Would be a great buy. Last piece of a puzzle making this attack click. Him or Rogers, could be beautiful....

...are my first thoughts, especially seeing Maresca experimenting with a 2 number 10's system at CWC.

But werent'we supposed to play with touchline wingers? We only have Gittens and Neto of that mould. Okay, George too but it's hard to believe the club won't loan him out. Then again it worked great on Football Manager, having 2 different, functional systems. Being flexible. So that's probably the plan :D

“🚨🇳🇱Xavi Simons. Agent has offered him to multiple clubs including Chelsea as he wants to move that’s confirmed. He would be open to chelsea, that’s no issue. Talks were exploratory so far between club and agent, no communication with Leipzig so far. Chelsea still assessing….”

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

Not me of course, I'm very humble.

I'm a bit concerned with the speed at which he's looking to bomb off Leipzig. He's only just about had his mail redirected.

I have also read that he's barely the height of Wisey or Zola and i am not sure how effective that is nowadays with the size, speed and strength of modern day fullbacks.

Decent player but seems another of the Joao Felix/Nkunku mould, not what we really need

1 minute ago, dan_cfc said:

Decent player but seems another of the Joao Felix/Nkunku mould, not what we really need

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

Like I said in the other thread never seen him do anything of note.

Any idea of the transfer fee? Knowing Leipzigs prices I’m guessing £60m plus which is way over valued. Rogers is a much better bet. I’d prefer Yilidiz over him, although I’d take Simons over Garnacho any day of the of the week.

19 minutes ago, Valerie said:

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

Not me of course, I'm very humble.

The fact that he joined Leipzig for 50 million then demands to leave after 6 months when they fail to qualify for the Champions League confirms the inflated ego, if there was any doubt remaining.

Further talks between Chelsea and #Xavi Simons camp are taking place this evening. #CFC are concretely in and are working on reaching a verbal agreement.

Leipzig are ready to sell him. RB want at least €70 million all-in, while Chelsea want to pay less. If a move to Chelsea does not work out, other teams are waiting in the wings.

@SkySportDE 🇳🇱

Dutch Joao Felix. Pointless.

1 minute ago, The Boehly Babes said:

Dutch Joao Felix. Pointless.

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.

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

Edited July 21, 2025Jul 21 by Deino

11 minutes ago, The Boehly Babes said:

Dutch Joao Felix. Pointless.

That's such a lazy comparison 😂

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)

1 hour ago, bluedave said:

The fact that he joined Leipzig for 50 million then demands to leave after 6 months when they fail to qualify for the Champions League confirms the inflated ego, if there was any doubt remaining.

This isn’t the situation though; he has never pushed for a move, rather Leipzig signed him in Jan with the intention of selling in the summer. They paid €50m fixed fee plus bonuses of €30m, and inserted an €80m release clause. This is all a play to make a quick €30m (might actually be a €75m profit on their books).

10 minutes ago, BKLYNProdigy said:

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)

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.

He does have his moments, but as ever there's the question can he deliver in the EPL? I really don't know, he has the potential though.

Think we’ll progress once Nkunku/Felix are gone.

Don’t know much about him other than way back when he was at La Masia.

Not another Bundesliga player, we don't have a very good track record

Something like this maybe...

Against stubborn sides for sure. Against top sides I don’t know. Feels like it has to be one of Enzo or Simons and the other Lavia/Santos.

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.

Edited July 21, 2025Jul 21 by NestorGarde