Xavi Simons is a player who has arrived at the club with huge expectations after the Tottenham Hotspur hierarchy forked out £52m for his signature this summer.
The Dutch international is seen as a huge talent for the immediate and long-term future in North London as the Lilywhites look to reach the next level under Thomas Frank.
Their Europa League triumph last campaign no doubt aided their chances of landing the 22-year-old, who was firmly on Chelsea’s radar before his big-money transfer.
Supporters will no doubt be hoping he can help catapult the club up the Premier League table in 2025/26, after registering a measly 15th-place finish under Ange Postecoglou.
Frank has no reason to be unhappy with the board, especially after their investment during the off-season, hopefully replicating the success of one player from their local rivals.
The suffering Martin Odegaard has inflicted on Spurs
Martin Odegaard, who currently plies his trade for local rivals Arsenal, has been a player who has constantly impressed against Spurs – often causing the fanbase numerous moments of torment.
In his eight outings against the Lilywhites, the Norwegian international has been on the winning side on six separate occasions – subsequently achieving a 75% win rate.
He’s also scored twice and registered an assist, subsequently having a bearing on the result in 50% of the triumphs for Mikel Arteta’s side in the North London Derby.
There’s no denying that the supporters of Spurs will wish that they could have their own version of the star within the side, especially given the suffering he’s placed upon them in recent years.
The summer addition of Simons could certainly help Frank’s hopes of landing a top-level attacking midfielder, but it’s likely that he will need time to bed in to life in England.
However, the hierarchy may have made a mistake in allowing one other former player to depart the club, given his impressive form since moving away from the Lilywhites.
The former Spurs star who could’ve been their own Odegaard
Over recent seasons, Spurs have spent hefty sums on attacking talent to try and bolster the options in the final third – but not all of their investments have paid off.
Bryan Gil cost a fee in the region of £25m back in the summer of 2021, with real expectations that he could provide needed quality off the left-hand side, along with Heung-min Son.
However, the Spaniard only made 43 senior appearances for the Lilywhites, failing to score a single goal and subsequently returning to his homeland and rejoining his former side, Girona.
The 24-year-old wasn’t the only promising talent to join Spurs from LaLiga, with attacking midfielder Giovani Lo Celso moving in a £27m transfer back in January 2020.
Lo Celso racked up 90 appearances over a three-year spell in North London – scoring a crucial goal against Manchester City a couple of years ago, which helped the side claim one of their famous results against Pep Guardiola’s men.
Whilst he racked up 10 goals for the club, it wasn’t enough to keep him in the first-team plans of Postecoglou, resulting in the Argentine making an £8m transfer back to Real Betis in the summer of 2024.
However, since his move back to Spain, the 29-year-old has once again recaptured his best form, leading to FBref labelling him as a similar player to Arsenal star, Odegaard.
When comparing their respective stats from the 2024/25 campaign, Lo Celso massively outperformed the Gunners captain in key areas – highlighting the mistake made in allowing him to depart last summer.
The former PSG star, who’s been labelled “incredible” by journalist Noah Trister, posted a higher goal and assist rate per 90, along with a better shot on target accuracy rate – showcasing the clinical edge he possesses in front of goal.
Games played
25
30
Goals & assists
11
11
Goals & assists per 90
0.68
0.43
Shot on target accuracy
52%
31%
Key passes made
2.7
2.4
Passes into final third
5.5
5.1
Take-ons completed
1.3
0.9
Crosses completed
5.9
3.3
Fouls won
3.9
0.9
He also registered more key passes per 90 (2.7) and more passes into the final third per 90 (5.5), subsequently having the creative nature the hierarchy were frantically searching for all summer.
Lo Celso’s dominance over Odegaard is further demonstrated by his higher tallies of crosses per 90 and take-ons completed – numbers which make him a more all-round talent when in possession and breaking the lines.
The decision to offload the 29-year-old for just £8m now appears to be one that the club will love to regret, especially given his remarkable form for Betis over the last few months.
Simons desperately needs to live up to his mammoth price tag in the near future, with the Lilywhites board potentially allowing their answer to Odegaard slip through their fingers for a minimal fee.
