Tottenham Hotspur

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New Tottenham attacking midfielder Xavi Simons says he wants to "bring flair" but also "hard work and discipline" to the team after completing his move from RB Leipzig.

The 22-year-old has joined on a long-term deal for a fee of £51.8m (60m euros).

Simons is a product of Barcelona's academy and moved to Paris St-Germain in 2019 as a teenager, before impressing during a loan spell at PSV in 2022-23.

He has spent two seasons at Leipzig, scoring 22 goals and providing 24 assists in 78 games across all competitions for the Bundesliga side.

"I'm really happy and can't wait to get going. I've been dreaming of this for a long time," Simons told club media.

"It's a great club and, when I met the head coach, I knew straight away that this was the right place for me.

"I will bring flair to the team, but also hard work and discipline. I want to do everything I can to win - for the team and also for the fans."

The Netherlands international had been linked with Premier League rivals Chelsea this summer, but the Blues are set to sign Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United.

Simons follows Joao Palhinha and Mohammed Kudus as summer arrivals at Spurs.

Boss Thomas Frank added: "I'm really pleased we have brought Xavi in - he is a great addition to the squad.

"He is still young, however he already has good experience and, over the past few years, has played a lot of games at the top level.

"Xavi has proven his ability to get goals and assists, both from the number 10 position and left wing. He also has a great eye for his team-mates in terms of unlocking defences, and I know he will come in and be part of a good team that is already working hard together."

Watch Simons' best Bundesliga goals below...

Karan Vinod
BBC Sport journalist

Spurs boss Thomas Frank has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Bournemouth at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On team news: "Des [Destiny Udogie] will be in the squad tomorrow, so that is very positive for us." Frank confirmed that Yves Bissouma "can't make the game tomorrow" amid links with Galatasaray, but stressed "he is still a Tottenham player". Meanwhile, defender Radu Dragusin should be back "in 10 days to two weeks".

• On Djed Spence receiving his England call-up: "Big credit to Djed - he truly deserves it. What a journey to being called up, and I don't think many saw that coming. He had a good end to last season and he had a top pre-season. I am so happy for him."

• Frank described Spence as a "fantastic example for a lot of players", praising his resilience and saying it shows "everything is possible" and how players can get through the tough spells "in football and in life".

• On Xavi Simons: "We are working very hard to get someone over the line - that I can confirm. But right now, I am more happy to speak about Djed and other players that are in the squad right now. I hope they get the good news later today for various reasons. We are trying to sign players, and that we will try to do so until the end of the window. We are in the market to see if we can improve the squad, but only if we can improve the squad. If not, I am happy with the players."

• The Spurs manager reiterated that he is "very happy" with his current midfield but noted they "need to find the creative" spark in other players.

Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live match commentary of Tottenham v Bournemouth at 15:00 on Saturday

Key lines from all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

England boss Thomas Tuchel has selected his 24-man squad for the September World Cup qualifiers.

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, James Trafford, Dean Henderson

Defenders: Reece James, Marc Guehi, John Stones, Dan Burn, Ezri Konsa, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Tino Livramento, Djed Spence

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Jordan Henderson, Adam Wharton, Morgan Rogers, Declan Rice

Forwards: Harry Kane, Eberechi Eze, Jarrod Bowen, Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke, Marcus Rashford, Ollie Watkins

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Tottenham are on the verge of signing RB Leipzig attacker Xavi Simons for 60m euros (£51.8m).

But who is the 22-year-old?

A product of Barcelona's La Masia academy, Simons moved to Paris St-Germain in 2019 as a teenager before impressing during a loan spell at PSV in 2022-23.

He would spend the next two seasons at Leipzig, scoring 22 goals and providing 24 assists in 78 games across all competitions for the German side.

He would be the second major transfer from Leipzig to the Premier League this summer, following Benjamin Sesko's move to Manchester United in a deal worth £73.7m.

Named Xavi, after the former Barcelona and Spain midfielder, Simons has long been one of the most sought-after players in Europe.

Simons quickly became a gem in the Catalan giants' esteemed academy after joining aged seven, and was recognised far beyond it.

By the time he was 14, Simons boasted more than a million Instagram followers, a contract with Nike and had starred in an advert alongside Neymar and Ronaldinho.

A versatile prospect who operates on either wing or behind the striker and speaks six languages, he has already been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Bayern Munich, but appears to have now got his move to the Premier League.

Read more here

Tottenham are close to agreeing a deal in the region of £60m with RB Leipzig for the Netherlands attacking midfielder Xavi Simons, 22, after racing to try to minimise the threat of Chelsea hijacking their move. (Telegraph), external

Tottenham have made contact with Manchester City about a move for the Netherlands defender Nathan Ake, 30. (Givemesport), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Based on the average Uefa coefficient of their opponents, PSV Eindhoven have been handed the toughest draw in the league phase. Not only do they face the champions of England, Germany and Italy – Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Napoli – but they will also play two of the top three seeds from Pot 2 in Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid.

Manchester City and Liverpool have also been given a fairly tough gauntlet of games, with both sides drawn against 15-time winners Real Madrid. Pep Guardiola's side will also play Bayer Leverkusen and Napoli as well as two of the top seeds from Pot 4 in Galatasaray and Monaco. Arne Slot's side will play last year's finalists Inter and Atletico Madrid.

Atalanta will likely be the happiest club following the draw after being given the most favourable fixtures. While they do have to face champions Paris St-Germain and Club World Cup champions Chelsea, they were also drawn against the two lowest seeds in Pot 2 – Eintracht Frankfurt and Club Brugge – as well as two of the three lowest seeds in Pot 3 in Slavia Prague and Marseille.

Both north London clubs should also be fairly happy with the draw. While they do have to play Bayern Munich, Inter and Atletico Madrid, Arsenal were otherwise drawn against low-seeded teams in Pots 2, 3 and 4, including Celtic's Kazakh conquerors Kairat Almaty. Tottenham also received favourable draws in terms of opponents from Pots 2 and 3, avoiding the likes of Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid and Napoli.

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

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Aside from facing the European champions, Spurs will be quietly satisfied with their Champions League draw.

The clash versus Paris St-Germain provides an obvious obstacle while the visit or Borussia Dortmund will provide a stern test for Thomas Frank's side.

The games versus Monaco - who will have Paul Pogba in tow - and Villarreal look tricky on paper, too, but are winnable.

But, the games versus Slavia Praha, Bodo/Glimt, Eintracht Frankfurt and Copenhagen won't daunt Tottenham, who should fancy their chances of progressing into the latter stages of the tournament.

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Tottenham's Champions League draw is complete and Thomas Frank's side now know which eight clubs they will meet in the 36-team league format, which was used for the first time last season.

The Champions League fixture list with match dates and kick-off times will be published no later than Saturday, 30 August.

Spurs will face:

• Borussia Dortmund (H)

• Paris Saint-Germain (A)

• Villarreal (H)

• Eintracht Frankfurt (A)

• Slavia Praha (H)

• Bodo/Glimt (A)

• Copenhagen (H)

• AS Monaco (A)

Champions League group phase dates:

Matchday 1: 16–18 September 2025

Matchday 2: 30 September–1 October 2025

Matchday 3: 21-22 October 2025

Matchday 4: 4-5 November 2025

Matchday 5: 2-26 November 2025

Matchday 6: 9-10 December 2025

Matchday 7: 20-21 January 2026

Matchday 8: 28 January 2026

Champions League knockout stage dates:

Knockout phase play-offs: 17-18 and 24-25 February 2026

Round of 16: 10-11 and 17-18 March 2026

Quarter-finals: 7-8 and 14-15 April 2026

Semi-finals: 28-29 April and 5-6 May 2026

Final: 30 May 2026, Budapest

See how the rest of the draw played out

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There are six Premier League teams in this season's Champions League.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham are about to find out who they will face in the league phase of the 2025-26 competition.

Follow it all unfold here

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is a shrewd operator and there is a sense among those who go have worked closely with him that he believes deals are more economical the later they move into the transfer window.

This summer, however, we should perhaps have a degree of sympathy with Levy regarding the club's lack of signings.

Spurs believed they'd activated Morgan Gibbs-White's release clause at Nottingham Forest only for the City Ground club to agree a new deal with the England star.

They were mightily close to signing Eberechi Eze only for Arsenal to gazump them at the final hurdle. The Eze deal didn't happen because of Levy's refusal to meet certain aspects of Crystal Palace's conditions earlier in discussions.

There should be some fault with Levy and Spurs for that failure. But generally this summer, Tottenham have tried to do early business.

Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions.

We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.

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Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

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RB Leipzig midfielder Xavi Simons has been given permission to travel to London to hold talks with interested clubs.

Both Tottenham and Chelsea are potential destinations for the 22-year-old.

Simons held talks with Chelsea throughout August but the west Londoners have stopped short of making an official bid.

It has left open the possibility of rival moves and Spurs are believed to have joined Bayern Munich in expressing an interest for the Netherlands international.

Spurs are targeting an additional number 10 after missing out on Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White.

It remains unclear whether Simons, who is among the highest earners in Germany, would be a financially viable option.

Manchester City informed Tottenham on Wednesday they have no intention to let 21-year-old Brazil winger Savinho leave the Etihad Stadium this summer, even for a fee above £60m. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Tottenham have agreed to send 18-year-old Croatia defender Luka Vuskovic to Hamburg on a season-long loan, with manager Thomas Frank now looking to add another option at centre-back. (Standard), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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The draw has been made for the Carabao Cup third round, with 15 Premier League clubs having made it through or entering at this stage.

There are two all-Premier League ties, while holders Newcastle host League One Bradford City.

Ties will take place across two weeks, beginning on 15 and 22 September.

All the fixtures featuring top-flight sides are shown below in the order they were drawn:

• Port Vale v Arsenal

• Swansea City v Nottingham Forest

• Lincoln City v Chelsea

• Tottenham Hotspur v Doncaster Rovers

• Brentford v Aston Villa

• Huddersfield Town v Manchester City

• Liverpool v Southampton

• Newcastle United v Bradford City

• Wolves v Everton

• Crystal Palace v Millwall

• Burnley v Cardiff City

• Barnsley v Brighton

• Fulham v Cambridge United

See the full draw

The draw for the league phase of the 2025-26 Champions League will take place on Thursday in Monaco.

It will start at 17:00 BST and will follow the same procedure as the 2024-25 campaign - the first season where the 36-team league phase format took place.

The draw is made up of 27 teams that qualified via league positions, the winners of last season's Champions League and Europa League, and the seven teams that progressed out of qualifying.

This season, there are six English sides involved - Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle courtesy of finishing in the Premier League top five, and Tottenham after winning the Europa League.

The teams are split into four pots based on their individual Uefa club coefficient ranking.

Starting with pot one, each team will be drawn out individually. They will then be selected eight opponents via Uefa's automated software.

A team will play eight games in total, including two teams from each pot - one home and one away.

No group-stage fixtures can be played against teams from the same country, nor more than two against teams from the another country.

This procedure will continue until the fixtures for all 36 teams have been decided.

The Champions League fixture list with match dates and kick-off times will be published no later than Saturday, 30 August.

This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.

Watch The Observer football correspondent Rory Smith discuss the impact Thomas Frank is having at Tottenham since his move from Brentford over the summer.

"The thing that really stands out about Frank is his emotional intelligence," Smith told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"He seems to be a really good reader of people and how they work.

"You can see why he would improve players and understand how he could want to work with individuals to get the best out of him."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds

Ali Speechly
Fan writer

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Maybe Thomas Frank can teach us a thing or two about loving the one we are with?

After what felt like a pretty bruising week as a Spurs fan, the players who actually want to play for this club put on an impressive show against one of the best teams in modern football in Pep Guardiola's Manchester City – and in doing so reminded us that there is already so much to admire about Frank's Tottenham.

In just two league games and a handful of pre-season friendlies, the new boss has already shown how versatile this team can be – an essential attribute in a sport where the competition is constantly analysing each other to identify weaknesses. There is nothing weaker than being predictable.

Unlike against Paris St-Germain in the Super Cup, Spurs refused to give up their two-goal lead on Saturday, signifying not only the tactical improvements Frank is making, but also the psychological armour he is reinforcing in this squad.

There were nervy moments against City, naturally, but there was no 'Spursy' capitulation. It is this grit and determination that Spurs need to take into every fixture – not just the games against the title contenders – and I feel confident we will see this mindset more consistently under Frank's guidance.

Our manager has added some much-needed structure, discipline and organisation to a team that has already proven it knows how to win.

To help Frank make even more progress, he still needs a number 10 - at least - and this is a problem that requires solving in what is left of the transfer window.

In the meantime, as frustrated as some of us are about certain transfer failures, hopefully we can all agree with Frank that there is so much to love about Spurs – with even more to come.

Find more from Ali Speechly at Women Of The Lane, external and on Instagram, external

Tottenham could be facing rejection from a fourth major transfer target after Como turned down their £50m offer for 20-year-old Argentina midfielder Nico Paz. (Mirror), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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Former Tottenham defender Stephen Kelly says Spurs "look really good" under Thomas Frank and are playing with "real confidence".

It has been a fine start to life in north London for Frank, with Spurs second in the table having taken maximum points from their opening two matches against Burnley at home last weekend and then at Manchester City on Saturday.

Kelly told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast: "It's all going well, isn't it?

"It was interesting after watching the Super Cup against Paris St-Germain, as that was the first real glimpse to get an idea of what they were going to be like, and they've started the league really well.

"Frank's changed the team, changed the players and in both games he's changed the formation.

"He's willing to mix things up and get the players in, and it feels like he has a squad he can do that with, which is really good to see.

"There's a real confidence within the group as well. As soon as a manager comes in and he gives you that confidence, it makes the world of difference. They just feel like a solid unit now.

"To go to City away and win 2-0 is a big, big result. That's going to give you the world of confidence and make such a difference for you going forward."

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League between Manchester City and Tottenham.

Here are some of your comments:

Man City fans

Gareth: City started well faced with a resolute Spurs defence but the progress we saw last week against Wolves evaporated. Both goals were down to errors, these things happen, but rather than fight back, City were trying the stuff that didn't work last season. Trafford made that mistake but Ederson has made similar ones. Hopefully this will shock the players enough to get back into Pep's new strategies.

Pat: A poor and concerning performance - worst I can remember under Pep. We started well and looked much the better team but after we conceded (on a break, big surprise there) we looked bereft of ideas. Our back four were sluggish and looked uncomfortable on the ball, and sadly the keeper made a terrible error. The midfield was so disjointed. Spurs' press was excellent and combined with their aggression off the ball, they were too much for City.

Paul: City were very lightweight - getting bullied off the ball and unable to deal with Spurs' pressing game. Very short on ideas in the last third. Fair play to Spurs , they did a number on us!

Spurs fans

Paul: An excellent result and a very disciplined performance. The midfield and defence were superb and Richarlison was his usual belligerent self. We just looked so much more organised and solid than last season. If we could just get a little more creativity in the side I think it could be a decent campaign. It's amazing how having both centre-backs fit and playing regularly together makes us look more like a team. Let's hope this good start continues. COYS.

Daniel: Our midfield dominated and is looking very strong - we haven't had that in a while. Palhinha is a great addition and looks very secure next to Bentancur. Sarr doesn't seem to stop running either! Who said we needed Eze?

Joe: We look so much better mentally than last season. The players looked like they would run through brick walls for each other.

Manchester City winger Savinho remains top of Tottenham's wanted list, with boss Thomas Frank keen to sign the 21-year-old Brazil international after missing out on Eberechi Eze. (Independent), external

Spurs have indicated they are willing to pay £60.7m for Savinho, who is keen to make the move to north London. (Talksport), external

Tottenham have also made an improved £43m (50m euros) offer for Como and Argentina midfielder Nico Paz, but the Italian club are holding out for a deal closer to £60m for the 20-year-old. (Sky Sports Italia - in Italian), external

West Ham and Brazil attacking midfielder Lucas Paqueta, 27, is of interest to Spurs and Aston Villa. (Mail), external

Monaco will accept a bid of about £47.5m for 23-year-old French attacking midfielder and Tottenham target Maghnes Akliouche. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport