Johan Lange drops Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White hint with Xavi Simons Tottenham statement

Tottenham signed Netherlands international Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig in the final days of the transfer window

Johan Lange has suggested that Tottenham's "bumps" in the transfer market turned out for the better for the club with the signing of Xavi Simons.

Spurs had a rollercoaster of a window with some high profile misses in the market . First they thought they had tied up a deal for Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest only for that to become a transfer saga that brought legal threats, a secret release clause that nobody seems fully sure whether it was truly met or not and two big Tottenham bids that ended up falling on deaf ears before a player who appeared set on joining the club signed a new deal out of nowhere.

A month later the north London club made a move for Eberechi Eze but when they finally agreed to Crystal Palace's terms it was too late as Arsenal had begun their approach and Eze, a boyhood Gunners fan and academy player, only had eyes on one destination.

Head coach Thomas Frank made it clear in the days after that he only wanted players at Spurs that wanted to be there.

Then a name on the club's wanted list suddenly became available. Chelsea were stalling on Xavi and Spurs struck. The 22-year-old was sold on the project after an impressive presentation by Frank, as well as a chat with international colleague Micky van de Ven. Unlike the drawn-out talks with Palace, the negotiations with RB Leipzig were swift and within 48 hours the player had undergone his medical and signed a big deal, the longest in Spurs' history of five years with an option for another two.

In a club interview this week, technical director Lange suggested that in signing £52million Xavi rather than the others, things had actually turned out for the better.

"I think when you go through a transfer period over a few months, for lots of clubs and also for ours, there were bumps along the way," said the Dane. "There's no doubt about that. But it's not so much if there are bumps along the way because inevitably that will happen. It's how you react to those challenges you are facing.

"In some aspects here, players that we would have liked to sign earlier in the window were not available and they were available later in the window. I think when we look back at the end of the window, the outcome has been fantastic for us."

He added: "As said, if you have a bump along the way, sometimes things can turn out for the better. When we had the conversation with Xavi, I saw his desire and determination to join our football club. It was fantastic for us, because what he has shown so far in his career, from a very, very young age, played together with some of the best players in the world when you really dig into his story.

"The impact he had at Eindhoven, the impact he had at Leipzig in the Bundesliga, and he’s still so young, so when you perform at this level and that age. So to bring him to our football club, to bring him into the Premier League, to bring him into a club which has a rich history of producing and seeing players with creativity and flair.

"I’m confident that he will be a great addition to the team and hopefully create a lot of fantastic moments for the fans and for all of us."

Lange added that the Netherlands international had also made a big impression on him and the staff.

"The important thing is when you sit with him and you talk about the project, and you see his eyes and desire to be the best version of himself, when we speak about reference from teammates and coaches from clubs, they’re just echoing that he’s a very serious athlete, who wants to train well and try to maximise his potential – that’s the most important thing," he said. "It’s been a pleasure getting to know him, and we’re looking forward to seeing his determination on a day-to-day basis."

Spurs also moved on transfer deadline day for Randal Kolo Muani to add some experience and firepower up front and on the wings if required.

"I think with Randal, first of all, I’m extremely pleased that we managed to get it over the line. Credit to everybody at the club for acting quickly when a player of that level becomes available," said Lange. "Randal is versatile, so he can play across the front line. He gives Thomas and his staff so many options across the front line, where most of our players can play more than one position.

"Again with Randal, coming in here, he’s a player we’ve followed a long, long time, very successful in the French national team a few years ago. He’s made his move to Paris, then in the last six months, he also played with success at Juve. He’s played at the World Cup, played Champions League and played for big clubs, so we are very, very pleased and excited that he’s here. He will be another great addition to the squad for the season."