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da dobrowin： After two totally uneventful transfer windows, Spurs fans finally saw a top talent put pen to paper when Tanguy Ndombele joined for a club-record £53.8m earlier this month – a real statement of intent after the Lilywhites’ stellar Champions League campaign last term.
The former Lyon man won plenty of admirers in 2018/19, including Manchester City, but he eventually opted for a transfer to north London and took the opportunity to work under Mauricio Pochettino.
The 22-year-old told L’Equipe (print edition, via The Evening Standard): “[The decision to join] was deeply thought through. Tottenham have one of the best managers in the world.
“The fact that he wants you, it makes you want to come work with him. He was the one who shifted my decision.”
Indeed, former Southampton boss Pochettino has a reputation for his development of young talent and it seems that Ndombele is hoping his new coach can have a similarly positive impact on his own growth as a player.
That’s not to say that the dynamic midfielder won’t make a big splash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium right off the bat, though.
With Ndombele’s transfer still fresh in mind, Football FanCast have taken a look at three key statistics that illuminate what he can bring to the Premier League next season…
Tackling
Despite the resurgence of the powerful Moussa Sissoko, who played in a deeper role last term, Spurs have lacked some bite and steel at the base of midfield since the January departure of Moussa Dembele.
Prior to his mid-season switch to China, the Belgian had averaged 1.3 tackles per game in the Premier League – the joint-highest for Spurs midfielders – but Ndombele’s defensive output blows his predecessor’s out of the water.
Last term, the 4-cap international completed 1.9 tackles per game on average, so Spurs fans can expect plenty of diligence and tenacity in the defensive phase.
Dribbling
While Ndombele himself told L’Equipe (via The Evening Standard) that he wants to distance himself from comparisons to Manchester United star Paul Pogba, there are undeniable similarities between the pair in terms of their ability on the ball.
Last term, the Red Devils number 6 completed 1.7 dribbles per game, while the Spurs new boy completed 1.9 and was fouled 2.1 times per game. Only five players were stopped unlawfully more frequently in the Premier League, and not one of those tricksters were playing in Tottenham white.
Powerful, explosive runs from deep are a trademark of Ndombele’s game and his quick-feet will send plenty of defenders into a twist next season.
Before Tanguy Ndombele, Spurs fans haven’t been able to vlog about a transfer since January 2018! Judging by the video below, it’s been worth the wait…
Key passes and assists
The modern game has adapted and evolved rapidly, to the point where the vast majority of players are expected to contribute to multiple phases of play.
Full-backs are asked to get forward and support the attack – to the extent in which a greater importance is placed on marauding qualities rather than fundamental defensive instincts – while defensive midfielders are often as essential in terms of creation as their attacking counterparts, take Fernandinho at Manchester City, Jorginho at Chelsea and Fabinho at Liverpool as a selection of prime examples.
Ndombele will be able to make things happen in the final third despite his expected deployment in front of the back-line, as he demonstrated last season by completing 1.4 key passes per game and chalking up an impressive seven assists.
The former SC Amiens man may have had just one goal to his name but he’ll have no problem creating goalscoring opportunities for the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, who respectively struck 17 and 12 times in the league last term.