Tottenham Hotspur want to sign Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, who has emerged as one of the best box to box midfielders in Ligue 1 over the last year or so.
The North London club are ready to bid around €60m, and Juventus seem like the only competition they have for the signature of the Frenchmen.
According to a report from Calciomercato, however, Tottenham have moved one step ahead of their rivals, and are favourites to sign Ndombele.
Tanguy Ndombele at Tottenham Hotspur: How will he fit in?
Ndombele is a versatile midfielder who features in a centre-midfield role, but can shift to the right side of the midfield or can play as a defensive midfielder if the need arises. At Lyon, we have seen the Frenchman being deployed in a double pivot, in a 4-2-3-1 formation alongside Lucas Tousart.
On most occasions, Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino also uses a similar set-up, playing with a double pivot for extra control. Ndombele’s flexibility is another thing which makes him such a sought after player as it allows the manager to change his tactics with ease without worrying about the personnel on the pitch.
At Lyon, Ndombele’s chemistry on the pitch with Tousart helped the Ligue 1 side on numerous occasions where one of them used to sit back, generally Tousart, and the other one often broke forward with the ball.
At Tottenham, Ndombele can form a similar partnership with the likes of Eric Dier, Victor Wanyama, and Harry Winks who can all provide the Frenchmen with the freedom he needs to maraud forward.
Ndombele’s dribbling ability helps him in the transition from defence to attack, and his knack to know when to join in the attack and when to retreat and protect his defence are some of the key areas where the 22-year-old excels.
The Frenchman’s key passes, through balls, ability to link up with his teammates, vision, and decision-making are other areas where he has excelled, thereby showing the immense potential he has to be a world beater someday.
Ndombele’s aerial-prowess remains an area of weakness, but his 5ft 9in frame helps cover up most threats with the use of his physicality.
The 22-year-old has made 10 goal contributions across all competitions, scoring twice in the process.
All these abilities combined at just 22 years of age and playing under someone like Pochettino could well help Ndombele reach another level in the Premier League. Although he won’t come cheap, Ndombele is perhaps the closest thing that comes to Paul Pogba in terms of ability, and if Tottenham can sign him, it would be a huge statement of intent.
Stat Courtesy: Transfermarkt, Whoscored