On August 3, Tottenham faced Newcastle in a pre-season friendly match. The opportunity for Thomas Frank's men, freshly arrived on the bench Spursto perfect their preparation before the European Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain and the resumption of the Premier League. A meeting which turned into a nightmare for James Maddison. Entering in the 75th minute, the England international left ten minutes later, following knee pain. The verdict is clear: rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in the right knee for the 28-year-old attacking midfielder.
A major absence for Tottenham, who lost their playing master for a large part of the season. It is therefore with urgency that the London club is scanning the market, looking for a replacement. Snubbed by Eberechi Eze, who preferred to join rival Arsenal, Tottenham finally found their rare gem on August 29: seven months after leaving PSG for good, Xavi Simons (22) joined Spurs from RB Leipzig, for 60 million euros. A new step for the former FC Barcelona nugget, after successful loans to PSV Eindhoven and the RBL.
Still not the slightest goal with Tottenham
In the Eredivisie, then in the Bundesliga, the Dutch international (31 caps, 5 goals) showed all his talent. Capable of playing on all fronts of the attack, Simons had proven himself indispensable with the Red Bull team between 2023 and 2025 (78 matches, 22 goals and 24 assists). But just like Florian Wirtz, who also made the jump from the Bundesliga to the Premier League, his debut was far from flamboyant. After eight contested matches with Tottenham (including 4 starts in the league and two in C1), Xavi Simons was decisive only once: against West Ham (0-3), on September 13, with an assist for Pape Matar Sarr.
Starting in the defeat against Aston Villa (1-2) on Saturday, Simons delivered another lackluster performance. Criticized across the Channel, he can nevertheless count on the support of his coach Thomas Frank, who came to his defense after the final whistle. “ I appreciated Xavi's personality today, especially in the first half. He wanted to have the ball, create chances and was aggressive in pressing. Today was an average match. I have to remember that when players arrive at a new club and country, we judge them on a small sample. I have no doubt that it will be important for us », invoked the German technician. Why not, from this Wednesday (9 p.m.), in Monaco in the Champions League…
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