Xavi Simons will come up against the Chelsea team he nearly joined in the summer, but a failed move that saw him join their London rivals has so far not worked out well for the Dutch playmaker, while Chelsea could have used his expertise.
It looked as though the “let it all work out” theme of his £51.8 million summer move from RB Leipzig would fit after an impressive debut, where he set up the opener in a 3-0 away win at West Ham United after the September international break, but things have since gone sour.
The 22-year-old has failed to register a goal contribution in his last ten games for Thomas Frank’s charge, and with limited impact in play, the manager could be forced to drop him in the coming weeks if there is no improvement.
Xavi Simons, promising and with rich reputation following his time with PSV Eindhoven and RB Leipzig, has found life difficult in Spurs colours, especially in the Premier League, where his statistics have been very underwhelming by his own standard.
Xavi Simons faces Chelsea
Chelsea have also found it difficult to get into the position they envisioned for themselves, especially meeting the expectations that skyrocketed following their FIFA Club World Cup triumph in the summer.
They made up for their U-turn on the Xavi Simons deal by signing Facundo Buonanotte, who is not considered for Premier League games even in the absence of Cole Palmer due to injuries, and was initially left out of the Champions League squad before being added after injuries.
While Chelsea appear to be alright in attack and have scored the joint-most goals so far in the league, the absence of Palmer has meant one less midfielder for Enzo Maresca, who now prefers to play Fernández as the No.10.
Xavi Simons, howbeit never a priority, but in his RB Leipzig form, could have offered something different, especially with his movement with the ball and ability to manoeuvre in tight spaces, a quality the Argentine midfielder does not possess.
Nevertheless, it is Xavi Simons who has so far suffered more from Chelsea’s decision to pull out from the deal in the last minute and switch focus to Alejandro Garnacho, who recently opened his scoring account.
Thomas Frank will hope that his star signing picks up sooner rather than later, but if he does fail to make an impression against the visitors on Saturday evening, then Enzo Maresca will leave the North with a clear conscience as per the Xavi Simons deal.
Spurs will really need inspiring to tople Chelsea as their home form has been very understanding, with only the teams in the relegation zone picking up fewer points than their four, while they’ve also won just once in their last 18, losing 13 times.
Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
