What Mauricio Pochettino said about Chelsea target Xavi Simons when he was 17 now looks very interesting

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It’s an odd coincidence that Chelsea target Xavi Simons was handed his senior debut in football by Mauricio Pochettino.

At the moment, RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons, 22, is heavily linked with a potential transfer move to Stamford Bridge this summer.

Apparently, Chelsea and Simons are close to agreeing personal terms, and the attacking midfielder has dreamed of playing for the Blues after following them as a kid. In fact, Chelsea are confident of signing Simons, but they may need to sell someone first before landing the £60m-rated Dutch talent.

• READ MORE: Xavi Simons signing could unlock new full-time position for Cole Palmer at Chelsea

What Mauricio Pochettino said about Xavi Simons in 2021

Simons, who already has a lot of top-level experience, started out at Paris Saint-Germain before playing for PSV Eindhoven and then Leipzig.

On 10 February 2021, Simons made his first-team debut, aged just 17, when he came off the bench in PSG’s 1-0 win against Caen in a Coupe de France fixture. He would then make his Ligue 1 debut a couple of months later against Strasbourg.

It’s interesting that Mauricio Pochettino, who worked as the Chelsea head coach during the 2023/24 season, was the PSG manager who gave Simons his first-ever senior appearance.

Back in February 2021, Pochettino spoke about the potential and composure of Simons. He said, as quoted by Sport: “He won’t be Iniesta or Xavi, but he has the quality and balance to be able to develop a career in the first division. He’s still very young, but he has very good potential… Simons is training very well, he has character, he doesn’t get nervous, and he reads the game well.”

Similarly, Thomas Tuchel highlighted Simons’ potential because the former Chelsea boss also worked with him in Paris when he was a youngster.

Simons has been extremely highly rated and tipped for greatness since a very young age. Hopefully, an imminent move to West London can be the catalyst for the skilful attacker, who can play as a No.10 or a winger, to really kick on to something special.

Xavi Simons would be another fearless footballer at Chelsea

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Pochettino’s old comments about Simons is his claim that he doesn’t show nerves on the football pitch. Even though he was just 17 at the time, his calmness immediately stood out to Pochettino.

In Cole Palmer, Chelsea already own one of the most composed and eye-catching footballers on the planet. The early signs are that Blues summer signing Joao Pedro is very much of the same mould, too.

If Simons is about to be added to the equation, Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea team could be filled with so much poise and confident talent in the 2025/26 season.

Chelsea supporters insist Simons would suit Maresca’s system with his technical quality and versatility, so it will be very exciting if this deal gets done.