Thomas Frank, the Tottenham Hotspur head coach, says he has little question that summer season signing Xavi Simons will develop right into a high “creator and finisher” for the membership and advised the time to guage him can be “after a yr or two”.
Simons, 22, is but to attain for Spurs since arriving in a deal price €60million (£51.8m; $70m) from RB Leipzig, and he has been on the bench for the previous 4 matches.
Frank’s aspect host his former membership Brentford on Saturday, trying to find solely a second dwelling league win of the season, and the Dane says there are similarities between Simons and Mikel Damsgaard, who took two years to provide his finest soccer in west London.
Requested if Simons might be as vital to him at Spurs as Damsgaard was at Brentford, Frank stated: “Positively.
“That’s one of many explanation why we bought him right here. I believe he’s bought a really huge potential to be that playmaker — (a) creator but in addition finisher. I believe he’s bought an excellent ending, superb at scoring objectives and arriving in the fitting areas. I’ve a giant perception that he’ll be superb for us.
“Generally we’ve a group the place you come right into a membership the place all the pieces is clean, all the pieces is working, no downside, increase, you step in. You possibly can see, in contrast with (Florian) Wirtz what we’ve seen at Liverpool, additionally coming into (the) champions. And it’s not that straightforward on a regular basis. On a regular basis it takes a bit bit longer.
“However so long as the participant trains properly, hold the fitting perspective, hold doing the fitting factor, step-by-step, we’ll see him flourish. I’m not unsure of that. Simply because we’re at all times so good to guage him now, however most likely after a yr or two, (it will likely be time to say), ‘Oh, how good is he?’ Now everyone seems to be speaking about Damsgaard. He did two seasons earlier than he actually flourished within the third one.”
Frank’s aspect twice fought again to clinch a 2-2 draw at Newcastle United midweek however are below strain to enhance outcomes at dwelling following final weekend’s 2-1 defeat by Fulham.
Frank has tinkered together with his set-up in current weeks, and acknowledged that he’s nonetheless attempting to work out his finest XI however says he’s considering long-term to show Spurs right into a “well-oiled engine”.
Frank’s Spurs have solely received as soon as within the league at dwelling this time period (Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside through Getty Photos)
“Sure, I believe it’s truthful,” stated Frank, when it was put to him that he doesn’t know his finest aspect but.
“I’ve bought an concept of fairly a couple of positions. I additionally assume there’s competitors so not that straightforward on a regular basis to say, ‘OK, it’s simply these 11’ since you want greater than 11 gamers. Usually, you see most groups when they’re discovering their strongest group, it will likely be these 9 gamers on a regular basis, and possibly change two. Or possibly generally it’s ten.
“I’ve stated it from the start, each motion, all the pieces I do is with two pathways.
“One, we have to win tomorrow and the day after and day after however all the pieces is with a long-term imaginative and prescient.
“When you don’t construct something with a long-term imaginative and prescient then I don’t consider you’re a high membership.
“It shouldn’t be, ‘Oh, we survived yet one more recreation’ then there are pragmatic selections alongside the best way (because of) accidents, kind. Little by little we’ll attempt to get nearer to being a well-oiled engine that’s unimaginable to cease.”
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