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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on the signing of Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon, per the Daily Telegraph.
On the Chalkboard
A deal is close to completion, with Spurs set to pay around £55m to acquire the France international. The deal will eclipse the club’s current record signing, a £42m move for defender Davinson Sanchez in 2017.
Question marks hang over where exactly Ndombele will be deployed within Mauricio Pochettino’s starting XI, however, with it almost certain he will have a key role at the club.
He is likely to play alongside Moussa Sissoko in central midfield, with his strengths lying in his multi-faceted attributes.
Per WhoScored, he made 34 Ligue 1 appearances last season and his numbers confirm what the eyes can see, that the midfielder is a genuinely exceptional player in the centre of the park.
He makes, on average, 1.9 tackles per game, which is more than Dele Alli (1.3), Christian Eriksen (1.2) and Sissoko (1.2).
Compared to the trio, he makes more interceptions than them as well and also commits more fouls.
This is a player who puts himself into positions to win the ball back and, while he may not always retain it successfully, he is an assiduous defensive player.
Going forward, too, Ndombele only scored one goal in the French top-flight in 2018/19 but he registered seven assists.
He has lower shots per game numbers than both Alli and Eriksen – that’s not really surprising, given his deeper position – but he makes more key passes than Alli and Sissoko. Only the Denmark international has more, 2.1 to 1.4.
Ndombele makes more dribbles than the three – significantly so – and is also fouled far more. He attempts an average of 57.7 passes – Alli has 41.1, Sissoko 46.5, Eriksen 53.5 – and has a completion rate of 89.1%. Only Sissoko, with 86.7%, comes close. That is all the more impressive given that he attempts 2.3 long balls too, more than any of the trio.
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The perfect midfield prototype
One feels that Ndombele can only get better.
He’s just 22 and is already posting numbers that befit a genuinely elite central midfielder.
A price of £55m is not insignificant but it could be small change in just a couple of years if he continues his impressive form in England’s top-flight.
Spurs have not replaced Mousa Dembele since his exit in January and Ndombele will do that at a stroke while offering a world-class presence in north London.
The club have not signed a ready-made elite player before because they simply haven’t been in a position to do so.
But with Ndombele, they will finally be making that step up.
