Tottenham boss Thomas Frank compares Xavi Simons to Florian Wirtz amid playmakers' struggles since swapping Bundesliga for Premier League

Several star players arrived in the Premier League from the Bundesliga during the last transfer window, including star playmakers Simons and Wirtz. Simons was a target for Chelsea initially in the summer but the Blues drifted from the transfer race after they signed Manchester United outcast Alejandro Garnacho. Simons eventually ended up joining Spurs as the North London club was desperately looking for a creative midfielder after missing out on key targets Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze.

Wirtz has endured a testing start to life in England, with the huge price tag of £116 million ($156m) hanging around his neck bringing with it added pressure. The expectation is that a player of his undoubted talent will come good in time. The Germany international is, however, aware of the need to deliver the end product in order to silence any doubters and prove his worth. He will be hoping to savour collective success during his debut campaign on Merseyside, as major silverware is chased down, but also needs to post some eye-catching statistics as an individual.    

Spurs boss Frank addressed the slow start of his star signing Simons in the Premier League as the German coach compared the Dutchman to Liverpool's Florian Wirtz.

Speaking to reporters, the Tottenham head coach said: "Very good comparison with Wirtz, also a very good player, just like Xavi, coming into a new country, new club, new city, just need to settle and it is part of it. 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. Was there a bi,g eye-catching moment? No, but there were glimpses, so it’s going a little bit in the right direction."   

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has set a target of goals and assists for Wirtz for the 2025-26 campaign that would justify his massive price tag.

Speaking in association with online casino BetWright, Murphy told GOAL: "It’s a difficult one because I think if Liverpool win the Champions League or win the league, his numbers become less relevant and the microscope on them becomes less because there has been collective success. If he is going to play the majority of the season as a 10 then you have got to be looking at, ideally, double figures for assists and goals - that would be a success. I think he has been a tad unfortunate in some ways, although you have to accept that he hasn’t started as well as we anticipated. I think he has been a bit unlucky because he has made a lot of chances that haven’t been converted. Sometimes if some of those go your way - [Mohamed] Salah missed a sitter against Everton, [Jeremie] Frimpong missed a sitter, a couple at Galatasaray, the beautiful flick at Chelsea that Salah mis-hit on his right foot. All of a sudden the narrative changes a little bit if a few of those go in, or it’s not as intense. I have seen so much to like about him, you can see his class and intelligence and his vision. I think he has been a little bit surprised by the physicality of the league and how intense and difficult that is, every game. In the Bundesliga you probably had more games where they were in control of the ball and not being up against so much intensity. You think of the Newcastle away game, for example, the power of Arsenal - every game you play in the Premier League is physically difficult. That’s probably the area where he has adapted the most."   

Simons has had only one goal contribution since moving to England in the summer, with his only assist coming in his league debut for the club against West Ham last month. The Netherlands international will now aim to register his first goal for Spurs as they take on AS Monaco in the Champions League on Wednesday.