'I liked what I saw'- Thomas Frank happy with star summer arrival’s Tottenham debut

Originally posted on To The Lane And Back
By Ahmad Sarmad Ansari | Last updated Sep 14, 2025 7:27 AM ET

Xavi Simons makes his debut for Tottenham

With the September international break over, Tottenham Hotspur returned to Premier League action on Saturday, and Thomas Frank led his team to a 3–0 win over city rivals West Ham United, overturning the sour taste left by the defeat to Bournemouth right before the break.

A win over local rivals is always noteworthy, but for Spurs this match was also memorable as several new summer signings made their debuts. One such player to don the Lilywhite shirt for the first time was Xavi Simons, arguably the signing fans were most excited to see.

With the display he put in, it is easy to see why. He marked his debut with an assist for Pape Matar Sarr’s goal, and he showed other encouraging signs. Overall, he took one shot, recorded a passing accuracy of 84.4 per cent, delivered seven crosses and made one tackle.

Thomas Frank happy with the Dutchman’s debut

As TeamTalk reported, Tottenham manager Thomas Frank expressed his satisfaction with the Dutchman’s debut performance as he spoke to the media after the game. The Danish tactician said:

“I thought he was really good, really promising. There’s more to come… Excellent ball for the goal. He created something when he was on the ball.”

“I think he was promising. I liked what I saw from him… I liked that he took initiative on the ball. Every single time he had the ball he tried to create something.

“And I think he had a wonderful assist for the first goal from a corner. Worked hard as well. I think it was a good first game.”

While it was a highly encouraging debut, there were also moments when the forward showed signs of rustiness. This is understandable, as he was playing for the first time in a while and it was his very first game with his new team.

He might still need time to adapt to Thomas Frank’s playing style and to his new team-mates at Tottenham. But with the performance he produced on debut, there is plenty of reason to hope he will prove a highly successful signing for Spurs and can become one of the top players in Europe.

However, many challenges await him, and the very next will be to prove his credentials in the UEFA Champions League, as Tottenham are set to face Villarreal in the European competition on Tuesday.

This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.

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