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Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank has called for patience regarding £52 million ($69M) acquisition Xavi Simons, and endorsed a comparison to Liverpool's £116 million ($155M) purchase Florian Wirtz. Both talents made the switch from the Bundesliga to the Premier League during the summer transfer window.
Simons and Wirtz had established themselves as two of the finest young creative players globally through their displays for RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen respectively. However, the 22-year-olds have endured difficult starts since their arrival in England.
Simons has managed just one assist for Tottenham across eight matches, whilst Wirtz has recorded the same tally in 11 outings for Liverpool and remains without his maiden goal.
The Netherlands star was substituted after Spurs fell behind during their 2-1 home defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday, whilst the Germany international began on the substitutes' bench for the second consecutive Premier League fixture as the Reds suffered a 2-1 home reverse to Manchester United later that day.
Nevertheless, Frank has defended Simons following the comparison with Wirtz.
"I think that's a very good question and also a very good comparison with Wirtz, who is also a very good player just like Xavi," remarked the Tottenham manager ahead of his side's Champions League encounter at Monaco.
"A couple of things, new country, new club, new city and just needing to settle in.
"We are all getting judged every game but we also need to see the bigger perspective and I see it all the time.
"I always look for glimpses and bits and pieces. For example with Xavi, there were some good bits and I worked with him and I asked him to arrive a bit more in the box. When I looked at the game back, he did.
"Was there a big eye-catching moment? No, but there were good glimpses and I think it is constantly going in the right direction."
Wirtz is tipped to return to Liverpool's starting line-up later as the Reds face Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League.
The ex-Leverkusen star made a decent impression coming on as a substitute against Man United, and Reds manager Arne Slot echoed Frank's sentiments prior to that match.
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"If you've been brought in for so much money, people look mainly at goals and assists, but I can tell you he could be on six or seven assists already," Slot told Sky Sports.
"If you look at the passes he's played to his team-mates which unfortunately didn't lead to goals, one of the greatest examples is the Chelsea game where after one minute (since coming on) he had this great flick to Mo Salah.
"For Mo, this is 99 times out of 100 a goal. I have to say 98 out of 100 because the last time he got a ball like this was against Atletico Madrid from Florian Wirtz, but Mo hit the post.
"He's been a bit unlucky with the finishing when he's given his team-mates chances but, in general for a 22-year-old, it's quite normal that you have to adjust to going to another country let alone going to the Premier League."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Liverpool ECHO by clicking here.
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