xavi simons has publicly named Mohammed Kudus as Tottenham’s most underrated player and separately singled out Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber as the toughest opponent he has faced. The Tottenham player made the comments while reflecting on team-mates and rivals after sharing the pitch with both men in club and national-team action. Fans and club staff in North London are left weighing praise for Kudus against his current spell on the sidelines.
Expanding details: praise for Kudus, admission on form
xavi simons has acknowledged he has struggled for consistent performances at Tottenham himself, and he defended a team-mate when asked who at Spurs was most overlooked. He named Mohammed Kudus as the club’s most underrated player, noting that Kudus has produced very good displays since joining Tottenham despite attracting some mixed reviews. The right winger initially started strongly in North London with standout dribbling and physicality but has been out of the team since picking up an injury at the start of the year.
Xavi Simons on encounters with Jurrien Timber
Simons also turned attention to Arsenal’s defender Jurrien Timber, calling him the toughest opponent he has faced on the pitch. The two are long-familiar opponents and team-mates: they have shared the pitch six times since 2022 for the Netherlands and met on several occasions in domestic Dutch football before recent North London derbies. In two derby meetings this campaign, Timber got the better of Simons as Arsenal won 4-1 at both the Emirates Stadium and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Timber registering an assist in each match.
Immediate reactions: direct quotes and named attributions
“Kudus, ” said Xavi Simons, Tottenham player, when asked who was most underrated at Spurs—a single-word answer that carries clear backing from a colleague who has worked alongside him. In another moment, Xavi Simons, Tottenham player, described Jurrien Timber as “the toughest opponent he has faced on the pitch, ” underlining respect for Timber’s defensive work in the North London fixtures and other encounters.
The derby return fixture left a lasting impression: Simons appeared as a substitute in one match and played the entire second half in which Eberechi Eze completed an historic hat-trick for Arsenal, and he started the return meeting where he was held in check by Timber. Those match outcomes and the on-field match-ups form the basis for Simons’ assessments of both opponents and team-mates.
Quick context
Mohammed Kudus moved to Tottenham after time at another Premier League club and began with high-impact performances that drew praise for dribbling and physicality, but injury has put him out of the side since the start of the year. Simons and Timber’s head-to-head record extends back to youth and domestic clashes in the Netherlands as well as recent international appearances for the national team.
What’s next
Tottenham will monitor Kudus’ recovery and potential return to the first team, while questions about consistency for xavi simons himself will persist as he seeks to translate his praise for others into sustained form. Observers will watch upcoming club and international fixtures to see whether Kudus reclaims a regular role and whether Simons can change the narrative around his own performances.
