The genius signing who could bring back Arsenal's attacking firepower

If you were watching Xavi Simons for the first time on Sunday when the Netherlands edged past Poland in their opening group stage game of Euro 2024, you would be forgiven for wondering what all the fuss was about – especially if you’re an Arsenal fan who has seen the reports, originating with French daily L’Equipe which suggest the Gunners have already made contact with Paris Saint-Germain over a loan move for the young Dutchman.

But while Simons has yet to really make his mark on the national side 14 caps into his international career, his performances at club level over the past two seasons for PSV Eindhoven and more recently RB Leipzig make the hype rather more justifiable. Simons is a supremely gifted player and a joy to watch – but would he be the right man to boost Arsenal’s chances of chasing Manchester City down at last?

Simons is an attacking midfielder who plays either as a number ten or out wide and while he occasionally played in a deeper role with Leipzig last season (where he was out on loan from PSG for the second successive year), he has only truly shone in the half-spaces behind the main striker or out inside the wing-backs, quarterbacking play with his impressive passing range and often scoring sublime goals with his gloriously cultured right foot. His eventual return of 10 Bundesliga goals was less impressive than the 22 he scored for PSV the year before, but he still demonstrated some lethal long-range finishing while offering a composed, almost languid creative presence to his temporary employers.

Now 21, Simons – who was a graduate of Barcelona’s La Masia academy but moved to the French capital in 2021 at the age of 18 without making an appearance for the Catalans – is not a typical modern attacking midfielder. Physically, he is unimpressive, with relatively little pace to speak of and no great amount of strength. He doesn’t force too many turnovers and isn’t a major presence in a high press, either, making him the kind of player many modern teams are wary of. But he is hugely talented and has an elegance, grace and vision to his game that few players are blessed with.

On top of those 10 goals in Germany – many of them glorious efforts from 20 to 25 yards out – he registered 13 assists and he has a genuinely superb passing range, with a precision to his distribution that Andrea Pirlo would admire. Add in imperious technique and an easy first touch, which allows him to get away from defenders without the need for a serious burst of acceleration, and you end up with a hugely dangerous player who is a joy to watch.

And as Arsenal look to generate more chances and threaten more goals, Simons looks like a fine fit for the Emirates. The only issue is that they have a certain Martin Ødegaard already installed at number ten, likely Simons’ most natural role, and his presence makes you wonder where Simons would play, or if they even need him. Certainly, if the reports that they have made an approach are true, this will need to be a part of their pitch to the player, because it seems unlikely that he would settle for a supporting role when he has so often starred in the Eredivisie and Bundesliga already.

Leipzig manager Marco Rose experimented with playing Simons in a deeper midfield role early in the season with the result that Simons – who got off to an impressive start at his new club – cut a rather subdued figure around October as he battled to get to grips with a role which didn’t make him one of the main fulcrums of the attack. Eventually, Simons established himself in a hybrid role which saw him play between the flank and the number ten position in behind two central strikers, playing with fluidity and scoring and assisting plenty of goals.

Perhaps, then, Simons would be less of an understudy for Ødegaard and more of a potential replacement for Gabriel Martinelli on the left wing. The Brazilian found minutes harder and harder to come by as the season wore on, and Simons could easily play his relatively narrow winger role – but they are very different players and Simons certainly wouldn’t present such a strong direct threat. Asking him to shuttle quickly up and down the flank and look to burst towards the byline would be asking him to play against type.

There are no indications that PSG are willing to let Simons go on a permanent basis despite the Parisiens farming him out for the last couple of seasons. He is still seen as a major part of their next generation of first-teamers, even though they are content to have him develop elsewhere while players like Vitinha play his role at the Parc des Princes. If Arsenal do make an offer, it will almost certainly be a one-season deal, a player brought in to bolster a title race rather than as a long-term project. If they do see him more as a strong replacement for Ødegaard (and perhaps, on occasion, Bukayo Saka) then they would be signing an exceptionally strong second choice for that role, but one wonders whether Simons would be interested in life as a bit-part player at this point in his career.

Still, that isn’t a concern for Arsenal fans. They only need to worry about whether this is a signing that Edu and the rest of the Gunners’ transfer team can bring to fruition – and if it is, then they will have a gloriously gifted and effortlessly impressive player who will add some serious firepower, even if only for a year. As the hunt for a first title in over two decades continues, Simons could easily be a genuine difference-maker.