[Soccer balls, Photo Credit by Unsplash]

On August 30th, 2025, Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League (EPL) officially finalized and announced the signing of a new player: Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig.

Although there were many players who were mentioned as possible replacements, such as Morgan Gibbs-White, Sabinho, and Eberechi Eze, Tottenham ultimately chose  Simons as their new player.

Simons, a 22-year-old soccer player from the Netherlands, originally played for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) academies in Spain.

After joining the PSG reserve team in 2021, he went on to play at Philips Sport Vereniging Eindhoven (PSV Eindhoven) in the Netherlands and RB Leipzig in Germany before joining Tottenham.

Simons has established himself as a world-class talented soccer player, playing a key role in Leipzig’s attack since the 2023-2024 season.

In particular, he appeared in 32 games in Bundesliga during the 2023-2024 season, scoring 8 goals and providing 11 assists.

Notably,  in the last season before joining Tottenham, Simons scored 10 goals and contributed 7 assists in 25 league games.

According to The Athletic, the transfer fee for Simons is 51.8 million pounds, and the contract is 5 years with an option for 2 more seasons.

An official photo was released showing Simons wearing a Tottenham uniform with the iconic number 7, which was long associated wSong Heung-min.

In an interview with Tottenham Hotspur, Simons remarked, “I had a great season wearing the number 7 at PSV Eindhoven, being the best option for me.”

He continued, “I cannot wait to get started. This is the very moment I have always waited for, and I knew that this was the place for me when I met the manager.”

“I would love to show integrity, and discipline for the team. I hope I can show and give everything for the team and fans,” expressed Simons with delight.

Finally,  he mentioned Son Heung-min and his back number 7, expressing, “I know Son Heung-min created his own story with this number. I know how much responsibility this number has, and I want to write down my own story like he did with this number.”

Moreover, Frank Lampard, a Tottenham manager, expressed, “Simons is an excellent player, and we have no doubt that he will do great with our team players.”

He showed his anticipation towards Simos: “He’s still young, but he gained a lot of experience. Simons has continuously proven his ability to score and provide assists to the team.”

Meanwhile, Son Heung-min has transferred to Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) of Major League Soccer (MLS), where he continues to wear the number 7.

In an interview with “Good Morning America,” a popular ABC program, Son  stated, “I chose to transfer to LAFC to make MLS bigger as there are many popular sports like soccer and baseball in the U.S. while soccer is the best sport in England.”

With Tottenham’s decision to sign Simons, many soccer fans are anticipating Simon’s performance if it will strengthen the weakened attack of the team due to Son Heung-min’s absence.

However, on the other hand, many Tottenham Hotspur supporters still believe that it is too early to consider Simons as a perfect replacement for Son Heung-min.