Xavi Simons has endured a somewhat slow start to life at Tottenham since his move in the summer.
The Netherlands international completed his move to North London in the latter stages of the summer transfer window, after two hugely productive years in the Bundesliga.
Simons immediately became one of Tottenham’s all-time record buys when his initial £52million switch was confirmed, and that naturally means that big expectations have been attached.
However, the electric start that many people predicted for the 22-year-old is yet to materialise, and that has quickly prompted speculation as to why.
Xavi Simons positional concerns are unjustified
Concerns have already risen regarding the position that Simons is playing at Tottenham, despite the fact that he is still just games into his stint with the club.
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The former PSG star’s preferred position is in an attacking midfield role, but Thomas Frank has largely opted to play him on the left wing so far.
That has prompted suggestions from some quarters that the boss is hindering his star’s performances by not accommodating him in his favoured role.
However, ex-Spurs scout Bryan King – speaking exclusively to Tottenham News – believes that concerns surrounding Simons’ position are unjustified, and feels that he may just be experiencing issues in terms of settling in.
“I think Simons should just be happy to be playing,” King said.
“If he’s in the starting XI, then he hasn’t got much to argue with. If he was a one-footed player and he was playing on the left, then maybe he would be upset, but he isn’t.
“A lot of players now are so versatile that they can cover different positions quite easily. These things tend to take time.
“Sometimes players find it hard to settle, and they want to impress, but things aren’t going their way. When you move to a new club, things take time, both on the pitch and off it.”
Tottenham fans need to show patience towards Xavi Simons
Mohammed Kudus has made an excellent start at Tottenham since his move from West Ham in the summer, and he is providing the perfect contrast to Simons in terms of the speed at which he has settled in.
Ultimately, every player is different, and it is up to the manager to try and help bed them in as quickly and as seamlessly as possible.
The Spurs faithful need to try and get behind their new star and instil him with as much confidence as possible moving forward.
Simons is a player of real quality, and it may only take one moment for him to shake off his early issues.