According to the print edition of L’Equipe (05/07/23 as relayed by Sport Witness), Tottenham turned down a proposal from Napoli for Tanguy Ndombele as Ange Postecoglou wants to give the Frenchman an opportunity to resurrect his Spurs career.
The report explains that Napoli were not prepared to take up the €30m (£25.7m) option to sign Ndombele at the end of his loan spell but the Serie A side were willing to sign the midfielder at a reduced price.
They were allegedly willing to pay €20m (£17.1m) for the 26-year-old but Tottenham were not interested in the deal.
Ndombele will get a second chance at Tottenham
It is said that while the chances of seeing Ndombele in a Spurs shirt again seemed slim a few weeks ago, the situation has changed since Postecoglou arrived through the door in N17.
L’Equipe claim that the Australian is a ‘long time admirer’ of the former Lyon man and he ‘intends to leave a space’ in his 4-3-3 formation for the player if he makes a good impression during pre-season.
The publication adds that should Ndombele fail to win over Postecolgou, he could be on the move again, with the France international said to be attracting interest from several European clubs as well as from Saudi Arabia.
Spurs Web Opinion
L’Equipe are quite reliable and possibly have sources who are close to Ndombele or his representatives.
So, this report about Posteocoglou rating the Frenchman highly is very encouraging indeed.
However, I do not think Spurs fans should get too excited as the 26-year-old does not appear to have the necessary engine to work tirelessly off the ball, which the Australian demands of his players.
So, he might come to the same conclusion about Ndombele as Conte did.