Tottenham Ready to Unleash Lethal Weapon on Potterball

There was a certain amount of smugness among Tottenham fans after they pinched Mohammed Kudus from West Ham on the cheap.

It wasn’t just that Thomas Frank had stolen the Hammers’ winger for less than his £80m buyout clause that pleased Spurs fans. The gloating only grew when it emerged that while pleading poverty to negotiate a reduced fee for Kudus, Daniel Levy was secretly bidding £60m for Morgan Gibbs-White at the same time.

What followed was a full-blown temper tantrum from Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, who lodged a complaint that Spurs had used skulduggerous tactics to uncover Gibbs-White’s release clause.

Marinakis played a blinder, thwarting Tottenham’s move and tying down Forest’s creative spark to a new long-term deal.

Spurs then failed in attempts to sign West Ham’s Lucas Paquetá and Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze—who chose North London rivals Arsenal instead—leaving Tottenham in something of a pickle.

But the player they eventually landed, Xavi Simons, may just prove to be the best of the lot. Frank is set to unleash his new signing against the Hammers at the London Stadium. At 22 years old, the Dutchman—who grew up in Spain—already boasts a glittering CV, having graduated from Barcelona’s academy before spells at PSV, PSG, and RB Leipzig.

Simons joined Spurs for £10m less than the fee agreed for Gibbs-White, and many European observers believe Tottenham have a potential world star on their hands. Clearly, Frank agrees, and looks set to start his new creative midfielder against West Ham.

The real intrigue will be whether Graham Potter follows suit and starts his own new recruits, Magassa and Fernandes, alongside each other.