Tottenham Hotspur shattered their transfer record earlier this month when they announced the signing of Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon.
Spurs paid an initial price of £53.8m for the powerhouse midfielder, with the value potentially rising to £62.8m after add-ons are calculated (BBC).
Ndombele then joined up with the Spurs squad for pre-season and was included in the tour of Asia squad, making his debut off the bench against Juventus this week.
The Express report that the 22-year-old Frenchman was a target of some of the biggest clubs in Europe this summer, including PSG, Man United, Man City, and Juventus.
So, how did Tottenham hold off the spending power of these elite teams and secure Ndombele?
Many people may have assumed that France teammates Hugo Lloris and Moussa Sissoko had something to do with it, but Ndombele himself has now revealed that it was Pochettino who convinced him to join the club.
Ndombele said (Football London): “That’s something personal. I cannot tell you what the gaffer told me, only that I was happy with what he said and that’s why I signed here.
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“I wanted to change leagues and to come to England was my dream. I spoke with the manager, so I knew Tottenham was a big team, especially after what we did last year. I was excited to join a big team. That’s why I signed here.
“For me, it’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid to play in the Premier League.
“I can’t wait, I’m excited at being able to play in the Premier League and I’m hoping that we can achieve great things with the team.
“I hope to be able to bring what I know I can do – to do my bit for the team.
“The squad works really well together so I hope to start well, integrate, settle into the group and then continue in the same way. To win silverware, that’s also why I am here.”
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