‘No club interested’ in Spurs flop but Atletico eye €30m team-mate

Joe Williams
Spurs midfielder Tanguy Ndombele walks past Antonio Conte

Spurs will struggle to get Tanguy Ndombele off their books in the January transfer window, according to reports.

The Frenchman, the club’s record signing, angered Spurs fans in their 3-1 FA Cup win over Morecambe after he took an age to leave the field when substituted with his side 1-0 down with only 21 minutes remaining, leading to boos for the midfielder.

In an apparent act of defiance, Ndombele, who appeared to walk slower when the boos started, went straight down the tunnel so missed his team-mates scoring three goals in the final 16 minutes to survive a cup upset.


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Ndombele has divided opinion ever since joining Tottenham from Lyon for £62.8m in July 2019, with his lack of effort frustrating supporters despite his obvious talent.

And there have been rumours that Spurs will do everything they can to get his £200k-a-week wages off their books in January but The Sun have now claimed that is unlikely to happen.

The report insists that Tottenham and Ndombele ‘could be priced out of a parting of the ways this month’ with ‘no club interested’ in the ‘flop’.

Spurs ‘want to offload the expensive midfield misfit but there are currently no clubs willing or able to splash out on the player’ and the north London club ‘will have to take a massive financial hit if they consider loan moves or part-exchange deals’.

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte said of the fans’ reaction to Ndombele against Morecambe: “I was so focused on the game because we were losing 1-0. This type of situation, they are in football.

“You have to be good to try to change your opinion. If someone is disappointed with you. It’s normal.

“I was a player and it happened sometimes to me that someone was unhappy with my performance. This is our life. I repeat, it’s OK. We have to continue to work and try to be better next time.

“We have to know very well that if we perform well, the fans are happy. If you don’t perform well, the fans are not happy. This is football. If we think the fans have to be happy any time, if you win or lose, I think that’s not right.

“Me, for sure, when I don’t win, I’m not happy, I am upset and I think that is OK.”

Giovani Lo Celso is another player who could leave Tottenham in this transfer window with Spanish website Fichajes claiming his ‘departure seems to be imminent’.

Lo Celso, who was signed for around €30m in January 2020 after Spurs made his loan move from Real Betis permanent, wants to play regularly somewhere to increase his chances of being selected for Argentina’s World Cup campaign later this year.

The 25-year-old is considered a ‘market opportunity’ with Atletico Madrid showing the most interest in the midfielder.

The report adds that Tottenham ‘wouldn’t frown upon’ his exit back to La Liga but there is yet to be contact between Atletico and the Premier League outfit.