Football London

Time is quickly starting to run out for Tottenham to complete their summer transfer business. Thomas Frank's side have until 7pm on Monday evening to finalise any remaining deals before the window closes until the start of January.

As ever, it appears that Tottenham will be active in the final few hours of the market as they still have a number of transfers to wrap up. Spurs were busy on Friday after finally confirming the signing of a new No.10.

Netherlands international Xavi Simons has made the move from RB Leipzig in a deal worth £51.8million. The attacking midfielder has signed a long-term contract in N17 and he will add to an area of the pitch where Spurs have been lacking recently due to injuries to James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.

Ahead of Monday's transfer deadline, we have decided to take a look at the deals that Johan Lange and Spurs still need to get over the line.

New winger

Simons can operate on either flank but Tottenham do still need a new winger to join before 7pm on Monday. Son Heung-min needs replacing and it's important that the north London club do bring in a new option to ensure that Frank has sufficient cover out wide.

Savinho of Manchester City has been linked with a move to Spurs but, as reported by Manchester Evening News, Pep Guardiola's side have ruled out the sale of the Brazilian international.

New centre-back

Frank also wants to add a senior centre-back in what remains of the transfer window. A new winger is higher up on the priority list right now but it is still a position Tottenham need to try and address.

Due to the amount of games Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven missed last season, as well as Radu Dragusin working his way back to fitness from an ACL injury, Spurs need another senior figure to give them enough cover as the head coach may well switch to a back three at times. The departure of Luka Vuskovic to Hamburg on loan has only highlighted the need for a new centre-back, with Manchester City's Manuel Akanji the latest player to be linked with a move to Tottenham.

Dane Scarlett

Dane Scarlett is still to get his loan move away from the club. The striker was left out of the squad for the pre-season tour of Asia to explore a loan move but it just hasn't quite happened for him yet.

He needs to be playing every week and the hope will be that the academy graduate can secure a switch elsewhere in the next few days.

Bryan Gil

Bryan Gil clearly does not have a future at Tottenham having missed out on a squad number for the new season. The Spaniard is currently working his way back to fitness from a knee injury and that could potentially impact a possible move given it's not clear yet when he will be fit to return to the pitch.

Yves Bissouma

Yves Bissouma may bid farewell to Tottenham before Monday's deadline. The Mali international is now in the final year of his Spurs deal and the club really need to sell him this window to ensure his value does not drop too much.

Tottenham are looking to move on the ex-Brighton & Hove Albion player, who was recently disciplined by Frank and left out of the squad for the PSG game due to poor timekeeping, and they have been in discussions with Galatasaray over a loan deal.

Manor Solomon

Manor Solomon is yet to make an appearance under Thomas Frank this season due to injury. The winger has not had much luck since joining Tottenham and another move could well be finalised after his success at Leeds United last term.

Solomon has a number of options ahead of him in the pecking order right now and he will drop another place if a new winger signs on the dotted line.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank admits that rather than simply stroking players' egos to get them to join, he takes a "pretty direct and honest" approach and it seemed to have worked with new signing Xavi Simons.

While some managers might deliver a stream of compliments, especially to get an important player to sign for their club, the Dane does not sugar-coat what he thinks about a prospective signing and instead gives them a very precise and honest picture of how he sees them, what they can improve on and what they can become within his team.

Whatever Frank said certainly worked for 22-year-old Simons, who put pen to paper on a five-year contract with Spurs, with an option for another two years, in a 60m euros (£52million) transfer from RB Leipzig on Friday.

"I think the most important thing, for me, is the coach. I spoke to him and he showed me a presentation that really impacted me, and that was the final decision for me, like ok, it’s the right coach, the right people, and I really believe that we will achieve really good things here," the Dutchman said after joining Tottenham.

Ahead of the confirmation of that deal, Frank had been asked what he said to prospective signings in order to get them through the door.

"When I speak to them I’m pretty direct and honest in how I see the player," he admitted. "Of course I want to sell the Tottenham project, but I’m always direct in terms of how I see their role and what we hopefully can make them to become. Also that it will be a fantastic journey, but also there can be ups and downs in that journey and there’s bits they need to work on.

"We go into that, then I sign off - I would like the player, but the player also needs to sign off to the project and the role.”

The game's best players come with egos, however large or small, and Frank said those egos are part of their ascent to the top and can be helpful on the pitch.

"100%. They need to. We all have the ego, we can’t live without the ego. None of us would have been in this room, being in the position you guys are in, I am, without the ego pushing us a bit," he said. "I think that’s hugely important, but I think it’s important it is not controlling you in many ways.

"I always use that attitude as confident but humble. You need to be confident about your own abilities but humble about the team, humble about your role, humble that every single day you need to put the hard work in. But when you step on the pitch, when I step in here, you need to look confident. But when I am not humble [enough] to do all the hard work, forget it."

So has the 51-year-old ever met anyone who is missing that humble side to such a degree that he's had to figure out the best way to work with them, if at all.

"I’ve met a few over the years. I think it is important to try and understand the player. I think it is so easy to say ‘Oh he doesn’t have enough’ or ‘He has too much’. It’s the easiest way. It’s my job together with the other coaches to maximise their potential. To maximise their potential I need to get to know them and try to get into them," said the Spurs boss.

Key for Frank and most Premier League clubs' recruitment departments is getting all the background possible on players from those who know them and have worked with them before making their move in the market.

“We take massive references. Massive. We’re big on it. On any player done in the past and we’ll do it the same," he explained. “Of course there are some players who are like ten out of ten, perfect. Others are not ten out of ten but they can’t be too low, of course. But then you think with our culture, it will work anyway.”

Frank spent almost a decade at Brentford, a club that is often praised for its recruitment, and the Dane admitted that it's now a narrower group of players a side like Tottenham has to look at.

"A smaller pool I would say, similar but a couple of levels above in terms of what you are looking for, but when you are looking for better players there are not that many and you all want the best and that perfect number 10 there are very few of them out there," he said.

"So when you do that there are always some doubts in some things but it has been good learning. It's the same processes but I needed to get to know the people who work here and what the processes are so there has been more work this summer than the other years at Brentford, except the first couple of years of course."

So does competing in the market at a club like Spurs mean fending off more rivals?

"It was the same at Brentford, just at a different level. Other clubs wanted the players. It's just a few more of you guys asking questions," said the head coach. "My preferred thing is just to coach the players, develop them, train on the pitch, play the matches but it is part of it so I know I need to do it. Also I want good players in."

Tottenham's work is not done yet in the transfer market as they seek to add another attacking player and a central defender following the arrival of Simons. Frank wants to build a squad strong enough to avoid a repeat of last season's injury crisis.

"The perfect picture, unfortunately it’s not often perfect, is that you have 20 plus three players. Two in each position. All of them robust. Of course you get injuries and then you probably don’t need 20 top players because they also need the balance of getting enough minutes to feed their ego, where they are in the stage of their career. So that’s the perfect scenario but it’s not often you get that," he explained.

"[Injuries are] 100 per cent in the planning. We had too many injuries last year. You can’t get around that. Hopefully we solve the problem with the process we put in place. That can help, but we need to be aware there is a long season, hopefully with 60-plus games so we need to be good enough at building the players, rotating at the right time, which is an art and very difficult, and good enough to have the right amount of players. You can’t have too many because that’s also not good."

There was plenty Thomas Frank could and couldn't yet say at his Tottenham Hotspur press conference on Friday afternoon ahead of the Premier League match against Bournemouth.

The Dane was in high spirits after a perfect start to the Premier League season at Tottenham with five goals, two clean sheets and maximum points from the games against Burnley and Manchester City. Frank is also set to get a boost with the soon to be announced €60million (£52million) transfer of Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig.

The deal for the 22-year-old Netherlands international was not quite done yet before his press conference so Frank had to fend off plenty of questions about the former PSG starlet's arrival. The Tottenham boss also delivered an update on the latest injury news within the squad with Destiny Udogie back in contention, and Frank spoke about a first England call-up for Djed Spence.

Our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to Frank. Here's a full transcript from the press conference at Hotspur Way.

What's the latest team news?

We got a new English national team player in Djed Spence. Isn’t that team news? You’re surprised, you didn’t expect that.

Wow. How good is that? Big credit to Djed. He truly deserves it. It has been a tough, not tough, what a journey to have it at 24/25 years old this year. Being called up I don’t think many saw that coming.

He had a good end to last season. He had a top pre-season. He played very well in the three games against PSG, Burnley and Man City. Really giving a lot to the team. I’m so happy for him.

What can you tell us about Xavi Simons signing?

I can confirm that we are working very hard to get someone over the line. That I can confirm but right now I am happy to speak more about Djed and other players that are inside the Tottenham squad.

Will the fans get good news later today?

I hope they get good news later today for various reasons because we are trying to sign players and that we will try to do until the end of the transfer window. I have said many times in these press conferences that we are out there in the market and we will try to see if we can improve the squad but only if we can improve the squad. If not, I'm happy with the players and they are working hard.

What is happening with Yves Bissouma?

The squad news is also that Bissouma can’t make the game tomorrow and right now it is the same. Bissouma is a Tottenham player.

Have you fallen in love early with Tottenham?

Let me put it this way, I’m very happy here. I knew that before it was a great club but getting to know the players, fans, staff, I’m very happy here.

Could Destiny Udogie return from injury tomorrow?

Yes, he could. Thank you for that question. Destiny will be in the squad tomorrow so that is a positive.

Is it in Djed Spence’s mentality to overcome setbacks?

I think Djed is a fantastic example for a lot of players. Not only here at Tottenham but also other places that anything is possible if you are resilient. If you can get through the tough spells that are in football and life. Be very disciplined, keep going, training very well, keep believing in your abilities, keep going even if it’s on very rainy day. I think that is big credit to him and a great example. Those stories I think we should appreciate and be happy for.

How highly do you rate your midfield options?

Let me put it this way, I think we’ve got a very good midfield. I like the six midfielders we have in Archie, Lucas, Bissouma, Joao, Rodri and Pape. Very happy with them. No doubt we have that creativity in Maddison and Kulusevski that is out now. So I think that’s very transparent that they are out. So of course that’s a skillset we need to find either in some other players like Kudus, or Wilson or Matty. So I think the midfield is strong. And again, can we sign something that will improve the squad? We’ll be happy.

Are your coaching skills better than you thought or is the squad better than you thought?

I think both the squad is fantastic and I’m fantastic, so I think that’s very simple! No, we have a strong plan to try to win tomorrow again against Bournemouth. We’ve got a big belief in doing it, we’re facing a very good time. Iraola has done a top job and his coaching staff. They’ve just lost what four of their back five including the keeper for this season and just continue producing good performances. I watched their game live against Liverpool, I’ve watched it one more time over the last two days. They were very good, they could have easily got something out of that game against the champions.

They play very through the lines and behind you, so it’s very difficult to defend and difficult to press them because they go over the top or behind us, or against every team. They’re a really, really difficult team to play against. They had a fantastic season last year. So we need to show them huge respect and we need to show huge respect in the defensive side of the game. Be very good in that aspect because I’m convinced that we will create something. But if we don’t run and we don’t defend and don’t show the respect, we’ll have massive problems tomorrow against Bournemouth. If we do that, come out with that energy and positive feeling we have, then I’m very confident we can win the game. But I’m very aware that we’re going to a difficult task.

You swap systems between games and within games - how much is that your philosophy and how difficult is that for players?

“I think the big thing I’m very clear on the principles we have in terms of how we want to play. Let’s say high pressure, I’m big on the man-man. Let’s say defending low, there’s some zonal principles to defending the box. But also how we want to attack there’s also some key principles there. But then I think you can tweak it a little bit with the systems. You can also tweak it in a system with different positions and different players in different positions. That I’m very open about and with the coaching staff backing me we hopefully find good solutions.

What are your thoughts on the Champions League draw and how do you manage expectations with the Premier League and Champions League?

That's a good question. Right now I am 100 per cent focused on doing our best to win tomorrow and if we can win it'll be a fantastic start to a new season. Then a lot of the players, actually all of them will go away to play for their countries and hopefully make their countries proud and their families.

I'll take a break and then we'll be ready to kick on again and I'm definitely looking forward to what's happening after that.

Richarlison has been called up to the Brazil squad, how pleased are you for him and how important is it that they manage his fitness carefully as the club have?

Very happy for Richy. I think it's well deserved, he's started the season very strongly. Three strong games, three strong performances, so he can carry into the game tomorrow. And of course, to play for Brazil is big and I think it's good they play, the more the play, the fitter they will get and then the stronger they will be, so I think that's positive.

What are the timelines for Yves Bissouma's injury and when Radu Dragusin will be back in training?

I think with Bissouma, one thing for sure, he's out for the next game and then the specific timeline I'm a little bit in doubt of because I don't think it'll be that long. Dragusin is on the way back and he's been running for a while. I think he should join the team in a week's time, 10 days' time, I think that's the thing, so that's positive, but of course it is an ACL. I'm always a little bit more, not worried but just aware that it takes time. When you've been out of football for nine months, you know, you need to get in. It's not enough to have a six-week pre-season. You need to take a little bit more time, but it's positive and and some surprise and come back quicker, of course.

This might be the last time we get to speak to you before you name your Champions League squad and in the past, Spurs have had some issues with the European squad and having too many players, have you got some decisions on your hands over who might have to be left out?

As I understand it, we still have a minor challenge there, so of course that decision will be made in due time.

How did you find out that Djed had been called up and have you spoken to him directly about it?

We found out that, when it was announced that 12pm, so luckily we started training 12, so someone came out straight after. He, as I understood it received a text earlier today. So of course, I congratulated him in front of the players and there was applause and hugs and everything and I spoke to him after and said 'well deserved and I hope you enjoy it. Let's keep up the good level and keep the focus for the game tomorrow and then go in and enjoy being part of the England squad'. Then I asked if he was going in to call his family and he was about to do that.

What specific qualities do you want from someone who plays in the central attacking midfield role, whether that's someone new or someone who is already in the squad?

I think it depends a little bit on the game. Because let's say we play away to City, and I think depending the game and the other players around because you can have two very offensive-minded sitters who are very forward going and then you maybe need more of a runner in a ten.

Then you can have three front players where they are unbelievable runners or one of them is a little bit more creative. So I think I'm not looking in one specific position what I want from the 10 position, because what I want for that position, I don't think it's possible to get him because he would be a running machine, pressing machine, unbelievably creative, can do headers, can put it in the top corner, a lot of tap-ins, you know, that would be the perfect player and there are not too many of those players. So I need to be a little bit pragmatic and if we have a very, let's say offensive 10, then maybe we need a little bit behind. If we don't have that, then we need a little bit, you know, the construction of the midfield I would say.

You like players that can play multiple positions, is ever a point where they must stick to one role?

I think when you see players perform their best, most likely they play in one position whether that is 10, right-wing, or striker, centre-back, although these days centre-backs also play as a full-back and some midfields play 10, sometimes they play 6. I think when they go towards their peak, that is when they should settle into a position, but that is not to same if they can’t play across a front four or front three. The modern football is much more flexible now and the front three now need to play on the wing and the striker.

There's a certain player from Amsterdam on the other side of the building and you can feel excitement in the place and yourself, how happy are you to be very close to signing a brilliant player?

I think that we are close to signing someone, but let’s see. As I say, just as a go-to and to make it so much easier, I speak about our players and very happy to do that at Brentford and I’ve kept it consistently. I will be very boring in that and just say I want to just speak about the players in-house and anyone else outside of our team I will not speak about unless it is Messi and Ronaldo. And the good thing is they are soon both retiring.

You said you pushed for a third at Man City, is that your natural tendency or are you trying to align with the club’s philosophy?

I think I would always say I had an offensive mindset as a coach. Always tried to push to play more offensive, always tried to go for the next goal and I agree it aligns perfect with the club’s values and the history of the club. I had it since I started as a young coach in the youth system at Brondby, but when I came to Brentford it went up a notch. I know it is not a big club but the ownership with Matthew (Benham) and Phil (Giles) and Rasmus were big on that. All the statistics said if you go for the next goal, it’s more likely you get the three points instead of being too defensive.

That also just aligned and because they were so big on it as well there was a lot of discussions and thought-process behind it. Also your subs, what do you do? Do you sub a striker for a midfield or do you sub a striker for a striker? That is offensive so you go for the goal. Of course you know sometimes we change and I have no problem changing to a 5-3-2 because you still have two strikers on the pitch or no problem being more offensive with the three. It all depends but I will definitely always go for the goal.

The Champions League draw was last night – some big teams, familiar teams for the squad and a Danish club, what did you make of it?

Overall I thought OK draw. Sometimes with draws they can look very bad on paper or very good, but at the end of the day it is how we perform against these teams. We know with Champions League, for every team no matter if PSG or Dortmund or a club that is not as big like Slavia or Copenhagen, we know it’s the biggest game of the season so it will be tough. Of course I am happy there was Copenhagen. I thought that would be good. I wanted them at Parken, but probably more difficult if I am honest. It will be difficult no matter what but it is nice when you have good colleagues and you face them.

Thomas Frank has confirmed that Destiny Udogie is back in the Tottenham squad for Saturday's home match against Bournemouth. The left-back has failed to feature for Tottenham since their opening pre-season friendly at Reading due to a knee injury.

Udogie picked up the issue in the warm-up ahead of the friendly at Luton Town in late July and subsequently missed the pre-season tour of Asia and also Tottenham's first three competitive games of the new campaign. Frank did provide a positive update on the player ahead of last weekend's win at Manchester City but the game just came too soon for the 22-year-old to return.

Speaking ahead of this weekend's Premier League encounter against Bournemouth, Frank gave a fresh update on his left-back.

"Yes, he could feature, he's in the squad and that's very positive for us," admitted the Dane.

One player who won't be fit to be included in the squad is Yves Bissouma but there is some good news when it comes to Radu Dragusin making his return from a long-term ACL issue.

"I think with Bissouma, one thing for sure, he's out for the next game and then the specific timeline I'm a little bit in doubt of because I don't think it'll be that long," said Frank. "Dragusin is on the way back and he's been running for a while. I think he should join the team in a week's time, 10 days' time, I think that's the thing, so that's positive, but of course it is an ACL.

"I'm always a little bit more, not worried but just aware that it takes time. When you've been out of football for nine months, you know, you need to get in. It's not enough to have a six-week pre-season. You need to take a little bit more time, but it's positive and and some surprise and come back quicker, of course."

Tottenham Hotspur were in a race against time to register Xavi Simons for this weekend’s Premier League game against AFC Bournemouth.

Spurs are closing in on move for the RB Leipzig man, having overtaken rivals Chelsea in the transfer race.

It’s reported that a €60 million (£51m) fee has been agreed between the two clubs and the player has already undergone his medical and put pen-to-paper on the relevant paperwork.

Spurs have been on the lookout for a new attacking midfielder for the majority of the summer. A long-term injury to James Maddison during pre-season made the need greater.

They missed out on transfers for Morgan Gibbs-White, who is staying at Nottingham Forest, and Eberechi Eze, who has completed a move from Crystal Palace to Arsenal.

But they now appear to be closing in on Simons after making their move.

Spurs are back in Premier League action on Saturday afternoon (3pm) when they take on AFC Bournemouth at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

If Simons will be available for that game depends on if Spurs beat a deadline set by the Premier League.

Rule U.23 of the Premier League handbook states that the registration of a player "shall be 12 noon on the last working day before the date of the first league match in which the club making the application intends him to play..”

Therefore, Simons will have to have been registered by 12pm today (Friday), if Spurs wish for him to be involved against AFC Bournemouth tomorrow. It is still to be seen if that deadline has been beaten.

Having not trained with his new teammates it’s very unlikely that even if Spurs do beat the deadline, Thomas Frank will name him the starting XI against Bournemouth.

At most, Simons will be on the bench and could make a cameo in the second half.

Thomas Frank is holding his Tottenham Hotspur press conference ahead of the Premier League match against Bournemouth.

The Dane should be in high spirits after a perfect start to the Premier League season at Tottenham with five goals, two clean sheets and maximum points from the opening matches against Burnley and Manchester City. Now Frank is also set to get a boost in quality and creativity to his squad with the transfer of Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig.

The 22-year-old Netherlands international will fill the gap left by the injuries to James Maddison and if the deal is announced by the time the press conference begins then Frank will speak about the former PSG starlet's arrival.

Ahead of the visit of Bournemouth, the Dane will explain whether Spurs will, as expected, look to sign a winger and a centre-back as well in the remainder of the transfer window before Monday's deadline.

The Tottenham boss will also deliver an update on the latest injuries within the squad with Destiny Udogie previously back in training and news on any fresh knocks or problems in the team.

Our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those putting the questions to Frank ahead of the latest Premier League game. Scroll down for his latest updates from the press conference at Hotspur Way.

Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on a transfer for RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons, and the player could be given the perfect welcome gift once his move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is complete.

After missing out on a move for both Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze earlier this season, Spurs turned their attention to Simons, despite Chelsea also showing an interest. Latest reports suggest that a fee has been agreed with Leipzig and Simons has already completed his medical and signed the relevant paperwork.

The deal is reported to be worth around €60 million (£51m). If a deal is completed before 12pm today (Friday), the midfielder could be eligible to make his debut in the weekend’s Premier League clash against AFC Bournemouth at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (3pm kick-off).

Simons scored 11 goals and provided eight assists in 33 appearances for Leipzig last season. He will be hoping to have an instant impact at Tottenham.

A new arrivals brings excitement to fans, with one of the questions as to what shirt number that the new man may wear. The departure of Son Heung-min earlier this summer gives Spurs the perfect answer for Simons.

While the 22-year-old currently wars the number 10 with Leipzig, during his time with PSV Eindhoven, he wore the number seven. Son’s departure has left that number free to take.

Simons currently wears the number 10 with Leipzig but that is the number currently worn by James Maddison at Tottenham.

As well as wearing it for PSV, the number seven is also the number worn by Simons during international duty with the Netherlands over the past three years. Replicating his international number with his club should therefore appeal to the player.

Taking over from Son who had the number for nine years should be a big honour for Simons. It’s a shirt number that he will hope to live up to if he opts to take that number this summer.

If Simons chooses not to take the number seven, there are other options available to the new man. Number Two, five, 12, 16, 18 and 26 are also currently without a player.

Thomas Frank is set to be handed a major boost in the transfer market with Tottenham set to confirm the signing of Xavi Simons. The 22-year-old is in line to make the move from RB Leipzig in a deal worth £51.8million.

Tottenham have endured some misery in the summer window but the addition of the Netherlands international will be a huge coup for them. Coming through Barcelona's system and later joining Paris Saint-Germain, Simons headed to PSV in the summer of 2022 and wowed for the Dutch club as he contributed 22 goals and 11 assists in his 48 appearances.

Returning to Paris 12 months later due to a buy-back clause in his deal, Simons initially joined RB Leipzig on loan before making the move permanent. Always looking on course to depart Red Bull Arena this summer with a potential switch to Chelsea in the pipeline, it is instead Tottenham Hotspur Stadium where he will be playing his football on a permanent basis after Spurs made a late move for his signature.

Simons helps Tottenham out when it comes to the troublesome No.10 position right now and he can also play from either flank if required. Spurs fans may have to remain patient when it comes to seeing the Amsterdam-born player in action for the very first time as the first international break of the season takes place after Tottenham's home encounter against Bournemouth this weekend.

The Lilywhites return to domestic action on Saturday, September 13 with an away clash at West Ham, before then hosting Brighton & Hove Albion seven days later. So how exactly could Tottenham line up with Simons in the team? football.london takes a look below:

Tottenham have used a 4-2-3-1 formation in the Premier League this season and it has brought great success so far after victories over Burnley and Manchester City. In this system, Pape Matar Sarr has played as the No.10 in wake of James Maddison's ACL injury that has seen the ex-Leicester City man join Dejan Kulusevski in the treatment room.

Sarr has excelled in the role and has been one of Tottenham's standout players under Frank so far. However, he may be the player most at risk with Simons coming in as the Dutchman would likely take the No.10 role.

The only other option would be for Sarr to continue at No.10 and Simons shifts across to the left in place of Brennan Johnson. Simons' versatility does give Frank plenty of options.

Tottenham XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Bentancur; Kudus, Simons, Johnson; Richarlison.

A 4-3-3 formation was another popular choice of Frank at Brentford last season. In this system, Sarr would keep his place in the team and instead play alongside Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha.

Given what he can bring to the side in an attacking sense, the Senegal international would still have the opportunity to push on and try and influence things in the final third. In a front three for Tottenham, Simons would be deployed from the left.

He's certainly no stranger to this role as that's where the majority of his appearances in the senior game have come from. Simons can also play from the right if required.

Tottenham Hotspur are set to sign Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig in a deal that will excite the supporters and require further decisions for Thomas Frank over his squad.

Spurs look set to seal the €60million (£52million) signing of the 22-year-old Netherlands international to fill the void in creativity left by the long-term injuries to James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski. Simons, who is expected to sign a five year deal with an option for a further two seasons after being impressed by Frank and his project ahead, will bring a huge boost in quality to Frank's squad

His arrival will add to the earlier £55million move for West Ham attacker Mohammed Kudus, the loan of Joao Palhinha from Bayern Munich and the £5million transfer for Japan international centre-back Kota Takai from Kawasaki Frontale. Mathys Tel's loan move was also made permanent from Bayern.

So with further moves for another winger and a centre-back set to be attempted in the remaining days of the transfer window, how does all of that affect Spurs' long-standing squad issues that has seen players left out every season from their European squad?

Here's what it means for both their Premier League and Champions League squads once Simons seals his move to north London.

Premier League

Simons and Palhinha must be added in now, while Son Heung-min, Fraser Forster, Timo Werner, Alfie Whiteman, Sergio Reguilon, Josh Keeley and Alejo Veliz have all come out of the squad from last season. Two players must come out of the Under-21s list and into the main lists in Antonin Kinsky and Matthew Craig, although we can assume the latter will not be part of the first team squad this season so we're not going to include him here.

In all Spurs have 17 non-homegrown players with Simons' arrival when they can only register 17, but there is still space here for a new signing or two, especially if they sign a homegrown player and when you look at players who could depart like Bryan Gil, Yves Bissouma and Manor Solomon.

That's mainly because a club's Under-21 players do not need to be included on their 25-man squad list yet are eligible to play in the Premier League. To be considered an Under-21 player for this current Premier League season, players must have been born on or after January 1, 2004. That means Tel and Takai do not have to be registered in the main squad and Yang-min Hyeok, Luka Vuskovic, Ashley Phillips, Alfie Devine, Jamie Donley, George Abbott, Alfie Dorrington and Mikey Moore, who would have qualified, have all headed out on loan.

It also appears that Kevin Danso qualifies as a homegrown player in Premier League terms because he was in the youth academies at Reading and MK Dons for years before leaving England at the age of 16 and later returning for a season at Southampton.

The Premier League rules state that "a 'Home Grown Player' means a player who, irrespective of nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to The Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons, or 36 months, before his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21)."

With that in mind, here's how the club's Premier League squad looks right now. It shows that players must leave before any more can be registered, unless they are in the under-21 bracket.

Premier League non-homegrown players (17 currently, 17 maximum allowed): Guglielmo Vicario, Antonin Kinsky, Pedro Porro, Radu Dragusin, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Joao Palhinha, Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison, Pape Matar Sarr, Manor Solomon, Bryan Gil, Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons.

Premier League homegrown players (Seven currently and eight minimum required): Dominic Solanke, Kevin Danso, Brandon Austin, Ben Davies, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, Djed Spence.

Notable Under-21s players: Kota Takai, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel, Dane Scarlett.

Champions League

If you've followed this all before you know that is the part where it gets horrendously messy. The European squad has been an area that has been a constant problem for Spurs and will continue to be for a while longer until the recent batch of 18-year-old signings eventually become B list players after two years and then become club-trained players three years down the line from when they joined.

The major issue in the Champions League, as it was in the Europa League last season, lies in the fact that UEFA's rules state that no club can have more than 25 players on their A-List during the season, of whom at least two must be goalkeepers. The rules then say that "as a minimum, eight of those 25 places are reserved exclusively for 'locally trained players' and no club may have more than four 'association-trained players' listed among those eight places. If a club have fewer than eight locally trained players in their squad, then the maximum number of players on List A is reduced accordingly".

So what is a locally-trained player? There are two different kinds. One is 'club-trained players', those players on a club's books for three entire seasons or 36 months between the ages of 15 and 21. The other is 'association-trained players', who were on another club's books in the same association for three entire seasons or 36 months between the ages of 15 and 21. Danso will not fit into that latter category because he left England at the age of 16.

Then there is a B-List for players born on, or after, January 1, 2004 and who have been eligible to play for the club for any uninterrupted period of two years since their 15th birthday – or for a total of three consecutive years with a maximum of one loan period to a club from the same association for a period not longer than one year. Players aged 16 may be submitted if they have been registered with the club for the previous two years without interruption.

So with all that in mind, Spurs' Champions League squad in its current state is pretty huge and running over in both non-locally trained spots and association trained ones.

That they only have one club-trained player in goalkeeper Brandon Austin now when they need to register four, means Tottenham would have to leave three spots open in what should be a 25-man squad, but instead immediately becomes a 22-man one.

So with the addition of Simons, Palhinha, Kudus and Takai, Spurs have 22 players to fit into 17 non-locally trained spots and six association-trained players for those four other spots. Any association-trained players over those four spots at the end of the window would need to be crowbarred into the main group although Maddison is likely to be kept out for the league phase at least with his ACL injury. Decisions will also have to be made over Radu Dragusin and Dejan Kulusevski and their potential return dates from their ACL and patella injuries respectively.

The simplest way to look at it is that right now Spurs have 28 senior players to fit into 21 spots, keeping Austin aside, and that's before they even try to sign anyone else in the remaining days of the window.

Tottenham need to get plenty of players out of the door this summer and that's why you could well see some surprise departures in the weeks ahead and expected ones, plus loans aplenty or players having to face being left out of the Champions League squad for the knockout stages at least.

Spurs need a bigger squad to compete in all four competitions but they just don't have the club-trained numbers to make that work in Europe.

European non-locally trained players (22 currently, 17 maximum): Guglielmo Vicario, Antonin Kinsky, Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Radu Dragusin, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Joao Palhinha, Wilson Odobert, Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison, Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall, Mathys Tel, Manor Solomon, Bryan Gil, Kota Takai, Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons.

Association trained players (six currently, four can be used in exclusive slots): Dominic Solanke, Ben Davies, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, Djed Spence, Archie Gray.

Hello and welcome to the latest Chelsea transfer news live blog from football.london. The Blues are due to be busy before 7pm on deadline day (1 September).

football.london understands the club have now agreed a £40 million fixed fee with Manchester United, who have included a 10 per cent sell-on clause in the deal, for Alejandro Garnacho. The winger will sign a seven-year contract and is, fittingly, the seventh signing of this summer transfer window.

Garnacho joins Dario Essugo, Jamie Gittens, Joao Pedro, Jorrel Hato, Liam Delap and Mamadou Sarr, with another arrival before deadline day certainly possible. Chelsea have held talks for Fermin Lopez from Barcelona and RB Leipzig player Xavi Simons.

The latter, however, now looks set to sign for Tottenham Hotspur after the Blues prioritised Garnacho over him. That may have impacted Simons' stance on having his heart set on Chelsea.

As for outgoings, football.london understands West Bromwich Albion have agreed to pay £2million plus add-ons for Alfie Gilchrist. Saudi Pro League clubs showed interest in the defender; however, he wanted to stay in England after spending last season on loan at Sheffield United.

The club also want to sell Nicolas Jackson, who appears primed for a loan to Bayern Munich, although Liverpool and Newcastle United could show late interest, as per the Telegraph. Meanwhile, a deal with Milan for Christopher Nkunku is in place.