Fabrizio Romano: Tottenham make contact to sign ‘one of the best 10s in the world’ amid Eze hijack
Tottenham Hotspur’s search for attacking reinforcements has taken an interesting new direction after their disappointing experience with the Eberechi Eze transfer situation.
According to information from senior reporter Fabrizio Romano, the club has started internal discussions about making a late attempt to sign RB Leipzig’s exciting young talent Xavi Simons.
This new interest comes as a direct response to what happened with Eze, who decided to join Arsenal instead of Tottenham despite long-standing interest from Spurs.
The Crystal Palace player is now close to completing a £68 million move to their North London rivals, leaving Tottenham needing to find an alternative option quickly.
The situation with Simons presents its own challenges for Tottenham. The Dutch international apparently has his heart set on a move to Chelsea, making any attempt by Spurs to sign him an uphill battle.
Romano explained that while Tottenham have made some contact to explore a potential deal in the last couple of days, they understand that convincing the player to choose them over Chelsea will not be easy.
This is not the first time Tottenham have faced transfer disappointments this summer. They also experienced frustration in their attempt to sign Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest earlier in the window.
These back-to-back setbacks have made the club’s search for new attacking players more urgent than ever.
Simons represents exactly the kind of talented young player that would fit well at Tottenham. During his two seasons at RB Leipzig, he has developed into one of Europe’s most promising attacking midfielders.
His statistics are impressive—22 goals and 24 assists in 77 appearances—and he has earned praise from experts who consider him one of the best number tens in world football.
The Dutch international initially joined Leipzig on an 18-month loan deal before the German club decided to make the move permanent by paying €50 million to Paris Saint-Germain in January. This shows how highly they valued his contributions and potential.
Tottenham’s need for attacking reinforcements has become increasingly important for several reasons. The club recently said goodbye to Son Heung-min, who moved to LAFC, creating a significant gap in their attacking options.
Additionally, James Maddison suffered a serious ACL injury during a pre-season friendly that could keep him out for the entire upcoming season.
The injury situation at Tottenham extends beyond just Maddison. Several other first-team players including Destiny Udogie, Yves Bissouma, Radu Dragusin, and Dejan Kulusevski were unavailable for their opening weekend victory against Burnley.
Kulusevski continues his recovery from a knee injury sustained back in May, adding to the manager’s selection headaches.
Despite these challenges, Tottenham began their Premier League campaign with an impressive 3-0 victory, showing that the squad still has quality and depth.
However, the need for additional creative players remains clear, especially with the long-term absence of Maddison and the departure of Son.
The coming days will be crucial for Tottenham’s transfer plans. With the window closing soon, the club must decide whether to continue pursuing Simons despite his preference for Chelsea, or turn their attention to other targets.
The situation demonstrates the complex nature of modern football transfers, where player preferences often play as important a role as financial considerations.
Whatever direction Tottenham choose to take, their supporters will be hoping the club can secure the quality additions needed to build on their strong start to the season and compensate for the significant players they have lost through both transfers and injuries.