Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tanguy Ndombele next summer. The French midfielder was signed by Tottenham for a club-record fee of £54 million, but has not shown what he is truly capable of so far and has had a rather subdued spell at the club.
As per journalist Fabrizio Romano (h/t The Sun), Spurs could allow Ndombele to leave the club after a bust-up with manager Jose Mourinho. Barca are keen on signing the former Lyon midfielder after they failed to sign Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum in the summer.
Ndombele has played 39 times for Spurs, scoring four goals and assisting four times. His current deal with the club expires only in 2025. The Frenchman has played 10 times this season and has impressed in a few games for Spurs.
Tanguy Ndombele to Barcelona – A decent option for the club?
Barcelona are in turmoil on and off the pitch this season, and they will have to make changes to their squad if they are to compete with the best in Europe and Real Madrid in Spain. The Catalan side need to plan for life after Lionel Messi, whose influence on the pitch seems to be waning.
The Blaugrana need to sign a No. 10 who can be an alternative to Philippe Coutinho, and add more tenacity to their midfield. Tanguy Ndombele could satisfy the latter in Barca colours.
Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman doesn’t have too many good options in midfield. Frenkie de Jong is a supremely talented passer and dictator in the middle of the pitch, but he doesn’t seem to have good partners to support him.
Sergio Busquets seems to be over the hill and is a shadow of the player he once was. Miralem Pjanic is a classy player, but he, at times, does the same thing that de Jong is good at doing.
Ndombele will offer something different as he has the energy to get up and down the pitch, can dribble past players to move the ball quickly to attack, as well as chip in with goals and assists.
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The problem with Ndombele has been his consistency. After being overlooked for a majority of last season, he seems to have gotten back in contention this season and has started some games for Spurs. Offensively, he averages 1.6 dribbles per game, while maintaining a healthy pass success rate of 83.4%. A move to a less physical and intense league could suit him, as the La Liga is a lot more tactical.
The Frenchman could suit a club like Barcelona, who have a lot of the ball, which will allow him to make runs into the box and get past opposition players.
This could be a good deal for Barca, but it remains to be seen how they can get this over the line considering their fragile financial situation.
Stats via Whoscored