Wycombe Wanderers are expected to announce the signing of Hull City midfielder Xavier Simons.

The 21-year-old is set to sign on loan until the end of the season with the option of joining permanently in the summer.

The former Chelsea man has scored twice for the Tigers this season, but hasn’t featured for the ex-Premier League team since January 12.

With his arrival looming, I spoke to journalist and Hull fan, Joe Collins (@Old_GrandpaJoe) about what he can bring to Adams Park.

Xavier could bring the X Factor to HP12

Xavier Simons will be regarded as a good signing for Wycombe Wanderers.

‘Xavi’ as he is affectionately referred to in Hull, owing partly to the position he plays on the pitch, had been close to a permanent switch to AIK in Sweden earlier in the window.

He turned that down amidst interest from English clubs, namely Wycombe and QPR.

The Tigers blocked advances from QPR, not wishing to strengthen a fellow Championship side, so Simons will head to Adams Park on loan with the view to making the move permanent in the summer.

Simons first signed for Hull on loan from Chelsea on Deadline Day of Summer 2022. He had struggled to get in the team under Shota Arveladze but, once the Georgian was replaced by Liam Rosenior, Simons began to impress.

It took until February 2023 to get a consistent run of games in the side, however. His chance came due to an injury to Jean Michaël Seri.

He impressed fans and Rosenior alike, until Seri’s return from injury against Coventry signalled the end of the spell in the team.

In March, the club agreed a fee with Chelsea to make Simons’ move a permanent one – penning a deal until the end of the 2025/26 season.

The arrival of Tyler Morton in the summer of 2023 meant brought about a temporary switch to Fleetwood Town for the former England U20 international. His spell at Highbury was marred by injury and frequent changes of management.

This season has been the one in which Simons has stood out.

He returned to Hull in the summer of 2024 with a new manager and a squad stripped back to the bare bones compared to the side that missed out on the play-offs on the final day of the 2023/24 campaign.

New manager Tim Walter was an unpopular character in the dressing room and amongst fans.

Simons is, arguably, the only player the German improved and got the best out of.

Simons benefitted from the threadbare squad in pre-season and caught the eye. When additions were made in the latter part of the window, he still kept his place for the most part.

Under Walter, Simons played in the holding role but liked to push forward and have attempts on goal from distance.

This brought about his two goals for Hull City to date; the first was an effort from the edge of the box in a 1-1 draw with Burnley which squirmed underneath James Trafford via a deflection, and the second the very next game against Derby when his drilled effort from range found the bottom corner.

His minutes have been limited since Tim Walter was replaced by Rubén Sellés, owing to the form of Steven Alzate since his return from injury.

Sellés likes Simons, but the Tigers have invested in central areas this window and, thus, Sellés recognises he is unable to give ‘Xavi’ the minutes he needs so has sanctioned his departure.