Statement capture of Ndombele signals Tottenham's intent to end silverware wait

New faces at Hotspur Way are like buses. You wait 18 months for one then two come along at once. After breaking their self-imposed transfer hiatus with the capture of Jack Clarke, who will spend next season on loan back at Championship side Leeds, confirmation of the teenager’s arrival was the starter as far as fans were concerned with Tanguy Ndombele’s capture very much the main course. 

Trumping the £42m paid to sign Davinson Sanchez from Ajax two years ago, Ndombele becomes the north London side’s club-record capture and rectifies a problem position for Tottenham. In failing to sufficiently replace Mousa Dembele at the turn of the year, Spurs’ domestic form nosedived as the scraped into the Champions League, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side fortunate that Arsenal and Manchester United failed to steal a march on their top four rivals. 

Progression to the Champions League final was an obvious bonus, but after limping over the finish line in the league, it was clear that the midfield was an area in dire need of investment. Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama’s injury issues didn’t help matters, nor was Dembele’s spell on the sidelines prior to his exit, and it left just Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko as Pochettino’s senior central midfield options. 

The duo didn’t disappoint - rather they upped their game and that helped Spurs through a gruelling festive period and pushed them through to the Champions League final - but with a lack of sufficient cover, Spurs’ game dipped in the final months of the campaign. Christian Eriksen was forced deeper to help in midfield and the Dane’s performances dwindled as he effectively carried out two duties and with a period of exhaustion setting in as a result of the World Cup, Pochettino needed midfield reinforcements. 

In Ndombele, he now has one of the most sought after midfielders in Europe at his disposal, with Pochettino impressed both times he watched the France international live in Lyon’s Champions League meetings with Barcelona. However, it was his dominant performance against Manchester City in the knockout stages that thrust him into the limelight. It’s one thing shining against Ligue 1 opponents, but another to shine in a win over England’s best side and was one of the primary reasons that saw Pochettino demand Levy move for the youngster this summer. 

Having previously described Dembele as a ‘Genius’, a description Pochettino handed out to a handful of players, this summer was crucial in sufficiently replacing the Belgian and the sense now is that Ndombele not only replaces Dembele, but is an upgrade on the 31-year-old. The Guangzhou R&F F.C. midfielder offered little in the final third having never registered more than three goals or scored more than three goals in a single Premier League season. 

By comparison, Ndombele registered seven assists from central midfield in France’s top tier last term, all of which were from open play, so he’s more than capable of breaking the lines to finding that final pass. Beyond Eriksen, who registered 12 assists, Dele Alli was the Dane’s closest competitor from midfield and he only chipped in with three league assists, though he did have his injury problems that restricted him to 22 league starts. 

Rather, Dembele’s greatest asset is his ball carrying ability, something Ndombele replicates with aplomb. Of those to attempt 100 or more dribbles since the start of the 2017/18 Ligue 1 season, the 22-year-old’s dribble success rate (75.1%) ranks first. Once he gets going, he’s difficult to stop, as Dembele was at his peak. 

And it’s not only his ability to carry the ball through midfield with ease, nor is it his final pass, that appealed to Pochettino and Spurs, but also his retention qualities that shone through time and time again. A pass success rate of 89.1% ranked among the top 20 players in Ligue 1 last season, which was a fine return for a midfielder who’d often receive the ball under pressure, but this didn’t faze Ndombele, who handled opponents with ease. 

Either way, Spurs have done very well to beat off competition for one of the most in-demand midfielders on the continent and one who improves their squad considerably. Ndombele now has the ability to dominate midfields for years to come and one who will further improve in time with Pochettino’s side set to benefit from his summer arrival.

The Spurs boss had spoken on their desire to seriously push Manchester City and Liverpool hard for the Premier League title and in Ndombele, he is very much the statement signing that signals Spurs' intent to move to the next level.