Tottenham Hotspur have to hijack Chelsea’s move for Xavi Simons in the aftermath of James Maddison, seemingly, suffering a bad injury.
Last season, Ange Postecoglou became the first manager in 17 years to guide Tottenham to a major honour, steering them to Europa League glory and fulfilling his promise of always winning silverware in his second season. Despite this, the club chose to sack the Australian, in no small part due to their league form.
Spurs lost 22 of 38 Premier League games last season, leading the Lilywhites to their eventual decision. In his place, Tottenham have appointed Thomas Frank who, across seven years with Brentford, took the Bees from the Championship and turned them into an established top flight side.
Alongside Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel, both of whom have had their loans made permanent, Spurs have signed Mohammed Kudus from West Ham to bolster Frank’s options. The club were close to signing Morgan Gibbs-White, only for the number 10 to renew his contract with Nottingham Forest.
Missing out on Gibbs-White was certainly a blow for Tottenham, who have Champions League football to prepare for. Already in need of an attacking midfielder, Spurs should now look to move quickly and sign one particular star given how pre-season has unfolded for them.
Spurs Should Go For Simons
Maddison injury makes transfer crucial
As part of their pre-season preparations, Spurs recently played Newcastle United in a friendly. The game was tinged with poignance for Tottenham fans, as it marked the final appearance of Heung-min Son, who is set to join Los Angeles FC after a decade in North London.
The friendly also saw James Maddison, who struggled with a knee injury last season, go down off the ball towards the end of the match, with Frank saying after the game that Maddison had seemingly injured the same knee.
If Maddison is set to be out of action, then Spurs’ pursuit of a creative, attack-minded midfielder only becomes more crucial. It has since emerged, as per TBR Football, that Tottenham have held talks with Xavi Simons, who is looking to leave RB Leipzig this summer.
It has been reported that Chelsea also hold an interest in signing Simons, though Spurs now must do everything in their power to secure the Dutchman’s signature. There is a clearer place for Simons in Tottenham’s first team in comparison to Chelsea, who have far more players able to play in the number 10.
Playing in the Champions League will be a major incentive for Simons, one that Spurs could use to their advantage to recruit the Dutch international, who has been described as a “superstar” by Breaking the Lines.
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