Tottenham’s list of their most expensive signings looks more like a hall of infamy than a hall of fame.
Of the players bought for 23 million pounds or more, it has not been an undoubted success – most likely it would be Lucas Moura, who gave Spurs fans his biggest moment in the 2000s and at least was a decent servant.
You would expect Sergio Reguilon to kick in and prove his worth, while there is still hope that Giovani Lo Celso, Ryan Sessegnon and Steven Bergwijn can come in handy.
Romero goes to number 2/3 when he signs permanently and Lo Celso has not been added but what a terrible list. pic.twitter.com/JCfzp6kZZJ
– Sean Walsh (@SeanDZWalsh) August 20, 2021
Club record signing Tanguy Ndombele – whose final transfer fee could reach £ 60 million – has now asked to leave Tottenham. Good job, everyone.
Ndombele, but largely a quiet and reserved character, has not had the smoothest rides on Spurs. He openly admitted that the work with Mauricio Pochettino was a big factor in his joining, while he has constantly struggled to maintain match condition (through his own fault or otherwise).
Contrary to many people’s beliefs, he became one of Jose Mourinho’s most trusted players at the end of the Portuguese reign and became a key figure in the starting line-up from the autumn of 2020 onwards. There were even peaks in his form that saw comparisons with Mousa Dembele taken up again.
Ever since Ndombele first broke into the scene with Lyon, he has constantly been likened to his close name. It was impossible to ignore their stylistic similarities. It only increased when the French midfielder moved to Spurs six months after Dembele’s departure.
Although there are similarities in their game – especially their ball posture and ability to carry it upwards – Ndombele was seen as the development of Dembele, a chance for Pochettino to carve out his ultimate midfielder. The Argentine may be gone and it may be too late in the window for Ndombele to secure his desired death, but there is still hope that he can get on well at Tottenham.
Daniel Levy still believes in Ndombele / Alex Livesey – Danehouse / Getty Images
90min understands that the Spurs hierarchy believes he has enormous potential that can be fulfilled in lilywhite and has turned down Bayern Munich’s offer of 20 million euros plus Corentin Tolisso.
And at the age of 24, would you bet that Ndombele would be good in his career? Probably not, but the signs have not been promising when they were under intense headlight.
After all, Dembele himself was a late bloomer and never really found his best role until the late 20s. The time is on Ndombele’s side and he obviously has a lot of talent, but maybe Spurs fans should forget the idea that he is spiritually succeeding the Belgian.
Dembele could barely pass the ball beyond five yards – do you know how good you have to be to be considered one of the best central midfielders out there when you can barely pass the ball beyond five yards?
Trying to remove Dembele or even stopping him in his tracks was like trying to stop The Undertaker from winning at Wrestlemania (you know, before Brock Lesnar). During the 2015/16 Premier League season, Dembele engaged in a total of 207 tackles and dribbles, but succeeded in only 20 of them. What a stupid, stupid state.
Spurs were blessed to have Harry Kane leading the line, delivered by Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli, but many of the players in the Pochettino era believe Dembele was the best of the game. This is the standard that Ndombele competes with, and it looks like an insanely unrealistic goal right now.
Ndombele’s Tottenham career is not over yet, but the downward trajectory only strengthens Dembele’s legacy.
For more from Sean Walsh, follow him on Twitter!
