Cascarino questions whether Ndombele has what it takes to succeed in England

Former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino has blasted Tanguy Ndombele for his display against Chelsea on Saturday and questioned if the midfielder has the physical attributes required to succeed in the Premier League.

Ndombele arrived at Spurs with a lot of expectation on his shoulders after the club shattered their transfer record to bring him in from Lyon last summer (Guardian).

While the 23-year-old scored in his Premier League debut against Aston Villa and went on to show glimpses of fantastic quality in the first few games, injury problems have meant that he has endured a stop-start first season in English football.

The French international was hardly able to keep himself fit in the first couple of months after Mourinho arrived at Spurs, but has gradually been getting more opportunities in recent weeks after returning from his injury troubles.

However, the former Lyon man has still looked lacking in match fitness and Cascariono has questioned whether Ndombele has the physical stamina required to cope with the pace of the English top flight.

In his column for the Times, Cascariono wrote: “In the 24 games Tanguy Ndombele has played for Tottenham this season, he has come on as a substitute or has been substituted in 19 of them.

“He reminds me of Tiémoué Bakayoko when he moved to Chelsea. He has lots of athletic ability but he just doesn’t seem to use it.

“He is not a passing player but he also doesn’t seem to have any endurance — Chelsea’s midfield walked all over him and Harry Winks.

“He came on against RB Leipzig with 25 minutes to go and he was lying on the floor at the end. He has been in England for six months now and I am not sure he is capable of getting up to the Premier League’s pace.”

Spurs Web Opinion

While Ndombele’s injury and fitness related problems have certainly cost us this season, it is apparent that the midfielder has the talent necessary to evolve into one of the best in the world. Hopefully the new fitness program the Frenchman is under will help him get back to full fitness and we will see him completing ninety minutes before long.

Related Topics