Arsenal’s transfer for Eberechi Eze caught the headlines, not just for how impressive the deal is, but for the damage it did to their rivals, Tottenham.
The Gunners swooped in to land the forward for over £60 million, with a deal that adds further quality and depth to the frontline.
With Arsenal adding Eze to the side, there is hope now that Mikel Arteta will be able to guide them on towards glory this season.
While that has left one side in North London very pleased with their business, it has angered another half of it in the process.
Tottenham, having already missed out on Morgan Gibbs-White, were left frustrated in having Eze’s deal hijacked from them.
Now, Spurs have responded and are looking at an Arsenal target to bounce back from their transfer struggles.
Tottenham looking to sign Arsenal transfer target Xavi Simons in response to Eberechi Eze hijack
With Tottenham in the market for another number ten option, having missed out on Eze to Arsenal, they have found a potential option who has been on the Gunners’ radar.
According to Florian Plettenberg, Spurs have made an official bid for RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons, in the hopes of signing him.
It’s claimed to be a bid in the region of €70 million (£60.5 million) in all, which could see them jump ahead of Chelsea in the race for his signature.
Simons has been of interest to Arsenal this window, but the move for Eze may have effectively ruled him out from joining the club.
It means another hijack of Tottenham seems unlikely, at least from the Gunners anyway, as they continue to scramble in the market for new signings.
How Eberechi Eze and Xavi Simons compare in their career so far
Eze and Simons have both had very different careers up until this point, with the duo at different ends of them so far.
For the Arsenal star, there has had to be a fight to get into the position he is in now, working his way up from academy rejection all the way to stardom.
At 27, entering the prime of his career, Eze is now looking to make all of that count.
Simons is slightly different, as he has plenty more room for growth at 22, while he has that more formal academy background.
The forward had one difficult move, joining PSG, but he could now look to make that step back to the big time.
| Player | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eberechi Eze | 303 | 65 | 40 |
| Xavi Simons | 137 | 44 | 36 |
Both have their potential upsides and downsides, but in Eze, Arsenal have someone with Premier League experience who is ready to enter his peak for his boyhood club, against the risk of potential.
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