“Decision after the Euros”
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It would have been the goal that would have won the game. In the 69th minute, Dutch forward Memphis Depay tested French goalkeeper Mike Maignan. The Milan goalkeeper couldn’t control the ball, allowing Xavi Simons to score what would have been the winner. But the moment of ecstasy for the Dutch supporters at the sold-out Red Bull Arena quickly turned into despair as VAR chalked off the goal as Denzel Dumfries was adjudged to have interfered with Maignan from an offside position. Instead of winning the game, the Dutch drew France 0-0.
In that instance, VAR ruined a sweet moment for Simons. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder had scored at the stadium where he had become one of the most in-demand players in Europe this season. On loan from PSG at RB Leipzig, Simons has managed ten goals and 15 assists in 43 games across all competitions. Indeed, Leipzig loves the Dutchman, and Leipzig had put advertisements around the city with Simons’ picture welcoming the 50,000 Dutch supporters that came for the clash against France.
It makes sense for Leipzig to advertise Simons. After all, Simons is still under contract at RB Leipzig, even if it is just for another week. But it is certainly up in the air whether Simons will return for another season to the Red Bull Arena. “We’ll see after the Euros,” Simons said after the game when asked about his future. He then quickly dodged the next question about whether he wanted to return to PSG. “I was happy in Paris. Things have happened. Now, I was in Leipzig this year. I will make a decision after the Euros.”
Xavi Simons has options – But where would he fit best?
Sources close to Xavi Simons have emphasized to Transfermarkt that the attacking midfielder has very little interest in returning to PSG this summer. But PSG’s €100m price tag makes a permanent transfer difficult for RB Leipzig. In fact, such a fee would also be significant for their Bundesliga competitor, Bayern Munich, who are also interested in signing Simons. Instead, both clubs seem to be working on a loan-to-buy package that would allow a permanent transfer of around €70m in the summer of 2025.
The odd thing about it all, however, is that PSG could certainly use Simons in the post-Kylian Mbappé era. But perhaps, like Dutch coach Ronald Koeman, PSG struggle to fit Simons in their lineup. Because as fantastic as Simons has been this season, he isn’t the easiest player to fit into a tactical setup. Koeman, in fact, took Simons off quickly after the disallowed goal. “We didn’t press well with Simons on the pitch,” Koeman said post-game. An odd statement, perhaps, given RB Leipzig’s pressing style. Furthermore, it wasn’t like the Dutch played better without their most valuable player.
It isn’t uncommon that Koeman has exclusive opinions on football matters, but in this case, he might be right. There is a sense of compromise when you play with a player like Simons. Like Germany has struggled to fit in Ilkay Gündogan or England’s Jack Grealish, the Dutch have struggled with Simons. That’s because Simons is a classical no.10 who needs the freedom to roam and create. Marco Rose at Leipzig has understood this, and Vincent Kompany at Bayern feels the same way. At Bayern, Simons is seen as a potential glue player between Jamal Musiala and Harry Kane. Either way, Simons has options, and it remains to be seen whether his disallowed goal in Leipzig will be his last celebration at the Red Bull Arena.