Why Tottenham should hold onto Tanguy Ndombele

According to RMC Sport (h/t Daily Mail), Inter Milan are planning a fresh bid to sign Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tanguy Ndombele this summer.

The 23-year-old Ndombele became a club-record signing last summer when he joined them for a sum of £55million from Lyon. However, the Frenchman has not had the best of starts to his life in England after struggling with fitness-related issues and injuries in his maiden season with Tottenham.

Despite scoring a goal in his debut, Ndombele failed to continue his good form, managing just 21 Premier League appearances last term.

He also fell out of favour with the new Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho and has not started in a single game since the restart of football post lockdown. Ndombele played just over an hour in total as Spurs scraped a sixth-place finish and a Europa League spot in his absence.

Ndombele still one of the prized assets at Tottenham

Meanwhile, the report also claims that despite falling down the pecking order under Mourinho, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is keen to retain Ndombele for the upcoming season. He does not want to let go of his prized asset just 13 months after landing him.

Leaving Ndombele’s displays last season aside, there is no doubt he is an experienced customer who would be of great value to a side like Tottenham this season.

Having already proved himself with former side Lyon, for whom he scored four goals and provided 14 assists in 96 appearances, Tottenham should keep more faith in Ndombele and offer him more chances.

Ndombele is also comfortable playing in a holding role, which makes him a valuable asset for any side, let alone Tottenham. Predominantly a central midfielder, Ndombele has featured nine times in a defensive role out of his overall 21 league appearances, giving a fair glimpse of his versatility.

Also, at present Spurs just have one defensive midfielder in Eric Dier. However, Mourinho has mostly deployed Dier at centre-back, meaning Ndombele’s presence could be of great benefit for Spurs in the nearby future. Hence, Tottenham should ward off any interest for their French midfielder and keep him in the side at least until next season.

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Verdict

It would be too harsh if Tottenham decide to let go of Ndombele just after one season. Despite his young age, Ndombele is a proven customer with his former side Lyon. His presence will offer Mourinho a good option in the middle this season.