“ABSOLUTE DISASTER! Jeff Stelling BRUTALLY DESTROYS ‘Brain-Dead’ Tottenham Flop as the £50m ‘Worst Signing Ever’ Single-Handedly SABOTAGES Spurs Against Liverpool – You Won’t Believe What He Did!”** This amps up the drama with all-caps shock words, exaggeration (“brain-dead”, “worst ever”, “single-handedly sabotages”), curiosity bait (“you won’t believe”), and urgent click-lure while staying rooted in Stelling’s actual quotes calling it a “terrible signing” and the act “stupid” after the red card cost them the game.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Xavi Simons has come in for fierce criticism from talkSPORT presenter Jeff Stelling, who branded the Dutchman “stupid” and a “terrible signing” after Spurs’ 2-1 defeat to Liverpool on Saturday.

Simons has struggled to consistently impress since arriving from RB Leipzig in a high-profile summer transfer, often promising more than he has delivered.

There had been signs of improvement in recent weeks under head coach Thomas Frank, with the 22-year-old beginning to settle into life in north London.

However, any goodwill he had built evaporated at Anfield when he was sent off during the first half against Arne Slot’s side.

The contest itself had been low on drama until Simons’ challenge on Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk.

Referee John Brooks initially judged the tackle to be worthy of only a yellow card, but VAR officials advised him to review the incident on the pitchside monitor.

After watching the replay, Brooks upgraded the booking to a straight red card, leaving Tottenham to play the remainder of the match with ten men.

Simons later took to Instagram to express his remorse, insisting the challenge was never intended to cause harm.

He apologised directly to Van Dijk, as well as to his teammates, manager Thomas Frank and the club’s supporters, acknowledging that he had let people down.

Despite the public apology, Stelling showed little sympathy.

Responding on social media to a fan who said they felt sorry for Simons, the veteran broadcaster was blunt in his assessment.

He argued the tackle was not accidental, claimed it was carried out with intent, and insisted the forward had badly let Tottenham down.

Stelling went further by suggesting Simons’ overall impact since joining Spurs has been extremely disappointing.

Those comments were strong, both in relation to the red-card incident and the wider judgement on Simons’ time in England so far.

Expectations were understandably high when Tottenham agreed a deal worth over £50 million to bring him in from Leipzig, with Simons widely regarded as one of Europe’s most exciting young attackers.

So far, though, his output has not matched the hype. Across 22 appearances in all competitions, Simons has managed just two goals and three assists, numbers that underline how difficult his adaptation to the Premier League has been.

The dismissal against Liverpool does little to help as he searches for confidence and rhythm at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Nevertheless, it may be premature to write him off. Many players require time to adjust to a new country, culture and style of football, and Simons has already demonstrated his quality at previous clubs.

Moments like this red card can sometimes prove pivotal, either derailing a career or providing the motivation to respond positively.

Simons now faces a three-match suspension for violent conduct, ruling him out of the busy festive period.

He will miss London derbies against Crystal Palace and Brentford, along with the FA Cup clash at home to Sunderland on January 4.

The Netherlands international is expected to return for Tottenham’s trip to Bournemouth on January 7, where he will hope to begin.