Jermaine Jenas has raised an interesting question about Xavi Simons’ career so far, amidst his early struggles at Tottenham.
It seemed like Xavi had turned a corner with his performance against Leeds United earlier this month, but that has not been the case.
He has followed that up with two average performances against Aston Villa and Everton, with the 22-year-old yet to find a fixed spot in Thomas Frank’s system.
Xavi has come under criticism for failing to impact games, and a former Tottenham midfielder has now raised one concern about the Dutchman’s past.
Jermaine Jenas has concerns about Tottenham star Xavi Simons
In the latest episode of the Wildcards Podcast, Jenas and Jermaine Pennant discussed the struggles of Tottenham’s summer signing.
The former Spurs man questioned why Xavi was let go by some top clubs before eventually making his name at PSV Eindhoven and RB Leipzig.
Jenas said about the Tottenham attacker: “I always have concerns when it’s like, why did Barca let him go? Why did PSG let him go?”
Pennant said: “Big teams don’t usually do that. They don’t let gems go.”
Jenas responded: “Not really. I mean, you’ve had a couple with Palmer and so on since this new financial situation came into play. But I actually feel sorry for him a little bit. I think that he has the quality to be that more central figure. But you can already see him getting a little bit frustrated.”
Jenas offers Xavi prediction at Spurs
Thomas Frank remains convinced that Xavi will be a star for Tottenham once he finds his feet, with the Spurs boss pointing out that the attacking midfielder is still adjusting to the Premier League.
Jenas feels that Xavi is yet to build the right relationships with his Tottenham teammates on the pitch, but like Frank, he too is convinced that the Netherlands international will come good.
The 42-year-old added: “People are not seeing things quickly enough with him, and he’s not building those relationships that he needs to build.
“I actually think he’s going to be all right. I think he’s going to need six months just to bed into the Prem and stuff. But I actually quite like what I’m seeing from him when he’s central.”