Xavi Simons explains why he snubbed Chelsea for £52m Tottenham transfer

Xavi Simons has completed his £52million transfer to Tottenham and revealed that Thomas Frank convinced him to join Spurs over Chelsea.

All summer, Simons had been linked with a big money move to Stamford Bridge, with Enzo Maresca making the RB Leipzig star one of his top targets.

It was thought the player was desperate to get the deal done, even missing some of pre-season training in an attempt to push through a move from the Bundesliga to the Premier League.

However, Chelsea never made a formal offer for the Netherlands international, instead prioritising a £40m bid for Manchester United outcast Alejandro Garnacho.

That allowed Tottenham to swoop in this week and secure the services of the highly-rated 22-year-old, who has signed a five-year contract with the option of a further two seasons.

The transfer has come as a bit of surprise given it was thought Simons was very keen on joining rivals Chelsea but changed his mind upon speaking to Spurs boss Frank earlier this week.

‘I’m really happy and can’t wait to get going. I’ve been dreaming of this for a long time,’ Simons told Tottenham’s official website.

‘It’s a great Club and when I met the Head Coach I knew straight away that this was the right place for me.

‘First of all, the project, I think it suits me. The second thing, I think the most important thing for me, is the coach. I spoke to him, he showed me a presentation that really impacted me and that was the final decision for me.

‘The right coach, the right people and I really believe that we will achieve really good things here.

‘I will bring flair to the team but also hard work and discipline. I want to do everything I can to win, for the team and also for the fans.’

Simons will wear the No.7 shirt, recently vacated by club legend Son Heung-min, but he has not arrived in time to play Bournemouth on Saturday.

It is a huge win in the transfer market for Tottenham who embarrassingly missed out on their first-choice attacking midfielders Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze earlier this summer, with the latter’s transfer hijacked by arch-rivals Arsenal.

‘I’m really pleased we have brought Xavi in – he is a great addition to the squad,’ Frank said on Friday.

‘He is still young, however he already has good experience and, over the past few years, has played a lot of games at the top level.

‘Xavi has proven his ability to get goals and assists, both from the number 10 position and left-wing. He also has a great eye for his team-mates in terms of unlocking defences, and I know he will come in and be part of a good team that is already working hard together.’

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