Tottenham to complete Xavi Simons transfer and get revenge on Chelsea 12 years

Xavi Simons has been linked with Chelsea for weeks but Tottenham have now secured a deal for the RB Leipzig star with the two London sides long involved in transfer battles

Tottenham may have looked a laughing stock when London rivals Arsenal swooped in to land Eberechi Eze. Now it is Tottenham themselves doing the swooping at Chelsea's expense.

Xavi Simons has been tipped to leave RB Leizpig all summer and it appeared as though he was destined to end up at Stamford Bridge. But whilst the Blues dilly dallied Tottenham have made a late play and look to have secured the Dutchman.

Simons has been one of the most impressive performers for the German side following his move to Leipzig from PSG. Now Tottenham look like they will bolster their ranks by landing the 22-year-old for £51million.

He will bolster a frontline that has also had Mohamed Kudus added to it. Chelsea have managed to agree a deal for Alejandro Garnacho, who is on course to join from Manchester United for £40m.

But whilst they were negotiating for a deal to land the Argentine, Tottenham have been able to steal a march and sign Simons, who stands to sign a deal with them until 2030. There had been no long-term indication that those in north London were even tracking the Dutchman.

But after they missed out on Eze, they have acted fast to land a suitable replacement. Simons scored an stunning goal against England in the semi-final of the Euros last summer and has posted some impressive stats whilst in Germany over the past two years, scoring 22 goals and providing 24 assists in 78 games across all competitions.

His age profile and exploits thus far have all the makings of a player who will continue to blossom. Chelsea may live to regret missing out on Simons and so often it has been Tottenham left to wonder how they missed out on a key target. Luis Diaz's late move to Liverpool in 2022 a case in point.

That trend can be dated back to 2013, when Tottenham spent all summer trying to bring Willian to the Premier League. Only for the Brazilian to join Chelsea late in the day, going on to win the Premier League twice across his seven year stint.

On that occasion Tottenham were left fuming that they missed out. Then Blues boss Jose Mourinho made little attempt to hide his delight at hijacking the move after securing the £32m capture of the Anzhi Makhachkala forward.

It owed to then owner Roman Abramovich making a personal call to his fellow Russian oligarch, Suleyman Kerimov, the Anzhi owner. Tottenham had gone as far as to complete Willian's medical, but Mourinho would claim they paid the price for not doing the medical "in secret".

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy was adamant that Chelsea did not truly want Willian. Instead their motive was to stop the north Londoners landing a player who would make them stronger.

Andre Villas-Boas, formerly a manager at Stamford Bridge, was looking to create a squad that could challenge Chelsea. The Blues though always maintained they had an interest in Willian and he would go on to be a massive hit and remain a key figure under numerous different managers.

Chelsea and Tottenham have never - and will never - be the best of friends but whilst the Blues won a bitter race for Willian, Tottenham in time may boast they've got their revenge after all.