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Tottenham have completed the signing of Chelsea target Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig in a deal worth £51m.

The 22-year-old had been of interest to Chelsea all summer, but Spurs swiftly moved ahead of their London rivals to complete a deal for Simons.

"Noise? Don't listen to it all, only what matters. Tottenham called and I answered," Simons said in his announcement video, seemingly in reference to links to Chelsea.

Simons signing an opportunity Spurs could not miss

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Sky Sports News understands the Netherlands international has signed an initial five-year deal plus two optional years

Simons is expected to be presented to the Spurs fans ahead of Saturday's Premier League home game against Bournemouth.

Chelsea decided not to bid for Simons due to having other targets, as they look to complete a £40m deal for Alejandro Garnacho, while their valuation of Simons was £43.3m (€50m) to £47.6m (€55m).

Simons' arrival at Tottenham ends their hunt for a new 'No 10', having frustratingly missed out on previous targets.

Spurs failed in their pursuit of Nottingham Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White earlier this summer, before north London rivals Arsenal hijacked their move for Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze.

The capture of the versatile Simons, though, will be of great relief to boss Thomas Frank, who lost James Maddison to a serious knee injury at the start of August, which will sideline the England international for the majority of this season.

Simons, who had also been of interest to Bayern Munich, becomes Spurs' seventh summer signing to take their spending past £170m.

Sky Sports News understands signing a left-winger is still a target for Spurs in the final days of the window.

Simons reveals Frank talks key in move

Simons revealed how talks with boss Thomas Frank were key in his move.

He told the club's official website: "I'm really happy and can't wait to get going. I've been dreaming of this for a long time.

"It's a great club and when I met the head coach I knew straight away that this was the right place for me.

"I will bring flair to the team, but also hard work and discipline. I want to do everything I can to win, for the team and also for the fans."

Simons will wear ex-captain Heung-Min Son's No 7 shirt at Spurs after the forward left the club this summer to join LAFC.

"The year at PSV, (7) was the number that I had," Simons said. "I had a really good season as well and the national team I’m number seven as well, so for me this was the best option.

“He [Son] made his own story with this number. I think he deserves it as well. The way people treat him in the club, not only in the club but the fans as well, they love him. Everyone loves Son.

“Hopefully I can make my own story with it. I know it’s a big responsibility, but I’m ready to take it and ready to make my own story!"

A product of Barcelona’s La Masia academy, Simons moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 2019 as a teenager before he made headlines during a productive loan spell at PSV in the 2022/23 campaign.

Simons would spend the next two seasons at Leipzig, scoring 22 goals in 78 appearances before his move was made permanent earlier this year.

Frank said: "I’m really pleased we have brought Xavi in - he is a great addition to the squad.

"He is still young, however, he already has good experience and, over the past few years, has played a lot of games at the top level.

"Xavi has proven his ability to get goals and assists, both from the No 10 position and left-wing. He also has a great eye for his team-mates in terms of unlocking defences, and I know he will come in and be part of a good team that is already working hard together.”

Simons signing is an opportunity Spurs could not miss

Simons moving to Tottenham represents an exciting addition to the Premier League. This is a player long regarded as one of the top young talents in Europe – and he showed glimpses of that ability despite it being a more difficult season for RB Leipzig.

There are those top-line numbers. Ten goals and seven assists in the Bundesliga, even as Leipzig missed out on Europe for the first time since their elevation to the top division. He ranked in the top 10 for goals from open play and big chances created.

But it was another statistic, the fact that Simons also ranked among the top 10 players for possession won in the final third, that really cuts to the heart of what can make him so good.

It is why Simons remains so attractive. Thomas Frank and Tottenham have been eyeing a No 10 all summer, pursuing Morgan Gibbs-White even before James Maddison suffered a serious injury. They have energy in midfield but combining that with craft is the key.

There are some gifted players around, individuals able to provide that spark, but finding those capable of doing the work out of possession, playing at high intensity, is difficult. They are at a premium. Simons has demonstrated that ability from the outset.

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Xavi Simons moving to Tottenham represents an exciting addition to the Premier League. This is a player long regarded as one of the top young talents in Europe – and he showed glimpses of that ability despite it being a more difficult season for RB Leipzig.

There are those top-line numbers. Ten goals and seven assists in the Bundesliga, even as Leipzig missed out on Europe for the first time since their elevation to the top division. He ranked in the top 10 for goals from open play and big chances created.

But it was another statistic, the fact that Simons also ranked among the top 10 players for possession won in the final third, that really cuts to the heart of what can make him so good. The scatter charts below highlights just what a rare combination that this is.

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It is why Simons remains so attractive. Thomas Frank and Tottenham have been eyeing a No 10 all summer, pursuing Morgan Gibbs-White even before James Maddison suffered a serious injury. They have energy in midfield but combining that with craft is the key.

There are some gifted players around, individuals able to provide that spark, but finding those capable of doing the work out of possession, playing at high intensity, is difficult. They are at a premium. Simons has demonstrated that ability from the outset.

Javier Rabanal, his coach at PSV, did not know what to expect when a teenage Simons turned up in Eindhoven on loan from Paris Saint-Germain. Despite his reputation as a child prodigy, he had made only a handful of senior appearance for the French club.

"Nobody really knew," Rabanal tells Sky Sports. "But what surprised us, at first, was his capacity to defend, to press after the ball was lost. He was really aggressive going after ever lost ball. He wanted to be the first to press, to really put all his energy into it."

Rabanal attributes that to Simons' background - and it is a cosmopolitan one. A Netherlands international, partly of Surinamese descent, he moved to Spain as a child and was part of Barcelona's famed La Masia academy long before he was a teenager.

He was eventually snaffled away from Catalonia by PSG but those principles of pressing were already ingrained. "This is something that is really appreciated at Barca," explains Rabanal. "He was so aggressive. Everybody recognised him as a potential top talent."

That season at PSV was pivotal in his career, leading to him winning his first caps for the Netherlands. Rabanal recalls the 2022 Johan Cruyff Shield game against Ajax in front of 52,000 in Amsterdam when he scored to seal a 5-3 win. "He was really dynamic."

Rabanal, assistant coach to Ruud van Nistelrooy that season, adds: "It was against Go Ahead Eagles away that he scored two goals [in a 5-2 win] and after that he started playing. He was in the team all season, as a winger or inside as a No 8 or a No 10."

There was an assist for Fabio Silva "with the outside of the foot" that stood out as particularly special. Then there was the final game of the season away to AZ Alkmaar when PSV needed a result to be sure of qualifying for next season's Champions League.

"Xavi scored twice even, the second of them when we already playing with 10 players. That goal showed what he was all about because he could have gone down but he preferred to score than fall." He got his goal to finish as joint-top scorer in the Eredivisie.

Such performances earned him a loan move to Leipzig, where he scored eight goals in his debut season and impressed enough for the German club to make him their club-record signing midway through the last campaign, even as the team was faltering.

Speaking to Marcel Schafer, Leipzig's sporting director, he described Simons as "one of the best players in Europe" and it was easy to see why the player saw it as the right move at the time. Leipzig have a reputation for a high-intensity brand of football.

"He was very clear about his personal career plan." Ironically, paying a fee for Simons that could have risen north of €80m with performance-related add-ons was a deviation from Leipzig's long-held strategy. They overstretched and it changed Simons' plan.

The result is that even at 22 this is a player whose own ambitions can no longer be matched by Leipzig - and this is where the opportunity comes for club and the player. Spurs offer Champions League football. He offers creativity in the final third.

He has already shown his quality in different environments and in different positions. On the pitch, he is an asset in and out of possession, a scorer and a creator. "He scores goals but he is not selfish," says Rabanal. "If he has the chance, he wants assists too."

Off the pitch, his desire to leave Leipzig is unlikely to raise too many alarms at Tottenham. "He is a really professional worker, doing the extra work in the gym, the extra work with his own physiotherapist," adds Rabanal. "He is always focused on playing football."

If there was a concern at Chelsea, it was that Simons is a talent who benefits from the team being built around him and that would not be possible with Cole Palmer around. At Tottenham, there is a vacancy for a match-winner. Xavi Simons could be that man.

Tottenham Hotspur are close to completing the signing of Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig with Chelsea having also been interested in the attacking midfielder.

The clubs have agreed a deal worth just over £51m, while the 22-year-old has also agreed personal terms.

It comes after successful negotiations between Spurs and RB Leipzig, who hold a good relationship.

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Chelsea are set to miss out to their Premier League rivals, having also been interested in Simons. They have already agreed a £40m fee with Manchester United to sign Alejandro Garnacho.

Simons was excused from training on Thursday, according to Sky in Germany, and travelled to London to explore a move to the Premier League.

Spurs have made signing a No 10 a priority and Simons fits the bill. The club missed out on signing Eberechi Eze recently, who chose a move to north London rivals Arsenal instead.

Simons played predominantly as a No 8 on the left side of Leipzig's 4-3-3 midfield last season but he can also play off a striker and come in from wider positions in the attack.

Simons came through La Masia, the famed Barcelona academy, from where he initially attracted Chelsea's interest, before going on to Paris Saint-Germain and then RB Leipzig.

Spurs in the hunt for three positions

As well as Simons, West Ham's Lucas Paqueta and Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers are well-liked at Spurs - but both are considered not for sale.

Nico Paz is also admired, but a deal for the Como attacking midfielder is considered a non-starter due to Real Madrid's financial interest in the player. They have a 50-per-cent sell-on inserted in his contract and a buy-back clause worth £8.7m.

Spurs also missed out on Morgan Gibbs-White this summer when he signed a new Nottingham Forest contract.

As well as a No 10, Spurs want to sign a left winger and have targeted Man City's Savinho. However, City do not want to sell and he is almost certain to stay at City.

A left-sided centre-back is also a position Spurs would like to strengthen before the window closes.

Thomas Frank giving the green light for Luka Vuskovic to join Hamburg on loan could be an indication that there is confidence at Spurs that a centre-back will come in. Ideally it would be a left-footed one.

Tottenham Hotspur are close to completing the signing of Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig with Chelsea having also been interested in the attacking midfielder.

The clubs have agreed a deal worth just over £51m, while the 22-year-old has also agreed personal terms and is understood to have completed a medical.

The deal could become seven years in length. It is understood to be an initial five-year deal plus two optional years.

It comes after successful negotiations between Spurs and RB Leipzig, who hold a good relationship.

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Chelsea were also interested in Simons but decided not to make a bid as they have other targets.

The Blues agreed a £40m fee with Manchester United to sign Alejandro Garnacho on Thursday.

Simons was excused from training on Thursday, according to Sky in Germany, and travelled to London to explore a move to the Premier League.

Simons was an opportunity Spurs could not miss

Spurs have made signing a No 10 a priority and Simons fits the bill. The club missed out on signing Eberechi Eze recently, who chose a move to north London rivals Arsenal instead.

Simons played predominantly as a No 8 on the left side of Leipzig's 4-3-3 midfield last season but he can also play off a striker and come in from wider positions in the attack.

Simons came through La Masia, the famed Barcelona academy, from where he initially attracted Chelsea's interest, before going on to Paris Saint-Germain and then RB Leipzig.

Spurs in the hunt for three positions

As well as Simons, West Ham's Lucas Paqueta and Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers are well-liked at Spurs - but both are considered not for sale.

Nico Paz is also admired, but a deal for the Como attacking midfielder is considered a non-starter due to Real Madrid's financial interest in the player. They have a 50-per-cent sell-on inserted in his contract and a buy-back clause worth £8.7m.

Spurs also missed out on Morgan Gibbs-White this summer when he signed a new Nottingham Forest contract.

As well as a No 10, Spurs want to sign a left winger and have targeted Man City's Savinho. However, City do not want to sell and he is almost certain to stay at City.

A left-sided centre-back is also a position Spurs would like to strengthen before the window closes.

Thomas Frank giving the green light for Luka Vuskovic to join Hamburg on loan could be an indication that there is confidence at Spurs that a centre-back will come in. Ideally it would be a left-footed one.

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