yet his performance against Poland in the Netherlands' home qualifier on Thursday night left a lot to be desired, prompting reports from national journalists to critique him for being absent throughout the game.
Firstly, Football Oranje gave him just a 5.5/10 rating, stating that he 'looked lost'. They wrote:
"Didn’t manage to get into the game at all. Struggled in possession and looked lost. Provided no presence on the right."
Next came Dutch outlet AD, who ranked him even worse with a 5/10 performance, stating that he twice gave possession away and started a Poland counter-attack. They wrote:
"5/10 - Spurs's new signing had to make his mark this time on the right wing, replacing the injured Frimpong. Before halftime, he lost possession twice, giving Poland a counter-attack. His shot, delivered by Memphis Depay, also failed to make it 2-0. He was later substituted for Donyell Malen."
Voetbal Primeur, one of the country's leading sports pages, then went in on the star by questioning whether he even played - meaning that he will have to improve for their away trip to Lithuania next time out. They wrote:
"Xavi Simons – 5.5/10. Was supposed to be a right winger, but by cutting inside a lot, he effectively functioned as a second striker. That didn't work out so well. Simons had little to no say in the matter.
"Did Simons even play? The international career of the new Tottenham Hotspur signing has been characterized by inconsistency. Simons has certainly played well in the Dutch national team, but he has also regularly been a discordant figure.
"This was again the case against Poland. The midfielder-cum-attacker was invisible, and when he was visible, barely did anything good with the ball. Will Koeman still field him against Lithuania?"
Tottenham fans will be hoping that he can perform well in Kaunas on Sunday to at least get himself in good form before the visit to West Ham next weekend, so that he can hit the ground running in the capital.