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Emilio is an experienced football content writer and journalist with six years under his belt on the website.
After graduating with first class honours from the University of Central Lancashire in 2019, it didn't take long for Emilio to clinch his first job in journalism - here at Snack.
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Having worked through the COVID lockdown, Spurs' infamous 2021 manager search and a succession of transfer windows - Emilio is well versed in the fast-paced and ever-changing news landscape of the beautiful game.
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Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has been told he needs to figure one thing out about summer signing Xavi Simons, as Spurs' boss is informed of the "reality" surrounding his new statement arrival.
Tottenham experiment with Xavi Simons after potential £125m deal
As explained by Paul O'Keefe, the eventual cost of Simons' £52 million transfer from RB Leipzig to North London could reach £125 million when factoring in wages and transfer fee over his potential seven-year contract.
The 22-year-old is already off and running with his first assist for the Lilywhites, which came 47 minutes into his Premier League debut against West Ham, when Simons swung in an excellent corner for Pape Sarr to head past Mads Hermansen.
|
Appearances |
25 |
|
Minutes played |
2,157 |
|
Goals |
10 |
|
Assists |
7 |
|
Bookings |
5 |
|
Shots at goal per 90 minutes |
2 |
|
Passing accuracy |
82.9% |
|
Average match rating |
7.32 |
|
via WhoScored |
|
However, since that delivery, Simons has failed to register another goal contribution despite coming close on a few occasions.
Frank has experimented with the former PSG sensation in a few different positions, including as a traditional centre-midfielder against Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup, with Simons making the rest of his appearances either out on the left or as a CAM in James Maddison's role.
It is still far too early to properly judge the attacker, who was also a product of Barcelona's famed La Masia academy, but Spurs will be hopeful he's set to find his feet very shortly.
Simons is currently Tottenham's joint-highest paid player alongside star defender Cristian Romero, and Frank was personally involved in talks to convince the Netherlands international to join Spurs over Chelsea, according to super agent Ali Barat.
Despite what could be seen as a slow start to life at N17, those who've watched Simons in the Bundesliga and Eredivisie are adamant that he will be a "sensation" for Tottenham.
Tottenham told Xavi Simons "reality" as Frank already gets one thing wrong
That being said, journalist Süleyman Öztürk is convinced that Frank needs to realise Simons is not actually a playmaker in the mould of Maddison.
"We’re talking about the top of the Premier League. And then excelling in your first match is something only a few can do. You’re talking about the Woltemades of this world. But Xavi Simons is incredibly young. He has a new manager, new teammates," Ozturk said to Voetbal International this week.
“And you also have to consider, what is Xavi Simons’ strength? And at Leipzig, at some point, the team was adjusted for him. But this is a completely different reality. And they expect him to have a bit of a Madison-like role. But he’s not Madison. Madison is a playmaker. Xavi Simons isn’t a playmaker or any other type of playmaker.
“And I think the coach still has to figure that out. You have, of course, the Ghanaian player who came from home and really plays like a shot. Koudous, yes. I think we need to give Xavi Simons time to make that adjustment to the Premier League, where you really have much less time to think. And that takes some getting used to.”
Simons bagged 11 goals and eight assists in 33 total appearances for Leipzig last season, despite suffering an ankle injury early on in the campaign, and he did it in a mixture of positions.
The forward played seven of his final 2025 Bundesliga games out on the left, and one as a second striker. However, the majority of his German top flight appearances from January onwards actually did come as a CAM.
In that role, he scored and assisted in a match-winning performance against Borussia Dortmund, and bagged a brace against Werder Bremen in a central attacking midfield position before that.
On the left-hand side, among many of his contributions were racking up two assists in a thrilling 3-3 draw at home to Bayern Munich towards the end of 2025/2026 — so it is clear by the numbers that he can in fact deliver in both areas.
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