What La Masia product Xavi Simons would bring to Hansi Flick's Barcelona

At just 22 years of age, Xavi Simons already has a wealth of top-level footballing experience under his belt.

The young Dutchman, an attacking midfielder who can also play as a winger, spent the majority of his formative years at FC Barcelona's La Masia academy before a contentious transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, for whom he made his senior debut.

No Champions League, no party

A spell at PSV before returning to PSG preceeded a loan to RB Leipzig before signing permanently for the Bundesliga outfit on January 30, 2025.

Just a few months later, however, the player apparently informed the club that he no longer wished to play for them because of their failure to qualify for the Champions League, and this has set in motion one of the stranger transfer stories of the summer.

Reports in Spain have suggested that Barcelona's sporting director, Deco, spent 45 minutes with representatives of the player including his brother.

Given Leipzig's €70m asking price for the player, unless the Catalan club have something up their sleeve that's being kept as a trade secret at present, it would be very difficult for them to come up with that sort of money given their financial constraints.

Enough midfielders at Barca already?

One might also argue that with the likes of Fermin Lopez, Frenkie De Jong and Dani Olmo, the club already have enough attacking midfielders.

Factor in Pedri, Gavi, Marc Bernal and Marc Casado and there isn't a spare spot anywhere in the midfield, unless Hansi Flick is considering looking at different formations.

And yet, it's believed that the player has always had a stated aim of returning to the club that shaped him, so to that end perhaps a swap deal of some kind might be on the cards.

Notwithstanding the overbooking issue in the midfield, Barcelona's interest is still understandable.

Barcelona's interest is understandable

First and foremost, being a Masia scholar would almost certainly ensure that there would be no settling in period in terms of adaptation to a certain style. The 'Barca way' if you prefer.

Furthermore, he has a versatility that could be hugely beneficial to the club, and his dynamism in possession as well as the ability to create chances is well known.

Xavi Simons Heat Map vs Stuttgart 2024/25Opta by Stats Perform

A player that likes to operate between the defensive lines, his skill set is such that he remains an awkward customer when in full flight and in possession of the ball. Not to mention being lightning quick when the opportunity presents itself.

With Barcelona looking laboured at some points during the 2024/25 season, the injection of pace that Simons would bring could be just what Flick is looking for.

Excellent passing and defensive stats

As might be expected for a Dutchman graduating at Barcelona too, his passing stats are consistently excellent.

In 2024/25, his 553 passes ending in the final third of the pitch were over 200 more than anyone else in the Leipzig squad. 

An 83% accuracy could do with some minor tweaking, though one shouldn't be too hard on the player given that he was often the fulcrum of his side.

Xavi Simons passes vs Bayern Munich 2024/25Opta by Stats Perform

He was one of only three players to start every game they were selected for at Leipzig last season, so there's clearly no question mark over his reliability either, nor over his defensive attributes.

So often lauded for the way he gets forward and affects the play, the work he puts in to help his defence is often overlooked.

His 76.7% tackle success rate is only marginally worse than Ridle Baku's 77.4% and is a result of just one extra tackle being attempted. Simons lost out on seven occasions from 30 tackles made, whilst Baku's 31 attempted gives him the slight statistical edge. 

Eight assists and 11 goals

Eight assists during the campaign was also a squad high as was his 60 chances created. Add in his 11 goals (only Lois Openda and Benjamin Sesko scored more), coupled with his in-game intelligence and what would be expected to be a seamless integration into the squad, it's difficult to make a case against Barca not trying their luck.

Openda and Sesko are also the only two players with more than Simons' nine fast breaks from last season. 

That ability to move at pace through a congested midfield is something that Barcelona have been lacking for some time now too, and with set-piece execution also becoming a feature for Hansi Flick's side, having a player with a free-kick xG of 0.30 would clearly be an asset.

Xavi Simons ticks all the boxes... but Barca don't need cover

A combative player who also earned six yellow cards last season, he needs to be allowed free reign to dictate the play for his employers, and that might be the one question mark, other than financial, which will see the Barcelona hierarchy poring over the detail with a little more vigour than usual.

He's the right age, has the right temperament and skillset, however, all of the facets of his play can be covered by players that are already in situ, and Barca aren't yet in a position to buy players for the sake of it.

Jason PettigroveFlashscore