LongtimerLurker

With the sanctions we got from uefa, I think the club maybe a little cautious about signing Xavi until we got another player off the books tbh.
Gittens, Estavao, Hato, Essugo, all will be going on uefa b list, which is for non homegrown players.
Pedro, and Delap, ( and possibly Garnacho), all go on uefa a list, homegrown.
The punishment we got means that b list must have a net profit of zero or better to register new players.
So far we have sold Madueke, Amagou, and Felix off last seasons b list.
Which i reckon leaves us about £25m im the red.
If we add in Xavi for £50m, we then have to make £75m from the sales of Nkunku, Veiga, Disasi, and possibly Jackson.
So I think had Veiga gone, Xavi would've been done already, but there is still a fair bit of work to do on outgoings.
Think we should be okay though, seems to be interest in all 4 of those outgoings.

Agreed let's not forget Fab gave Hato an 80% estimation of happening and it's gone through. Simons raising from 70 to 75% is good news. Not sure why we need 9 attackers but assuming the system will be either 4231 or 433 it does make sense we would need a min of 8 for the former (2 players in each attacking position) I suppose the 9th is there for cover if we get any major injuries.
I like Simons and if Gittens or Estevao struggle to adapt in their first season it would be helpful to have a slightly older attacker that you would hope could offer more reliability. He could also hypothetically struggle to adapt, but he does look a quality player based purely what I've seen.
Garnacho in my opinion is still a very raw talent but talented nonetheless. I don't see him becoming a superstar here if anything I would imagine he would be flipped and turned into a profit within a few years after showing glimpses. I could be wrong and he could be a revelation. I just wouldn't want him to take mins away from our Brazilian superstar.

Xavi Simons conversations remain ongoing, work in progress also on the contract, it’s important for Chelsea to sell players to create some space, and then to try and complete the situation and deal for Simons. (@FabrizioRomano) #CFC

I have always seen Xavi Simons as the creative spark in a team, glad to see he has a good engine in him too that goes both ways, not just forward in attack. That's incredibly rare to have both. Appreciate the charts.

It's the laziest comparison ever. Just like people saying Joao Pedro = Nkunku, or don't buy Joao Pedro because he comes from Brighton.



Simons' workrate is incredible.

Deceptively strong, low COG (rides challenges), elite progressive attacker via the pass or the carry, feisty, willing to engage in duels, smart counter-presser, intense OOP.
Simons is also a right footed pocket player which would balance nicely with the left footed Cole Palmer in the opposite half-space and Simons is a habitual xG cheater, which we've been crying out for.


The only player appearing twice (pass threat and dribbling threat), apart from Cherki, is Xavi Simons. This is a potential marquee signing.

Thank you! Including decisions from when he was a child, decision he probably wasn't even in charge of as well is just hater behaviour.

Xavi Simons is keen on the move. He likes the project of Chelsea, and so the conversation is now going to be ongoing in the next days between Chelsea and Leipzig on the transfer fee, but Xavi Simons is the next big target for Chelsea.
[@FabrizioRomano]
Talks between Chelsea and #Xavi Simons’ camp, which also includes his brother Faustino, will continue today. The goal is to reach a verbal agreement. Xavi is open to a move to #CFC. Talks with Leipzig will follow in due course. In the event of a transfer, Chelsea can imagine playing with two number tens.

Arsenal are so far only waiting in the wings. As for FC Bayern, he remains a personal topic for Max Eberl. At present, however, there is still no progress despite stalled negotiations regarding Nick Woltemade. @SkySportDE 🇳🇱

His signing was a profit play by Leipzig. He is their record signing ever, and they only gave him a 2yr contract. All intention was/is to sell him this summer.
As for the PSG move; he was signed at 17yrs as a youth team player. Stepped up to the first team in 2021; that same summer they signed Messi, with Di Maria, Neymar, Mbappe already at the club he was never going to get game time. He moved to PSV as a 19yr old in 2022, had a brilliant debut season with 19 league goals and 8 assists. PSG immediately activated his buyback clause for €5m. That summer PSG appointed Luis Enrique as their manager, and they went crazy in the market. They signed Dembele, Barcola, Asensio, Kang-In-Lee, Ekitike, Muani, and Gonçalo Ramos all for big money. They €5m signing never stood a chance so he went to Leizig on loan. Scored 8 league goals and 11 assists on loan; comes back and they signed Doue, with Kvaratskhelia coming in Jan.
Never really stood a chance at PSG under Tuchel, Pochettino, Gaultier and Enrique. 4 managers in his 4-5yr period in PSG is not the right conditions for a young player. Personally think he is a much rounded player, and has shown great resilience despite his circumstances. He has been brilliant at PSV and Leipzig.

The most important element to this is that its the same agent for Simons as:
Ekitike
Jackson
Madueke
Huijsen
Caicedo
DAhoud
Azmoun
Barat may be the new Mendes in the making

He very much is. He has started to reinvent himself, and while it is on him to stick to that trajectory, he is more like a Willian or Bernardo Silva than a pure attacker. He's much better defensively than Enzo Fernandez, for example.

Lazy comparison and pointless comment. He is not like Joao Felix.

Simons is an interesting one. Touted as a child prodigy, hyped up by YouTube only to fall relatively flat in senior football. Instead of following the Felix trajectory, he took a move to PSV, got back to basics and has shown he's actually more of a grafter than a grifter. Getting away from PSG and (in sad circumstances) Mino Raiola in 2022 might yet be the best thing for his career.
With the right coach I think he could have a similar trajectory to Bernardo Silva at City, going from tricky winger to hard-grafting, dynamic, versatile playmaker. I've said before that Felix could have made that role but he clearly has neither the interest nor the ability. I like that he also has a proper mean streak about him, like a Drogba or Hazard, he will absolutely give back whatever he takes but also embarass you with sublime skill too.
Tactically he is interesting too, plays in similar areas to Palmer but favours the left side making him a good complement. He covers LW, Palmer and Enzo's position but potentially better at the things Maresca needs from Enzo at 10.
Of course the gap between Bundesliga and EPL level is a chasm these days, so all the above needs to be subject to the obligatory salt.

I don’t know much about him but I like the idea of signing a player who is on the verge of becoming his peak - rather than the usual 18/19 under developed signing.

Great analysis from Billy Carpenter (here's a link: https://substack.com/inbox/post/167025589) Arsenal fan but let;'s try to ignore that for a minute
Simons is a thoroughly quick, robust, relentless, modern, tekky attacker who suits where the game is headed. At 22, he’s been on the radar for roughly a decade. I struggled with his ranking, and can definitely make a case for him above Eze, or below Rogers. He should be more expensive.
His showing against Arsenal for PSV, remember it as you will, made that clear. Playing as a false nine, he drifted around, pulling the backline apart.
He found gaps, drew fouls, and helped unsettle the structure, with Gakpo peeling wide. It was a performance that showed off how he could generate 29 G+A as a 19-year-old.
I was also pretty gobsmacked by his performance against Spain this year. He came on at 78’, immediately had an assist, drew a penalty, hit that penalty, and then hit another penalty in the shootout.
Wherever he plays, he shows the same ideas: receive between lines, drive forward with short touches, and find quick combinations. He’s urgent, skilled, and has real physical force (and stubbornness) in tight spaces. He is fairly Ødegaard-brained in terms of overall intention and team-oriented movement, but with more power on the carry and a bit more unpredictability and power near goal.
He’s a clean passer, has a strong understanding of when to press, and communicates well off the ball. But he’s more direct, more immediate, and more likely to turn a loose ball into a shot.
His winger profiling is the problem. It’s probably not where he’s used best, but he can put in a Silva shift out there, or potentially rotate like Doué. He doesn’t always isolate, but when he does, he can lean into contact and still get through. He has repeatability in his duels, but what makes him even more dangerous is his movement into zone-14.
His diagonal entries are well-timed and hard to track, and he rarely stands still. He’ll drift from the edge into the box, attack rebounds, or make reverse runs behind a striker.
He can also do his version of in-behind runs.
Crucially, the name of the game is “relentless chance creation,” and he’s just a high-level playmaker. His best actions often come right after receiving. His first touch puts him into windows where he can thread a through-ball or take a quick shot. His right foot is incredibly dominant this year (zero shots with his left this year!!!).
He’s good at playing people into space like this.
If there are drawbacks, they’re mostly about fit. As I said, he’s not a true winger in the classic sense. He won’t necessarily beat a fullback over and over in a true 1v1 out wide or whip in crosses on the run. I’ve also seen him disappear in a few games, or rack up a few miscontrols in a row. But you can use him as a 10, a wide 8, a left winger, or a false 9. You just need to give him smart collaborators and keep the game flowing around him.
Overall, Simons is a near-ideal “unlocker” profile. He’s high touch, smart with space, brave on the dribble, and alert in the press. He’s already tested himself across leagues and shown no issues with physicality or smarts. There’s no projection needed. He fits the playing culture, brings technical consistency, and adds a bit of unpredictability to break mid-blocks. In a game that’s getting faster, narrower, and more fluid, he’s built for the next phase.

Something like this maybe...

He has a release clause, and they never intended to keep him. Barca, Liverpool, and Spurs are interested parties; Barca are broke, Liverpool need to sell Diaz before buying him, and he isn’t interested in Spurs.

I am more happy with the move as long as Maresca approves this move first
It'd be bothersome to have Simons on the squad if Maresca is never interested in him in the first place
It won't be easy to get him because Leipzig broke their transfer record by signing Simons on €50 million plus bonuses deal (could rise to €80 mill)

That's such a lazy comparison 😂

He's a great 10 but idk how a 10 in the Bundesliga translates into the PL.
That being said, an attack of
Pedro/Delap
Neto/Gittens/Estevao Simons/Rogers Palmer/Eze
Enzo/Santos/Lavia Caicedo
is fantasy football. You can make any formation and it still works

Hmm have heard some who watch him say he is a very hard worker and has a great football Brain.
We need smart players, football wise. The difference it made to Palmer and Enzo having someone like Pedro up top compared to nico.

My concern as well. Although imo he's got potential to be much better than these 2

Yeah but he's Dutch! That means overinflated ego.

Not me of course, I'm very humble.

Gone UP from 70% as first report.

Stop reacting to fear mongering by the click-baitey ITKs in this fanbase.
Porn addict Pattialtmann or whatever his name is and the emotional obese teenager CFCPys are elite at getting this fanbase in hysterics with their influential twitter accounts.
I'd reckon Simons is more or less done actually, just sorting out sales in the process before the transfer is finalised.

The main thing that gives me confidence about Simons is the fact that Ali Barat is the one leveraging the transfer, which means it's not just media fluff. He brokered the Lukaku to Napoli deal, the Caicedo transfer with Brighton, The Madueke to Arsenal sale

I don't trust any player from Leipzig anymore. Xavi Simons always looks like a highlights player when I watch him too.

Wouldn’t touch him; sample size is just 1 PL. £80m is too much for a player that isn’t a dead cert. Find it weird City, Liverpool, Man United, Arsenal & Tottenham have all signed players in a role he plays but his name hasn’t popped up as a target.
Give me Xavi Simons everyday; I know we have been burnt by duds from the Bundesliga but he isn’t just any player. Came through Barca’s La Masia, played for PSV, PSG and now Leipzig. Doesn’t get more rounded than him.