Mathys Tel has been forced to withdraw from international duty after sustaining an injury in Tottenham Hotspur‘s defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Tel has not had the desired impact in the Premier League since making his move from Bayern a permanent one, but Igor Tudor has constantly picked him over several of his other attacking options.
The Frenchman has started his last five games for Spurs, managing just one assist in that time, but still keeping Xavi Simons out of the team.
However, with Tel forced to withdraw from international duty, Tudor, or whoever may be in charge, come the return of Premier League action, may have to turn back to Simons.
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Xavi Simons must take Tottenham opportunity with both hands
Very similar to Tel, Simons has not set the Premier League alight since joining from the Bundesliga, though there have been some promising signs.
The Dutchman has four assists in the top flight for Spurs this season from 30 chances created, with six of those having been deemed as big chances.
However, he has found himself cast aside by Tudor in recent weeks, with just one start in their last five games across all competitions, and ironically scoring twice in it.
If Tel’s injury is to be worse than feared, then Spurs will have no choice but to get Simons back into the starting 11, and if so, he needs to showcase his worth.
Almost half of his nine goal contributions this season have come in the Champions League, and this could be his time to bring that form to the Premier League.
Simons could replace Tel, but the situation is still not ideal
Simons is at his best when playing centrally, which is something he has very rarely been afforded the chance to do at Tottenham.
He has been shoehorned in on the left wing, and while there have been games where he has impressed there, it’s clear that he needs to be in the middle.
In times like this, Spurs may need him to stay there in Tel’s absence, but going forward, they need to find a role for him in the middle to ensure they get the most out of him.