Dutch center midfielder Xavi Simons has the makings of a player who can become an icon at Tottenham Hotspur, and everything he says in the media and everything he does on the pitch screams that he is serious about taking both himself and Spurs to the top.
Simons did have a difficult first season for Tottenham, though, like so many other players in the squad, but that had less to do with any disappointment in his individual performances and more to do with awful coaching from Thomas Frank, who regularly snubbed him, and an ACL tear at the end of th season just when he was kicking into high gear under a much more serious manager in Roberto De Zerbi.
Before De Zerbi's arrival, Tottenham were totally listless both under Igor Tudor and Frank, and the injuries were pretty much insurmountable. Speaking to Gabby Logan on the Sports Agent Podcast, Simons went into more detail about how rough last season was, as transcribed by Chris Cowlin:
Xavi Simons went through it
“Yeah, really hard because it's different: different mentality, different way of playing, different system as well, and that's not the ideal entourage, I would say. And it was the first time that I've witnessed this, so it was just a mix of everything, I would say. But as I say, always as well, like things happen for a reason. I think we've been into the worst possible scenario. Like, everything happens: our injuries, manager changes, not winning a lot of games not at home. I think [it] was everything.”
Every Tottenham Hotspur supporter felt the same way about that season, even just from sitting in the stands or on the couch. It says a lot, too, that Xavi Simons admits it was "the first time" he saw a situation that bad in terms of the turnover and how unideal things were set up at Tottenham, but it equally speaks volumes that he is still fully COYS despite what he went through.
Tottenham nearly got relegated, and it was only by the skin of their teeth that Roberto De Zerbi got them to stay up. At the same time, going through that and then having that third manager who comes in and gives you hope is exacty what makes a bond within a club even stronger. Tottenham fans can't wait to see what Simons does in Year 2 with a "full" season under De Zerbi after he recovers from this ACL tear.
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