Tottenham manager Thomas Frank giving instructions to Xavi Simmons (Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank spoke at his latest press conference about Xavi Simmons’ slow start to his career at the club after signing in the summer.
Spurs are in poor form at the moment, winning just one of their last seven games, but have lost three times in just one week: 4-1 to Arsenal, 5-3 to Paris Saint-Germain and 2-1 to Fulham.
Frank will be feeling the pressure, but it’s safe to say that some of the players were pretty overwhelmed as well.
Fans making plans and considering how to buy Newcastle vs. Tottenham tickets will be wondering whether they can expect a little more from Simmons at St James’ Park, but Frank moved to protect the player.
Thomas Frank explains Xavi Simmons’ slow start at Spurs
Frank was asked ahead of the game why we had yet to see the best of Simmons since his summer move from RB Leipzig.
The former Brentford manager explained: “There’s a reason why we brought Xavi here. He’s a very good player in all aspects. He’s been training well over the last few days and training well overall.”
“It’s not the first time the players have stepped foot in the Premier League, so they need to adapt a little bit to really hit the ground running. Then, in the physical league, all you have to do is play a game every three or four days.”
To be fair to Simmons, this is also the case with some of the other sizable signings made by Premier League clubs this summer, and Frank is not the only manager facing such hardships.
Xavi Simmons and other new signings struggle in the Premier League
It’s no exaggeration to say that Simmons, as well as other new signings such as Florian Wirtz, Viktor Gökeres, Benjamin Sesco and Jamie Gittens, are just a few players who have struggled to hit the ground running since arriving in England from overseas.
In the past, even legendary figures like Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Luka Modric have taken time to get back on their feet, and perhaps we’ll see that in Simmons as well.
The Dutch international has had an impressive run with his former club RB Leipzig, and his performances in the Bundesliga have attracted interest from big clubs such as Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Chelsea this summer.
Although Tottenham ultimately won the race for Simmons’ signature, they will still have hope that he can prove to be a wise signing.
