Tottenham Hotspur’s move for Antonio Conte has collapsed – and Tanguy Ndombele would have every right to feel gutted.
Spurs were hoping to get a deal done for Conte last week, just days after he confirmed he was leaving Inter Milan. The Italian had just won the title with Inter, but decided to leave.
New rumours claim that Conte thought Tottenham’s squad just wasn’t technically good enough to challenge for top honours, and having demanded a huge budget, Spurs pulled the plug.
Conte wanted Ndombele at Inter Milan
This news isn’t what anyone at Tottenham, but midfielder Ndombele may have been looking forward to playing under a manager who liked him a lot.
The Guardian reported last summer that Spurs were in talks to sell Ndombele to Inter, with Conte seemingly keen on luring the Frenchman to the San Siro.
Spurs were demanding £45million or a swap deal involving defender Milan Skriniar, meaning no deal was done and Ndomble was forced to stay.
Ndombele is Tottenham’s enigma
Spurs paid £55million for Ndombele, a club-record deal. Since arriving from Lyon in 2019, he has failed to live up to the hype.
Fitness issues plagued him under Mauricio Pochettino. Jose Mourinho never really seemed fully invested in Ndombele, and often played him in an unconvincing number 10 role.
Ryan Mason barely picked Ndombele either, making just one start after Mourinho’s exit.
He needs a manager who truly believes in him to be a star, and Conte’s prior interest in signing him suggests that he is a huge fan.
This was a chance for Ndombele to really kick on at Spurs, but it’s back to square one; hoping for a manager to come in and unlock his potential.
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