Tottenham ‘to do an Arsenal’ on Chelsea as surprise Xavi Simons transfer twist emerges
Tottenham have had a hard time landing their priority transfer targets so far this summer.
Morgan Gibbs-White ended up signing a new contract at Nottingham Forest after being on the verge of joining Spurs in a bizarre twist of events.
Then Tottenham turned their attention to signing Eberechi Eze, but while it looks like the player will move to North London, unfortunately for the Lilywhites it appears Eze will be joining Arsenal instead.
However, after Arsenal have come in and effectively stolen Eze from under the nose of Spurs, Daniel Levy and Co. will be hoping to repeat this trick for Tottenham at the expense of Chelsea.
Spurs in line to poach Xavi Simons after Chelsea move stalls
Although Thomas Frank’s side kicked off their Premier League in spectacular fashion, they will be aware that they need reinforcements in the absence of the injured James Maddison.
According to a report from The Independent on 21 August, Frank’s side are still in the market for a creative player after missing out on Gibbs-White and Eze.
Tyler Dibling and Maghnes Akliouche have been named as potential targets, as well as Xavi Simons, whose move to Chelsea appears to have stalled.
If Spurs want to secure Simons’ signature, they have an opportunity to move quickly and do what Arsenal did to them to Chelsea.
How does Xavi Simons compare to James Maddison?
Last season, Simons had a fantastic season for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, scoring 10 goals and recording seven assists in 25 matches.
Maddison last season also put up some excellent numbers in the Premier League, with the Englishman ending the season with nine goals and seven assists to his name.
- Simons’ 10 league goals came from an expected goals of 5.11, suggesting he was extremely clinical
- Maddison managed to record 16 goal contributions whilst only playing 59 minutes per game on average last season
Whilst both are excellent players, Simons could find himself as a mainstay in the Spurs team if he signs by the time Maddison returns from his ACL injury.
We have seen multiple players take many months to get fully back up to speed following an injury of this severity, and by the time the 28-year-old returns, Simons could already be the jewel in the crown of Frank’s new-look Spurs side.
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