Tanguy Ndombele’s future at Tottenham Hotspur is by no means certain.
The 25-year-old midfielder, who cost a club-record £55m two-and-a-half years ago, has not featured for the club since being withdrawn early during their FA Cup third-round victory over Morecambe.
He slowly trudged off to a chorus of boos and jeers with his side down by a goal at the time. Since then, it has emerged that the club are trying to move him on and that he has reportedly been training alone at Hotspur Way.
“Tottenham are looking for a solution to sell or loan out Tanguy Ndombele in January,” revealed Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
It’s hard to put up a case for Spurs keeping hold of their big-money signing as he’s been nothing short of a flop – as per Transfermarkt, he has delivered only ten goals and nine assists across 91 appearances.
If they are to move him on, however, manager Antonio Conte will be in need of a new central midfielder but perhaps he already has the answer at the club, somewhat.
Sarr solution?
During the summer, sporting director Fabio Paratici sealed the signature of promising Ligue 1 gem Pape Matar Sarr, who has remained on loan at Metz, for around €17m (£15m).
The 19-year-old midfielder has played in pretty much every role in the engine room for the French outfit this season, where he has made 19 appearances across all competitions.
Now valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, the Senegal international has struggled for consistency, averaging a rating of just 6.43, though there have been signs of encouragement and he is a player with undoubted potential.
“I am told this guy is really more than an interesting talent. He has real potential, [he’s a] fantastic talent,” claimed Romano to his YouTube channel in September.
“One of my sources told me he could become one style of [Paul] Pogba player. He has style, he has potential, he has skills, so we will see what happens with this guy.”
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A Pogba-like midfielder? That should be right up Conte’s street considering he managed the France superstar across 78 matches at Juventus before he rejoined Manchester United.
Sarr is certainly looking to contribute at both ends of the pitch, having averaged 2.2 dribbles, 1.7 successful tackles, one shot and 0.9 key passes per 90 minutes in the French top-flight, via WhoScored.
“Pape Matar Sarr is elegance in the midfield, it’s talent, it’s making others play.” once claimed Metz coach Frederic Antonetti.
So come the summer, Conte may not need to look far to find Ndombele’s replacement, thanks to Paratici’s decision in the summer. He seems primed for a shot in Spurs’ first team, especially under the stewardship of the Italian, who has already worked wonders with players like Oliver Skipp and Sergio Reguilon.
As such, he could also save the clubs millions as Sarr seems like the perfect replacement for the struggling flop.
AND in other news, Alasdair Gold drops exciting Hugo Lloris claim at Spurs…