Why Tanguy Ndombele is still a key player for Tottenham Hotspur

According to reports out of France (h/t Daily Mail), Tottenham Hotspur have not revived their talks with Inter Milan for Tanguy Ndombele.

The report claims that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy remains reluctant to sell the £200,000-a-week Ndombele despite interest from Serie A side Inter Milan.

French midfielder Ndombele, meanwhile, has struggled to adjust to the new life in North London following his club-record £55million transfer from Lyon last summer. The 23-year-old has not had the best of starts at Tottenham, with his maiden season hampered by injuries and fitness related issues.

Also, the arrival of new boss Jose Mourinho has seen him fall down the pecking order, limiting him to just 29 appearances for Spurs across all competitions.

Having fallen out of favour with the Portuguese boss, Ndombele has not started a single game and has featured just over an hour since post lockdown. He last started for Tottenham back in March when he was hauled off at half-time in his side’s 1-1 draw at Burnley.

However, the report claims that Tottenham are ready to offer him another chance to restart his career and are clearly disinterested in offloading the Frenchman just 13 months after signing him.

Selling Ndombele not the safest of options for Tottenham

Spurs under Mourinho have found stability compared to their string of poor displays earlier in the season, and managed to finish 6th in the league table. They also earned a Europa League spot, and letting Ndomeble depart the club amidst interest from Italy does not seem like a good option.

Moreover, Tottenham had just lost midfielder Christian Eriksen to Inter Milan back in January, leaving them with just Ndombele to offer creativity in the middle. Spurs have playmaker Dele Alli in the side, however, he plays in a more advanced role unlike Eriksen, who used to feature more centrally.

Despite his limited appearances, Ndombele has still managed two goals and four assists, proving that he is not short of talent. The Frenchman had also earlier proved his potential during his time with former side Lyon. His two-year spell with the Ligue 1 side saw him score four goals and provide 16 assists from 96 games, earning himself a move to England.

Hence, letting go of a talented midfielder such as Ndombele after just one bad season does not seem like the wisest of decisions. They should rather keep faith in him and offer him more chances next season.

Read more:

• Why Tottenham should go ahead with their pursuit of Luis Diaz
• Why Tottenham should make a move for Aaron Ramsdale
• Timothy Castagne open to Tottenham move – Do Spurs need him?

Verdict

Eriksen’s departure has left Tottenham devoid of talented midfielders in the middle and Ndombele’s presence in the side will be valuable next season. Moreover, he has just played his first season in England and he should be given more time to prove his credentials, having already done so in France. Also, Ndombele is just 23 and still has plenty of football left in him.