Tottenham called, and Simons answered. After spending the past few weeks sat by the phone, waiting for it ring, hoping Chelsea would be on the other end, Spurs swooped in to sign the highly rated 22-year-old from under their rivals’ collective noses.
After their worst season in decades under Ange Postecoglou, even though they managed to end their 17-year trophy drought, beating Ruben Amorim’s even poorer Man United side to the Europa League title, things are starting to look up at Tottenham.
New boss Thomas Frank has, so far, shown that he is capable of managing a big six side, earning a comfortable win against Burnley in their first Premier League game of the season and then bagging Spurs’ government mandated win at the Etihad.
They have arguably the best stadium on the planet and now a potential superstar to lead them into a brave new era. So, are Spurs not so Spursy anymore?
An upgrade on Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze?
Comparisons with the two number tens that Tottenham missed out on are inevitable, expect to see pundits at Sky Sports stood by a giant screen analysing their stats throughout the season.
Simons does have a similar profile to the two England internationals, although he never really nailed down a certain position at RB Leipzig last season, floating between a traditional attacking midfielder or a winger. That’s not entirely on him though, the German club were all over the place in 2024-25.
Looking at the brass tax, Eze is by far the most prolific in front of goal between the three. Not only does Eze have more goal contributions with 26 in 43 games, compared to Simons with 19 in 33, and Gibbs-White at 15 in 38, he created more chances (58), had a higher xG (10.5), and way more shots with (102).
One thing Simons does have on his side, however, is time. The Dutchman is five years younger than Eze and three fewer than Gibbs-White. He’s still young enough to be malleable to Frank’s needs.
On the negative side, that lack of Premier League experience could work against him. He has previously been accused of being a little light weight and this season, the English top flight has gone old school, with plenty of big lads ready to give him a hard time if necessary.
Where does he fit in under Thomas Frank?
With James Maddison out for most of, if not all of the season after picking up an ACL injury during pre-season, Spurs were desperate to sign a number ten to provide cover and competition for the Englishman. Simons is exactly that.
If one thing has been said of Frank since he entered the public eye, it’s that he is adaptable. The Dane likes to take a good look at his opponent and set up accordingly, notably fielding a 4-3-3 in the win over Burnley and then a 4-2-3-1 vs City already this season.
Simons’ versatility will come in handy should Tottenham endure a similar kind of injury crisis they did last season, but they’ll of course be hoping to avoid that. If Frank wants a player to move in between the left wing and the number ten, instead of a more traditional byline winger like Brennan Johnson, he would be the perfect option.
In his own words, “It’s a great club and when I met the head coach I knew straight away that this was the right place for me. I will bring flair to the team but also hard work and discipline. I want to do everything I can to win, for the team and also for the fans.”
A brand new Tottenham poster boy
Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son have been the faces of the club for over a decade, now neither of them are there, Spurs were in need of a marketable face to help sell their project to both fans and potential new signings. He even inherited the much-loved South Koreans number seven.
Simons broke the internet when he burst onto the scene as a literal child while at Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy. The long curly hair, silky skills, and wide smile had many touting him as the best player to come out of the club since Lionel Messi.
It hasn’t quite worked out that way. An ill-fated stint at PSG and then loans to PSV and RB Leipzig before he made the German club his permanent home in January mean he’s struggled to find a real home in his short career.
A five-year contract with the option to extend by a further two at Spurs clearly implies that is about to change. Tottenham are a huge club with what is starting to look like a well-rounded squad, Simons adds that much needed je ne sais quoi needed to sell shirts.
Verdict
This feels like one of those deals that suits all parties. Leipzig get a €60 million fee for a player that was angling for a move, Spurs sign one of the most popular and talented young number tens, and Simons finally has a home. We could be looking at this as the signing of the summer once the season ends.