Tottenham Hotspur unveiled Xavi Simons to their supporters ahead of their 1-0 defeat to AFC Bournemouth.
Simons was convinced to join Tottenham following talks with Thomas Frank, with Spurs’ new boss successfully selling his project to the 22-year-old.
Tottenham have paid around £52m to sign Simons and capture one of the brightest young talents in Europe.
The North London club have been searching for a new number ten for most of the summer, having missed out on Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze.
Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino will know the left winger well, having worked with him at PSG, and he’s already spoken about Simons’ potential.
When Mauricio Pochettino hailed Xavi Simons’ ‘very good potential’ in 2021
Pochettino backed Xavi Simons to have a bright future during his time as manager at Paris Saint-Germain, claiming that he had ‘very good potential’.
The former Spurs manager handed him his senior debut in a 1-0 win over Caen as he featured alongside Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe.
Overall, the Argentine coach gave him 11 appearances in the first team at the Parc Des Princes despite him only being 17 years old at the time.
Speaking about the youngster back in 2021, Pochettino was quoted by Sport saying: “He won’t be Iniesta or Xavi, but he has the quality and balance to be able to develop a career in the first division. He’s still very young, but he has very good potential…
“Simons is training very well, he has character, he doesn’t get nervous, and he reads the game well.”
Back in 2023, Rafael van der Vaart said Simons was a “world-class” prospect and he is also a massive fan of the former PSG star.
Meanwhile, Pochettino’s predecessor, Tim Sherwood, was more critical of Simons and is not sure the Dutch international will cut it in the Premier League.
The North London club will need him to hit the ground running pretty quickly as Frank’s team missed a creative spark in their defeat at Bournemouth.
Thomas Frank “very excited” by Xavi Simons’ signing
Frank has admitted that he is “very excited” by the arrival of Simons at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and believes it is a “great signing”.
The Danish head coach believes that his versatility to play out wide and in the number ten role makes him a great option for his squad.
Speaking after his team’s defeat to Bournemouth, Frank told the media: “Very excited, very happy that we signed him. I think it was a great signing from the club. He can play ten and winger. Those are his two positions.”
Spurs will be hoping that the Dutch winger will be able to make his debut for the club away at West Ham United after the international break.