West Ham 0-3 Tottenham: Fans Drop Verdict on Xavi Simons’ Debut
West Ham 0-3 Tottenham: Fans Drop Verdict on Xavi Simons’ Debut
Xavi Simons – despite interest from other parties, most notably Chelsea, in the summer months – decided to join Tottenham Hotspur from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig in a deal worth £51 million. The Dutchman made his first appearance for the club in their 3-0 win over West Ham United, but how did the 22-year-old perform on the left of the front three?
After Cristian Romero’s perfectly-legal header was controversially disallowed in the first half, it took Pape Matar Sarr to rise the highest in the West Ham danger area to nod past Mads Hermansen just minutes after the re-start. Lucas Bergvall, scoring his first goal in the Premier League, then doubled their lead with a wonderfully-guided header over the West Ham shot stopper.
Spurs then struck again through Van de Ven. On Saturday evening, Spurs not only secured a three-point haul against a fellow London side; but it also marked a changing of the guard from Son Heung-min, who now plays for Los Angeles FC in the MLS, to Simons. But what are those associated to the north Londoners saying about his performance?
A Closer Look at Xavi Simons’ First Display in a Tottenham Hotspur Shirt
Putting pen to paper on a five-year deal at the state-of-the-art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, much has been expected of Simons, who has taken over the No.7 shirt from Son. An onerous task, of course, but did his first 71 minutes under Frank and his entourage, until he was replaced by Richarlison, hint at the fact that he is ready to take on that challenge?
Typically, throughout his career, Amsterdam-born Simons has been used behind an out-and-out striker. Being his side’s creative genius is, without a doubt, his best asset – and playing out wide, on the left flank, against West Ham prevented him from enjoying his best performance.
Involved from the off, the 29-cap Netherlands international took plenty (50!) of touches before being substituted. Of those, zero were in West Ham’s box; but his tally of three passes into the final third showed a slither of attacking intent. Adding to that, 100% (4/4) of his long balls were accurate; he created the one chance and won all three of his contested ground duels.
Admittedly, as you’d expect, Djed Spence’s overlapping runs allowed him to invert inside to where he operates best – in the space behind the striker, who, in this case, was Mathys Tel. What can be said about the youngster’s first display in the white of Spurs is that he managed to pop up with an assist. Albeit from a corner, his delivery for Sarr’s header was exquisite.
It’s easy – due to the fact that he’s already moved to Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona, turned out for PSV Eindhoven and RB Leipzig and played in two major tournaments – that Simons is still only 22, but fans are still excited about his start to life at Spurs. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), one said: “I can’t believe Xavi Simons plays for my football club!”
“His crosses were immense, very enjoyable to watch,” another Spurs supporter said as another added that his chemistry with Spence, as mentioned earlier, was joyous: “Xavi and Djed on the left are so fun to watch.” In the same vein, another mentioned: “The chemistry between him and Spence is great.”
However, it’s the fact that he’s linking up with Spence on the left flank that is a worry to some. One fan insinuated that he would spring into life if/when moved into the No.10 position: “Xavi Simons put in a really good shift, excited to see him play as the 10 though.” Echoing the same sentiment, another concluded: “If Thomas Frank is gonna play Xavi Simons as a wide playmaker, the signing is going to flop faster than you can say boo.”
All statistics per FotMob – correct as of 13/09/2025