‘Tottenham have next poster boy after Harry Kane, but Thomas Frank refuses to utilise him’
Thomas Frank has been criticised for his treatment of Xavi Simons this season.
Tottenham signed Simons from RB Leipzig over the summer during the final days of the window.
While Simons has shown glimpses of brilliance at Spurs, his signing has been a disappointment thus far.
With the entire team underperforming, as well as the expectations placed upon him, the Netherlands international has been singled out for his performances in North London.
However, Simons’ inconsistent performances are a reflection of Frank rather than himself.
Xavi Simons needs minutes at Tottenham
Simons came off the bench in Tottenham’s shock 2-1 defeat to Fulham on Saturday. Meanwhile, he was a rotational option against Arsenal and PSG.
- Simons has started just six Premier League games this season
- He has started two games in the Champions League
The attacking midfielder is considered one of the best talents of his generation, yet Frank seems convinced to let him rot on the bench while his team struggles creatively.
Big Champions League nights are why Tottenham signed him, and Tottenham expert and Lilywhite Rose owner John Wenham, speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, is convinced that Simons needs more minutes to find his best form.
“When we signed Simons and Mohammed Kudus for a combined £110million, both on big money, wages-wise, you don’t imagine that they think to themselves, ‘Oh, I’m looking forward to them being rested for Fulham at home instead of playing PSG away and Champions League,'” Wenham said.
“This is the game that those players will want to play in. On the big stage, everyone watching around the world, the talked about games. The idea is that he could become a poster figure of the club after Son Heung-min and Harry Kane.
“And he’s just not starting these games, and I get he’s young, and I get he needs time to acclimatise to the Premier League, but he didn’t start against Arsenal, didn’t start against Chelsea.
“He does need to be played into form. Frank needs to give him game time until it clicks, even if he sort of slightly underwhelming.
“To keep starting him and starting him, and eventually it will click for him because the undoubted attributes with him are obviously there.”
Thomas Frank must build around Xavi Simons
Objectively, Simons is one of Tottenham’s most creative players. But he’s not benefiting from the style of football Frank’s playing.
The Dane has mostly attacked in a ‘U’ shape where ball progression has mostly been carried out via the wings.
This has seen Simons receive less of the ball which has rendered him ineffective during several attacking sequences. Furthermore, the fact that he has limited forward runners to play into good goal-scoring positions doesn’t help matters.
The Netherlands international has shown what he can do while at Leipzig, but the longer Frank fails to build around Simons at Tottenham, the longer Spurs will struggle to create in the build-up phase.
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