Thomas Frank handed Xavi Simons Tottenham debut boost after Netherlands decision

Xavi Simons will be hoping to make his Tottenham debut against West Ham United this weekend in Premier League action. The 22-year-old officially joined from RB Leipzig less than 24 hours before Spurs faced Bournemouth which meant he was ineligible to feature.

Simons was unveiled at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium prior to that 1-0 defeat though, and he appeared to get rather emotional as over 60,000 supporters welcomed their new star signing.

The September international break has meant that he and the Spurs fans have been forced to wait to see him in Lilywhite.

Unsurprisingly, he has been speaking about his move to Tottenham over that period which saw him reveal a conversation with Timo Werner and what international and now club teammate Micky van de Ven told him to join.

"He [Werner] told me a lot about the size of the club and the fantastic fans," he said. "And he said he believed it was the right place for me to learn and improve."

Following that, Simons played 79 minutes off the right for his country in a World Cup qualifier against Poland that finished 1-1. Van de Ven meanwhile, was deployed at left-back for the entire game.

Neither are expected to be used in those roles under Frank though, with the latter forming a superb partnership in the centre of defence alongside Cristian Romero and Simons currently as the only natural attacking midfielder available.

The Netherlands played their second game of the break on Sunday evening with Memphis Depay becoming their record goal-scorer in the 3-2 win over Lithuania. Simons and Van de Ven were both named on the bench with the latter coming on for the final 28 minutes to see out the victory.

Koeman opted to keep Simons on the bench which could end up being a boost for Spurs and Frank. No minutes since Thursday likely means less time will be needed for recovery and he can therefore join up in training with his new teammates sooner.

As a result, the chances of a debut from the start for Simons at London Stadium against West Ham look set to increase. Pape Sarr is the alternative having impressed in the role this season with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski out injured.

Even if Simons gets the nod, it is likely Sarr still plays there on occasion with Maddison out until Spring 2026 at the earliest while Kulusevski has revealed he is targeting a return within the next two to three months.

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