Tanguy Ndombele is feeling ‘better and better’ since Antonio Conte axed the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder and sanctioned a loan transfer to Lyon in January, via Foot Mercato.
The Frenchman had a difficult two-and-a-half years in north London following his club-record arrival in 2019. Daniel Levy broke the bank to make Ndombele the new engine of Mauricio Pochettino’s plans. But the Argentine’s exit saw the 25-year-old’s progress stall.
Neither Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo nor Conte were able to bring life back into the seven-cap star’s Spurs career. Conte even urged him ‘you have to be good to change the opinions’, after some Tottenham fans booed Ndombele in the FA Cup against Morecambe.
Conte hauled Ndombele off 69 minutes into Tottenham’s 3-1 win at home to League One Morecambe while trailing 1-0. It would mark his final appearance for the Premier League outfit before returning to Lyon. He had not featured in the top-flight since December 26.
Tanguy Ndombele feeling ‘better and better’ during Lyon loan from Tottenham
All in, Ndombele played 16 games this season for two goals and one assist, while starting 10 times. He has so far made seven appearances, starting six, since returning to Les Gones and has one assist. And Jeunes Footeux claim the Ligue 1 side want him back next season.
But the Groupama Stadium natives cannot afford the €65m (£55m) clause in the loan deal. So, Lyon hope to re-sign Ndombele in another loan transfer from Tottenham this summer. In the meantime, he is simply focusing on ending the season strongly after a positive spell.
“I feel better and better,” Ndombele said. “In this final sprint, I hope to be able to bring as much as possible to the team. I hope that, in the end, everything will go well.
“I wish we had been ranked higher. Personally, I’m quite happy. But when the results are not good, we are not satisfied collectively. The objective is to win the matches together.”
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