Tanguy Ndombele received a slightly more positive review from the Italian media this week, despite being hooked at halftime against Spezia in Serie A.
Ndombele arrived at Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2019, for a record transfer fee of £54 million (BBC). A naturally gifted player, expectations were high for the Frenchman, but he has never been able to deliver on that promise, at least not consistently.
Despite flashes of brilliance, many have questioned the work rate and desire of Ndombele, and he has now found himself out of favour with yet another manager in North London.
He was left out of Antonio Conte’s pre-season trip to South Korea this summer and told to find a new club (Evening Standard). That club turned out to be Serie A side Napoli, who took Ndombele on a season-long loan, with potential for a permanent move (The Times).
The chances of the Italian side wanting that to happen are looking less and less likely though, at least judging by the local media.
Napoli took on Spezia at the weekend, a team with just one win in their last six games and the second worst goal difference in the league. Ndombele was taken off at halftime after a languid display, but the Italian press at least said he was getting better.
Italian outlet Calciomercato had this to say: “The pace is already starting to be better than the match against Lecce, but he is not yet 100%. He has to grow a lot to be the protagonist in this Napoli.”
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This comes after Napoli Piu called him a ‘distant relative’ of the player Spurs signed in 2019, and Paulo Di Canio claimed the Napoli manager would have to ‘perform a miracle’ with Ndombele (Il Mattino – 09/09/22 – as relayed by CalcioNapoli and Sport Witness).
Spurs Web Opinion
I wondered how long it would take for Tanguy Ndombele to show his true colours out in Italy and yet again, it’s frustrating to see all that talent going to waste. He could and should have been one of the best players in this Tottenham team, but if you don’t have the willingness to succeed then talent means nothing.
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