Tottenham have made a rare world class signing in Xavi Simons. Priced at £7.0m, the young Dutchman arrives with a reputation as one of Europe’s most prolific attackers during his stint at PSV and Leipzig. But does his stellar record translate to immediate FPL success?
Last season, at RB Leipzig, he continued to showcase his attacking prowess, registering 11 goals and 8 assists in 33 games, making him one of the Bundesliga’s most productive players. What makes these numbers so compelling for FPL is his underlying data. Simons is an attacking hub, consistently ranking highly for shot-creating actions, progressive carries, and touches in the opposition box. He’s a player who wants the ball and is constantly looking to make things happen in and around the penalty area. At £7.0m, this kind of explosive potential is a rare commodity.
His stats look great especially his progressive passes, shot creating actions and Non penalty goals. These are exactly what you would want from your FPL asset. His ability to play both in the number 10 role and at Left Wing also reduce his chance of rotation. James Maddison who could bench him has unfortunately torn his ACL and will miss the entire season due to injury.
Tottenham have also looked as a much more balanced side under Thomas Frank. Spurs also have the best fixture run according to the fixture ticker for the next 5 gameweeks.
Simons has also had match practice and a proper pre season under his belt and with the Bournemouth loss it was quite evident that Spurs need a creative player like him. He should start against West Ham.
If you are on a wildcard he is worth the gamble in my opinion, his explosivity and goal threat is arguably the best apart from the two Strikers. His dribbling helps him get out of tight positions and his ability to create counter attacks boosts his appeal. Given his creativity if you own someone like Kudus or Richarlison they become much more appealing options as well. If you have one transfer fee and own either of the two mentioned I would avoid and bring him after Brighton for the Wolves and Leeds fixture. Waiting a gameweek or two to see how he settles is a sensible approach.
