‘Fans have always been behind me’ – Midfielder opens up on Spurs struggles

Tanguy Ndombele has opened up on his struggles since his big-money move to Tottenham and admitted that his cause was not helped by the injuries he picked up in his first season in North London.

When Spurs broke their transfer record to sign Ndombele from Lyon in 2019, it was looked at by many as a transformative signing that would take the team to the next level as the midfielder was undoubtedly one of the most sought-after players in the world at the time.

However, the Frenchman saw the manager who signed him, Mauricio Pochettino, sacked just months after his arrival at Spurs and although he did have some brief success under Jose Mourinho, the 26-year-old has struggled to live up to his potential.

Ndombele, who has had two successive loan spells at Lyon and Napoli with mixed success, has now admitted that his rise almost happened too quickly and that some circumstances prevented him from adapting to life at Spurs.

He told So Foot about his big move in 2019: “It went very, very, very quickly, and I didn’t have time to take stock of certain things.

“When it happens like that, you subconsciously tell yourself everything will be easy, you think all will be fine… Then it catches up with you. 

“I ended up being injured, for example. When it happens after a big transfer, the way people look at you changes quickly. In that period, I think I listened a lot to certain people, and that didn’t help me.

“The critics, people at the club, at Tottenham… There are certain things that should have happened differently. It has not always been my fault, but I’m the player, so I’m the one the finger gets pointed at. 

“It’s part of it. At Tottenham, I think my beginnings, with my physical niggles, complicated everything that followed. Despite that, the fans have always been behind me.”

Spurs Web Opinion 

What has happened during his loan spells at Lyon and Napoli is further proof that despite Ndombele’s amazing talent, he is never quite going to be a world-class player due to some of his physical and mental shortcomings. 

While the next Spurs manager might want to take a closer look at the 26-year-old in pre-season, I expect Tottenham to offload the midfielder permanently this summer.