One Tottenham Hotspur player has now received high praise after a much-improved display that played a key role in securing three vital points on Saturday against Brentford.
Tottenham Hotspur were nosediving into the bottom half of the Premier League table, but a much-needed 2-0 win over Brentford has seen them stop the run, closing the gap between them and fourth to three points.
Thomas Frank needed a big performance from his players after they had struggled of late, going without a win in the last five outings.
Xavi Simons was the star of the match, with the Dutchman grabbing a goal and an assist, spearheading Spurs’ first win since October 26.
Troy Deeney names Xavi Simons in Premier League team for matchweek 15
The 22-year-old’s attacking display has now earned him recognition from Troy Deeney, who has included him in his matchweek 15 team of the week column for BBC Sport.
Deeney highlighted how Simons delivered when Spurs needed inspiration, stating that the Dutchman is finally showing the ability many expected.
Speaking about Simons, Deeney wrote: “He has had a bit of a tough time at Spurs, but it felt like this was his moment to show everyone why people think he is so talented.
“He has pace, power and glides past people. We used to call people like that a luxury, but when you put in a match-winning performance like he did against Brentford, you have to start saying he is just good.”
What Xavi Simons must aim for at Tottenham in the coming weeks
Tottenham will be hoping that Simons builds on his recent display by adding more goals and assists to his game.
The midfielder is clearly talented as he has amassed 83 goal contributions at the senior level so far in his career.
Since joining Spurs, however, Simons has struggled to impact matches, scoring just once (his goal against Brentford) in 12 Premier League fixtures.
With his first goal now in the bag, Simons made it clear that he hopes to build on it, and if he can put a goal-scoring run together, then Tottenham could begin climbing the table, as his creativity will also improve the output of the forwards.