Tottenham Hotspur face some squad disruption going into Saturday’s trip to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace.
The international break has caused Nuno Espirito Santo to have to shuffle his pack for the return of the Premier League.
Davinson Sanchez, Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso are unavailable for the fixture having all went against the wishes of the club and the Premier League to head to South America to represent Colombia and Argentina respectively, and are now in Croatia to work on their fitness, rather than face a 10-day hotel quarantine in England.
Oliver Skipp is also being assessed this afternoon after suffering a tight groin during England Under-21’s match against Kosovo on Thursday night (Evening Standard).
One man who is yet to feature for the North Londoners during both pre-season and the opening weeks of the campaign is Tanguy Ndombele.
The Frenchman reportedly handed in a transfer request during the summer (Football.London) but still found himself contracted to the club following the closure of the summer transfer window.
With potential midfield shortages heading into Saturday’s match, respected journalist, Alasdair Gold was asked about the possibility of the former Lyon man being called in from the wilderness by Nuno Espirito Santo to face the Eagles.
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Having continued to train with the Spurs first team during the international break, Gold admitted that he would be surprised if Ndombele is omitted this weekend.
He told Football.London: “I’d surprised if he’s not, particularly with Lo Celso missing and Skipp potentially missing out. He’ll have had almost two weeks to get his mind back on the club and off a move away. He will know that he needs to play football in the months ahead and he needs to impress Nuno Espirito Santo.
I’ve said it before but I think he’s got a great chance to flourish under the new head coach but ultimately it’s down to Tanguy. If he’s not in the squad on Saturday then it won’t be about talent, which he has by the bucket-load, just focus and fitness.”
He later added when asked further by another Spurs fan: “I’d perhaps be surprised if Ndombele starts, perhaps a bench role to begin with. I think Winks would probably get the nod if Skipp can’t start the game, although the suggestions seems to be that the England U21 international could be ok after his stiff groin moment.”
SpursWeb Opinion
Whether Ndombele wants to be at the club or not, he needs to knuckle down and impress any potentially interested parties with his performances if he seeks an exit from the club. Sitting in the stand is going to have an adverse impact on his chances of moving to a top European team.
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