Exclusive: Ndombele tipped for Tottenham transfer after big development
Darren Bent insists he would not be surprised to see Barcelona make a move for Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Ndombele in the summer transfer window.
The former Spurs and England hitman, speaking exclusively to Football Insider correspondent Jason Jones, admits he has been frustrated with the 23-year-old’s lack of consistency since moving to north London last summer.
The France international became Spurs’ record signing for a fee said to be in the region of £55million but has struggled to make a meaningful impact for the Lilywhites.
Manager Jose Mourinho has criticised the midfielder’s fitness levels and French publication L’Equipe claim that the former Lyon man may consider his future at the club with Barcelona eyeing a potential deal.
Bent insists Ndombele is clearly a quality player but that he would not be surprised if a move to La Liga was on the cards after a difficult first season in England.
“I think Ndombele is a very good player but clearly something’s not right there,” Bent told Football Insider.
“He’s a top player but he needs to be able to play back-to-back. For whatever reason he doesn’t seem fit enough, he fades in and out of games, he just doesn’t have the impact on games that I’m sure Spurs fans were expecting.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if someone like Barcelona came in because a team like Barcelona always has possession of the ball, it’s not as frantic as the Premier League and he has got the ability.
“On the ball, he’s powerful, he can go past people, he can dribble – there’s so much he can do but for whatever reason at Spurs he cannot find his feet. I remember my first season at Spurs, I really struggled to find my feet but mine came from not playing enough games.”
Ndombele has a total of 27 appearances under his belt for Spurs, although only 19 of those have come in the Premier League.
He has not played 90 minutes in any game since the 2-2 draw with Norwich City at the end of December.
In other Tottenham news, the club are set to be “frontrunners” for a “brilliant signing” this summer, according to Bent.