Graham Roberts has claimed that Tottenham would have expected more from Tanguy Ndombele after paying a club-record £63m to sign him from Lyon in 2019.
Ndombele endured a disappointing first season at Spurs and seemed as though he could be on his way out last summer after falling out with Jose Mourinho (Athletic).
However, the midfielder and the former Tottenham boss seemed to put their differences behind them as the Frenchman started this season in fantastic form as the Lilywhites were sitting pretty at the top of table.
Just when it seemed like the 24-year-old was ready to kick on and take the Premier League by storm after building up his fitness, his form has dwindled over the last few months.
The France international has been guilty of giving possession away too easily and now seemingly faces a fight with Giovani Lo Celso to get into Tottenham’s starting line up.
Roberts insisted that Ndombele has not lived up to his billing and suggested that Dele Alli was more effective than the former Lyon man.
The legendry Spurs defender told Football Fancast: “I think he’s a good player, don’t get me wrong.
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“But, for me, if you’re that sort of player, Eriksen scored 10-12 goals a season, Ndombele has scored three goals in two seasons. That isn’t good enough.
“If you paid whatever Tottenham did, they should be getting 10 goals a season from midfield.
“I agree with Glenn, he tries to do too many tricks. Dele Alli is a far better player.”
Spurs Web Opinion
It is not fair to judge Ndombele by his goal output but Roberts is right when he says that the Frenchman has not lived up to expectations. Unfortunately, he just does not seem like he has the intensity (either with or without the ball) to become a top Premier League player. I believe he is much more suited to a league like Serie A where the pace of the game is slower and he would get more time on the ball.
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