Tottenham Hotspur smashed their club transfer record in July 2019 when they paid Lyon £55million to sign Tanguy Ndombele.
The French international is yet to feature for Tottenham this campaign, he was absent throughout pre-season, missing the matches against Leyton Orient, Colchester United, MK Dons, Chelsea and Arsenal.
It was first reported that his initial absence could have been down to becoming a parent for the first time (The Mirror), however he has also missed the opening two Premier League fixtures, along with the first leg of the Europa Conference League.
Nuno suggested last week the issue of motivation to explain the midfielder’s absence from his team selection (Sky Sports).
The Athletic have claimed that the 24-year-old was heartbroken to have been left on the bench by Ryan Mason for the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City at the end of last season.
Ndombele started Mason’s first game in charge against Southampton, but was taken off in the second half. The interim head coach decided to start Harry Winks in the Wembley showpiece which left the former Lyon man heartbroken.
It is said that Ndombele considers himself to be a player for the big occasion, in what would have been the biggest game of his career and did not take to the field with Mason instead bringing on Moussa Sissoko ahead of him.
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Such was his disappointment, his peformances in training dipped following the loss to City, leaving Mason with no justification to recall him.
Ndombele has asked to leave the North Londoners and feels he can get a move to one of the European giants such as Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, which has led to him being frozen out by Nuno Espiritio Santo over his lack of apparent committment to the badge, however has not applied the same ruleset for Harry Kane.
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Many Spurs fans also questioned Mason’s decision on the day not to start Ndombele against City, given his ability to play through the lines and help to counter Pep Guardiola’s strong pressing tactics.
Winks was disappointing that afternoon and it looks as if the damage has been done with Ndombele now seeking his future elsewhere. It is strange from the outside looking in why both he and Nuno have not seeked to have a clean slate at the start of the new season.
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