Ligue 1 boss Peter Bosz has labelled Tanguy Ndombele a ‘quality player’ as Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League misfit seals a return to Lyon, as reported by Football London.
By the time the clock strikes 11pm on Monday night, not one, not two, not three but four of the most naturally gifted playmakers you could wish to see could be packing their bags and bidding farewell to life in North London.
Some for a few months, some forever.
Bryan Gil has touched down in Spain for a medical at Valencia, just six months after joining from Sevilla.
Giovani Lo Celso is joining Villarreal, niggling injuries reducing the Argentine to a shrinking shadow of his swaggering self.
New Everton manager Frank Lampard, meanwhile, will look to do what Antonio Conte, Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo could not, and halt Dele Alli’s mysterious, maddening decline.
Alli is in talks to join The Toffees on a permanent deal, per Sky Sports.
Does Tanguy Ndombele still have a future at Tottenham?
Ndombele, however, may be the most disappointing of the departures.
It is less than three years since the Frenchman became Spurs £55 million record signing. At his best, Ndombele is a truly extraordinary footballer; capable of producing moments of mind-bending technical quality.
It’s impossible to shake the feeling, however, that he’s gone backwards since moving across the Channel in 2019.
It’s rather fitting, then, that Ndombele is returning to the club where he established himself as one of Europe’s most promising midfielders.
“We are building a team that can win things,” says Lyon coach Peter Bosz.
Lyon confirmed the arrival of Brest star Romain Faivre on Monday afternoon. Ndombele follows in his footsteps, joining on a loan deal which can be paid permanent for the same £55 million fee Tottenham paid nearly three years ago.
Given Lyon’s financial situation, after a season without European football, it’s safe to say that £55 million clause will not be triggered any time soon.
“If we look at Romain Faivre and Tanguy Ndombele, we can say that they are quality players,” Bosz adds.
Lyon will stump up a portion of Ndombele’s wages, having boosted their finances with the £33 million sale of Bruno Guimaraes to Newcastle United (Fabrizio Romano).
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