Football pundit Kevin Phillips has backed Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Ndombele to go on and become a great signing for the North London club.
The Frenchman joined the Lilywhites from Lyon ahead of last season and was expected to help Spurs finally challenge for titles after the club made a habit of finishing in the top four but not winning any silverware. Instead, Ndombele’s first season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was poor. Unsurprisingly, there were some rumours suggesting that he would leave the club.
He did not perform well under Mauricio Pochettino. After Jose Mourinho took charge of the club, the self-proclaimed “special one” did not hesitate to publicly criticize him. Mourinho even went on to substitute him during the game against Burnley last season. It is unlikely that Ndombele would have taken that well, and he must have considered his future at the club.
Even though Spurs fell to a shock 1-0 defeat against Royal Antwerp in the Europa League this week, their form has been strong so far this season.
Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min have been receiving most of the credit, but the displays of Ndombele must not be ignored. He has been one of the club’s better players in recent weeks.
“I said along that I thought he would come good. I just think that he needed a bit of time to settle in because it can be difficult,” Phillips told Football Insider.
“I heard him saying that the criticism that he received from Mourinho did not hurt him as much as other people thought. He took it in his stride and all that you can do then is get out on the pitch and show it.
“Mourinho is clearly a fan of his if he has started him in the last three Premier League games.
“I think he will get better and better and end up being a fantastic signing for Spurs. Real positive signs.”
