Tottenham Hotspur not only ended their never-ending trophy drought by defeating Manchester United in last season’s Europa League final. Ange Postecoglou paved the way for the Champions League.
Considering Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League, this was a huge relief at the end of a season that left much to be desired, and the Londoners can now make a convincing case for potential signings like Xavi Simons.
Tottenham supporters were delighted to sign the Dutch playmaker from RB Leipzig for £51 million after strong interest from Chelsea earlier in the summer, but there is no denying that the 21-year-old has yet to play on English soil.
Given his mega-money profile and expectations upon arrival, there are concerns that Symonds may reflect the likes of Tanguy Ndombele before him.
Simmons begins life with Spurs
Thomas Frank is yet to establish his vision at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the team is struggling to find form in the final third. Simmons is part of the problem, but it’s important to remember that this is a young talent joining a team that lacks offensive consistency.
In just two years in Germany, Simmons scored 22 goals and provided 24 assists in 78 games. He was a difference maker and was coveted by many Premier League clubs.
Spurs won the title, and to their credit, Simmons is yet to prove he has what it takes to take his game to the next level, raising concerns that he could emulate Frenchman Ndombele, who joined from Lyon in 2019 in a £54m deal, a record deal for the London club.
Ndombele’s temperament and dedication were one of the cruxes of his demise in English football, and while Simmons’ lack of effort cannot be blamed, it is still a cause for concern and one that Frank will need to fix quickly if he is to run the team at maximum creativity.
The jury is still out on the Dutchman, but he is settling into a team that is young and talented but currently lacks creative direction.
The Lilywhites actually have another man with more experience, but he may be deteriorating into Ndombele 2.0.
Spurs’ new version of Ndombele
Frank has spoken of his players’ frustration with their recent form, which was evident last weekend when Fulham suffered another home defeat to Tottenham.
Pedro Polo was furious, but given his spate of poor performances this year, the Portugal international may want to channel his anger inward.
The 26-year-old has been in the English capital for almost three years and is one of the most technically gifted players in the ranks, but his awareness and accuracy in defensive situations could be a letdown, just like Ndombele’s. Especially given the amount of fuss that Manchester City were sniffing around last year regarding his 2023 contract.
The polo has no rudder. He has already made a Sofascore record with five errors in the Premier League this season, and is one of the most dribble-passing defenders in the division so far.
Defender with the most successful dribbles in the Premier League (25/26) | ||
|---|---|---|
# | player | status |
1. | Mats Wiefer | 19 |
2. | cat williams | 18 |
3. | Pedro Polo | 17 |
4. | Hugo Bueno | 16 |
5. | Matty Cash | 16 |
Data via WhoScored | ||
To be fair, Polo is in the top 16% of full-backs in the Premier League this season for shot-creating actions and top 5% for progressive passes per 90, according to FBref, but his defensive work has fallen well below expected standards.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the completed pass into the opponent’s goal or into the penalty area.
But his lack of concentration and misuse of his athleticism led one Tottenham podcast host to brand him an “absolute liability” last season. That has only been emphasized since then, with Frank now facing an Ndombele-like conundrum of what to do with this talented but struggling star.
Although Polo has scored some high marks throughout his Tottenham career, he has been responsible for too many poor performances in recent years, and in this respect it is he, rather than the younger Simmons, who is shaping the London side’s new version of Ndombele.
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