Tottenham technical director Johan Lange believes the signing of Xavi Simons leaves the squad in a stronger place than expected after "bumps along the way" in the transfer window, having seen deals for Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze collapse.
A rollercoaster summer for Spurs ended on a high with the capture of Dutch star Simons, who had been tracked by Chelsea throughout the window. But for weeks it looked like the window would be a bust for Spurs, for which the responsibility would have been laid at the feet of Lange and chairman Daniel Levy.
Gibbs-White's release clause was triggered, but a deal that was expected to be wrapped up quickly instead prompted the threat of legal action from Nottingham Forest and, two weeks later, a new contract for the player.
Influential midfielder James Maddison was then ruled out for most of the season with a knee injury, which saw Spurs make a move for Eze. Negotiations with Crystal Palace dragged on for another fortnight, only for Arsenal to reignite their interest and wrap up a deal within hours to complete a hijack which sent both sides of north London into opposing levels of hysteria.
Let it all work out pic.twitter.com/3wIr6ae6My
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 29, 2025
Spurs announced the signing of Simons on social media with the caption "let it all work out", which was the same as Arsenal's post unveiling of Eze, which used Lil Wayne's 'Let It All Work Out' as a soundtrack.
Let it all work out ❤️ pic.twitter.com/IaC4b7RQ0i
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 23, 2025
Lange is confident the transfer window "turned out for the better", and is excited by Simons' drive and determination following conversations between the pair ahead of the signing.
"I think sometimes if you have bumps along the way, things can turn out for the better," Lange told SPURSPLAY. "We had a conversation with Xavi, and we saw his desire and determination to join our football club. It was fantastic for us.
“What he has shown so far in his career, from a very, very young age, played together with some of the best players in the world when you really dig into his story.
“The impact he had at Eindhoven, the impact he had at Leipzig in the Bundesliga, and he’s still so young, so when you perform at this level and that age.
“So to bring him to our football club, to bring him into the Premier League, to bring him into a club which has a rich history of producing and seeing players with creativity and flair.
“I’m confident that he will be a great addition to the team and hopefully create a lot of fantastic moments for the fans and for all of us.”
He added: “The important thing is when you sit with him and you talk about the project, and you see his eyes and desire to be the best version of himself, when we speak about reference from team-mates and coaches from clubs, they’re just echoing that he’s a very serious athlete, who wants to train well and try to maximise his potential.
“It’s been a pleasure getting to know him, and we’re looking forward to seeing his determination on a day-to-day basis.”
