Revealed: How Xavi Simons' move to Bayern Munich was derailed despite agreement with Bundesliga champions before they turned to Nicolas Jackson

After a short tenure at RB Leipzig, Simons was all set to wear the iconic Bayern shirt. It was reported on Bild's Bayern Insider podcast that an agreement had been in place to sign him, with Bayern directors Max Eberl and Christoph Feund, as well as coach Vincent Kompany, giving the green light to bring the Netherlands international to the club. But in mid-August, an announcement from honorary president Uli Hoeness ruined the move. Hoeness, known for his war of attrition with Eberl, declared that Bayern would only strengthen their side with loan transfers and no permanent moves. As a result, the chance of acquiring Simons went in vain. In his place, the club ultimately went on to sign Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea.

Hoeness clarified the stance on the club's loan-only policy in August, a statement that caught Eberl and Co. by surprise and dashed the management team's hopes of getting the deal over the line. Having already missed out on signing Florian Wirtz and Nico Williams that summer, it was another disappointing blow in their efforts to strengthen Kompany's squad. 

The honorary president stated: "There are different opinions. Max would have liked to buy, but we [supervisory board] have to pay attention to our financial situation. That’s as important as sporting success. You have Barcelona as the best example of what happens when you only buy, buy, buy and then end up with debts of €1.2 billion and can’t do anything."

Simons has started six of his nine appearances for Tottenhamt since joining in a €65 million move to the north London side and has provided one assist so far. His lack of productivity is not a concern for coach Thomas Frank, though, as the Dutchman is following his instructions. "Coming into a new country, new club, new city, just need to settle and it is part of it," the Dane said his week. "We are all getting judged every game, but we also need to see the bigger perspective. I always look for glimpses, and Xavi, I asked him to be more arriving in the box, and when I looked back at the game, he did."

Jackson, meanwhile, has enjoyed a positive start since his arrival in Bavaria, which almost collapsed at the end of the transfer window. Although the Senegalese is yet to fire in the Bundelsiga, he has been handy in the Champions League, scoring twice and assisting once. He is more of a backup to Harry Kane and has started only three times until now. The deal with Chelsea includes an option to buy for a reported €65 million (£54m/$71m), which comes into effect if he makes 40 starts for the club.

"I’m slowly getting back into fitness and want to reach my best level as quickly as possible," he said after scoring in the Champions League win against Pafos this month. "It’s hard to say how far I am from my best level. I haven’t played for almost two months, and I’ve also trained on my own."

Simons is still in the hunt for his first Spurs goal and will be hoping to impress in the tough run of fixtures in front of them. They will have to face Everton, Newcastle, Chelsea, Copenhagen, Manchester United, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain. Simons, who recorded 11 goals and eight assists in 33 games last season, will need to prove his worth in order to comply with manager Thomas Frank's expectations.

Jackson and Bayern are still going strong with a perfect record in all competitions, which they will hope to preserve when they come up against Borussia Monchengladbach, Koln and Bayer Leverkusen in the next few weeks before they meet PSG in the Champions League.