‘He would be sensational somewhere’ – Hoddle urges Mourinho not to sell player

Tottenham Hotspur legend Glenn Hoddle has said that Tanguy Ndombele has the talent to come good in North London and urged Jose Mourinho to persist with the midfielder.

Ndombele has struggled to make the expected impact in his first season in the Premier League and the Frenchman has been publicly called out by Mourinho for his lack of effort following the 1-1 draw at Burnley in March (BBC Sport).

There have been reports linking the 23-year-old with a move away from Spurs (Sky Sports), but it has been suggested that he is unlikely to be sold this summer (Football.London).

Hoddle believes that the former Lyon man’s ability is plain to see and challenged the Spurs head coach to bring the best out of him.

Speaking to The Express, the former Spurs midfielder said: “Ndombele I think there’s a player in there, he’s [Mourinho] got to find that.

“Whether he’s gone too far with that lad and they won’t get him back as a player, I don’t know.

“But I truly believe there’s a player in there waiting to come out. If he moved on I think he would be sensational somewhere.”

Hoddle also felt that the Lilywhites currently have too many similar midfielders and suggested that they need someone with a decent passing range to replace Christian Eriksen.

When asked who Spurs needed to bring in this summer, the 62-year-old said: “In the long-term, I think they need two new full-backs, I think they need a passer in midfield.

“A lot of players at Tottenham at the moment, they run with the ball. Too many players don’t release the ball quickly.

“Winks is probably the only one who can do it, but is he an [Christian] Eriksen?

“That’s how Kane will score goals, good crosses coming in from your full-backs and a midfield player – Eriksen and Kane had that little bit of eye contact.

“I don’t think they’ve got that at the moment, I think too many players hold onto the ball for too long in midfield, and teams come in and crowd them out.

“There’s a lot of tactical work to be done on the training ground, but also individuals who need to up their game if they’re going to be in the [top five].”

Spurs Web Opinion

Hoddle certainly makes a good point about the lack of midfielders who release the ball quickly. Ndombele, Lo Celso, Dele, Lamela and Gedson are all players who tend to dwell on the ball. That is why we could do with a midfielder like Hojbjerg, who shields the back four and keep things simple with his passing.

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