Xavi Simons impressed on his debut for Tottenham in the 3-0 win over West Ham.
The Netherlands international was making his first appearance in the Premier League following a £51m move from RB Leipzig, and managed to provide an assist as Spurs strolled to a simple win.
However, Tottenham fans believe Thomas Frank made a mistake with Xavi Simons at the London Stadium.
Thomas Frank told he needs to use Xavi Simons centrally
The Dutchman spent his 71 minutes on the pitch against West Ham on the left flank, and despite playing well, Spurs fans believe he would be more impactful in a central attacking midfield role.
One Tottenham supporter kicked off the conversation by posting: “Xavi Simons is such a joy to watch, his touch, vision, and passing are all special. However, I believe he would thrive even more in a central role rather than being deployed out wide.”
Another added: “Once he gets in that CAM (centre attacking midfield) position it’s over.”
Simons has made 61 appearances on the left throughout his career – more than any other position – so you can see why Frank deployed his new signing there.
However – as you can see by the numbers in the table above – he is quite clearly more productive in the centre.
A third Spurs fan continued “play him in his natural position next time” as a fourth bluntly stated “not LW (left wing) Frank” – clearly, these Tottenham supporters are all in agreement.
Simons was told to do as he pleased in training at Hotspur Way, and certainly seemed to play with a lot of freedom in his first taste of a London derby.
How Xavi Simons fared on his Tottenham debut against West Ham statistically
If Frank does continue to use the 22-year-old on the left, the man from Amsterdam should still be able to deliver on the basis of his display in east London.
As you can see, it was a productive performance from Simons, who always looked to drive at West Ham and make something happen.
The new Tottenham No.7 also proved he can take a mean corner, whipping several devilish deliveries right on top of Mads Hermansen which caused chaos for the Hammers.