The former Hull City midfielder is plotting a promotion campaign with the Trotters this term
Xavier Simons has spoken openly about his exit from Hull City earlier this summer, admitting he felt that the club stopped investing in him.
Simons joined Bolton Wanderers after being allowed to leave the MKM Stadium, having joined permanently from Chelsea in March 2023 following a loan spell.
Last summer, Simons was a regular under Tim Walter and bagged his first two goals in successive games in draws with Burnley and Derby County. But Simons fell out of favour once the German was sacked and replaced by Ruben Selles.
The 22-year-old went on loan to Wycombe Wanderers in January and returned to the MKM Stadium in the summer before sealing a move to the Trotters.
“I felt like I had done really well for Hull,” Simons told the Bolton News. “But they started to invest in other midfielders, so it was a case of I had to go on loan to carry on getting that game time that I needed and I felt like I deserved.
“I think it just felt right to move away from Hull. I felt like the club stopped investing in me, and it was somewhere to move on and, obviously, I’ve come to Bolton for that exact reason.“
“Tim Walter had been amazing for me. As soon as he came in, I played every minute of pre-season and, as a young lad, obviously, I was buzzing.
“He said: ‘Listen to me, I’ll look after you. I can see you want to learn, I can see you want to develop, and I’m going to give you that game time that you deserve.’ I feel like I took that challenge on with both hands.
“There was a change, unfortunately, and I think Ruben Selles is also a very good manager, but the opportunity just wasn’t there. Hull’s a great club and I have fond memories, met some amazing people who helped my career, so I’ll always be grateful, but once I went out to Wycombe, I knew things were going in a different direction.”
Simons has been joined at Wanderers by former Tigers teammate Mason Burstow, who arrived on loan last week, and now the midfielder feels he has a platform to perform.
“Honestly, it has been a difficult year,” he continued. “As a footballer, you want to know what your future holds, and it hasn’t really been possible. I played lots of games, but what drew me to Bolton was the fact that there is an amazing ambition here, and they see me fully as a part of getting them to where they want to be.
“I feel like I have clicked with the lads, I really like the coaching staff, and I feel loved here already, so it gives me a platform to showcase what I am really about.
“Obviously, it would be amazing to get promoted here, and it’s where the club deserves to be. It’s a massive club and everyone’s on the same page together. But I think the target personally for me, I still want to play as many games as I can.
“Being honest, though, I want to get in the team of the season. I want to be seen as one of the best midfielders in the league and hopefully that will just help the team out to get the win.”
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