Xavi Simons was brought in to help solve Tottenham Hotspur’s creative issues, but the Dutchman has yet to fully take charge of that responsibility in North London.
The 22-year-old started brightly in a Tottenham shirt, grabbing an assist against West Ham United on his debut before featuring regularly in the early weeks of the season.
However, recent matches have seen his involvement reduce to cameos from the bench, with no start for Xavi Simons in the last four fixtures.
Frank revealed last month that the Dutchman’s reduced minutes were down to adaptation time, which is often the case for players transitioning from Germany to the Premier League.
Thomas Frank on Xavi Simons’ chances of starting for Tottenham
The Tottenham boss has once again opened up on the Simons‘ development, offering a fresh update on how things are progressing behind the scenes.
Speaking via club media, Frank revealed that the attacking midfielder has been training at an impressive level and pushing himself closer to selection.
He said: “Xavi has trained fantastic the last five, six times. Very good attitude on the training pitch, I like that a lot.
“We have played different games with different lineups. Just like Matty, trained well, good attitude and we are getting closer and he has come on in the last four games.”
Why Xavi Simons must stake a claim for left wing spot at Spurs
Tottenham are playing games every three to four days now, and with Brentford next, it feels like the right moment for Simons to finally be handed a start for Spurs.
Frank has already confirmed that there is an opening down the left, as no winger has claimed the spot as his own so far this season and that should be an opportunity Simons needs to approach with real intent.
Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison will return eventually, and both are expected to compete for the number ten role, meaning Simons will face even more competition in the future.