Paul Robinson believes that Tanguy Ndombele is in danger of becoming the next Mario Balotelli as the Tottenham man lacks the right attitude despite having plenty of talent.
Tottenham fans would have hoped that Ndombele could be the heir to Mousa Dembele when the club signed him for £63m from Lyon in the summer of 2019 (Sky Sports).
However, despite showing glimpses of his quality, the midfielder has struggled to get a consistent run of starts under the various managers he has had at Spurs.
The North London club sent the 25-year-old back to Lyon on loan during the second half of last season to get his career back on track, but his displays in Ligue 1 left a lot to be desired.
Antonio Conte seems to have completely frozen Ndombele out of his plans after him leaving out of pre-season and The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare recently told GiveMeSport that Tottenham would have to loan the midfielder out again this summer.
The journalist explained that no Italian or Spanish clubs are in a position to sign the France international, given the wages he is on.
However, Ndombele’s talent is certainly recognised by his peers, with West Ham star Declan Rice even labelling the Tottenham man as ‘one of the toughest’ players he has faced during his recent appearance on the Tubes and Ange Golf Life YouTube Channel.
MORE SPURS STORIES
When asked about Rice’s comments and if Ndombele is in danger of becoming the new Balotelli, Robinson told Football Insider: “Yes, in a similar way. Declan Rice must have played against Ndombele on one of the three good games that he had.
“He is a top-quality player, there is no doubt about that. But his attitude and application are miles off.
“I don’t know the ins and outs but it cannot be a coincidence that every Tottenham manager has ousted him. He has been given many opportunities and has not taken any of them.
“There is a fundamental problem with his attitude and application. That is why he is where he is.”
Spurs Web Opinion
The Ndombele situation shows how important it is for clubs to do requisite research on a player’s personality and attitude rather than just looking at what they offer on the pitch, before making a new signing.
Unless Ndombele agrees to take a massive wage cut in order to leave Spurs, the only way the club are going to get him off their wage bill is to pay off the remainder of his contract.
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
