After the confusion over Morgan Gibbs-White’s release clause and bitter blow of being blindsided by Arsenal when it came to Eberechi Eze, Tottenham can finally celebrate an unlikely swoop of their own. They have moved quickly to land Xavi Simons, who has been touted as a certainty to join Chelsea for much of the past month, and must be relieved not to have fallen victim to yet another late hijack.
There were understandable nerves at Spurs as they raced to complete a £51.8m deal to sign Simons from RB Leipzig. Previous attempts to bolster Thomas Frank’s options in attacking midfield had not gone well. Where next after Eze and Gibbs-White? Spurs have made a hugely encouraging start under Frank, who has won his first two league games by an aggregate score of 5-0, but they needed something extra in the final third. Son Heung-min has gone; James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are out. Mohammed Kudus has impressed since joining from West Ham for £54.5m but he is at his best on the right. The arrival of extra creativity is highly welcome. The element of surprise around Simons has given Spurs fans rare joy.
