Igor Tudor has officially taken over the reigns at Tottenham Hotspur on a short-term deal until the end of the season.
The Croatian will look to steady the ship in North London after Thomas Frank’s departure, who was sacked after the club’s 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United saw them slip to 16th in the Premier League standings.
Tudor has already overseen his first training session at Hotspur Way as he prepares to oversee his first game in charge of the club, which is the small matter of a North London derby against Arsenal on Sunday.
Xavi Simons will be a player to watch and has found his feet in recent weeks after a tough start to life in England.
And now, the Dutch international has shown exactly how committed he is to the project by putting in the hard yards ahead of an important game.
Simons doing extra training to stop Tottenham’s slump
Following Frank’s sacking, the Tottenham squad took five days off to rest and recuperate ahead of a vital run of fixtures.
Most players were expected to seize the opportunity to jet off on holiday, taking advantage of a mid-season break that is almost unheard of in the Premier League.
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However, talkSPORT confirm that Simons has opted to remain in North London to do a few extra training sessions to fully prepare for the game against Arsenal.
Tottenham need their key players to step up to the plate and deliver, and Simons’ commitment will undoubtedly go down well with new boss Tudor, who needs to produce results immediately to endear himself to the fans.
How has Simons fared this season?
Simons took some time to get to grips with English football after his big-money move from RB Leipzig in the summer.
That said, the 22-year-old has found himself in recent weeks and delivered a string of exciting displays, although it wasn’t enough to save Frank’s job.
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Simons has two goals and five assists across all competitions for Tottenham this season.
And while those numbers don’t set the world alight, he will take a lot of encouragement from his recent form and look to keep it going in the coming weeks to become a key player under Tudor.
