Dutch analyst Johan Derksen has set his sights on Tottenham Hotspur’s Xavi Simons this week. And he’s not being very nice about him either.
Mee Met Oranje cover the latest comments from him today, in which he insists Thomas Frank is unhappy with his summer signing.
Derksen was full of criticism for the Tottenham man yesterday, insisting that it’s clear he can’t keep up with the pace in the Premier League. He compared him to Manchester City’s Tijani Reijnders, who has impressed since joining the summer.
While he appears to have integrated into the Premier League comfortably, Simons has struggled at Tottenham. He’s managed one assists in 10 games for Spurs this season. That came back in September in the 3-0 win over West Ham.
Questions are being asked about the 22-year-old, particularly given he cost €65m to sign from RB Leipzig. Tottenham’s struggles up front have also put an emphasis on the Dutchman. He was signed to bring creativity and cover the loss of James Maddison.
Derksen believes he is failing on all fronts and thinks that will be annoying Thomas Frank. And now he has back up from fellow analyst René van der Gijp.
“Simons is failing at Tottenham,” Derksen said Monday evening on Vandaag Inside.
“The manager is unhappy with him. He’s a nice indoor player, but you need speed and strength. He lacks that.”
“He lacks strength,” added Van der Gijp.
“And then his footballing qualities aren’t sufficient. Someone like Gianfranco Zola didn’t have that strength either, but he could play so well. With this guy, it’s just a bit too little.”