Ndombele helping Tottenham reach ´another level´, says Poyet

Former Tottenham midfielder Gus Poyet praised Tanguy Ndombele for helping Spurs reach “another level” this season.

Ndombele struggled in his first season with the Premier League club after arriving from Ligue 1’s Lyon for a reported initial fee of £55.45million (€62m).

But the midfielder has looked rejuvenated this term, helping Spurs sit sixth in the table ahead of Thursday’s blockbuster clash against defending champions Liverpool.

Poyet, who played for Spurs between 2001 and 2004, said it was impressive how Ndombele had managed to turn his form around.

“From outside, this is an opinion that I hope everybody understands what I’m saying, it looks like it was not that a feeling of him being part of a [Jose] Mourinho team. It was like a conflict in there of ideas,” the former Uruguay international told Stats Perform News.

“But it looks to me that this year, after pre-season, Ndombele understands his role perfectly, is playing in a more advanced position, and is really affecting the game in an incredible way.

Nobody.

Absolutely no one.

Tanguy Ndombele… #THFC #COYS pic.twitter.com/5Qo6EMrtQK

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 17, 2021

“Which is probably what Mourinho was trying to convince him last year about certain players getting [settled] very quickly and certain players need a little bit more time.

“And the power, the quality of passing and the goals that he has scored is helping Tottenham to go to another level.

“Because let’s remember in that position we were used to seeing [Christian] Eriksen or Dele Alli and now we see Ndombele most of the time, so it’s a very good story and he could be a key player for them.”

Ndombele scored twice in Tottenham’s 4-1 FA Cup win over Wycombe on Monday, becoming the first substitute to score twice in a match for Spurs since Roman Pavlyuchenko against Birmingham City in May 2011.

He has also netted three times in his past two games in all competitions, just two fewer than he scored in his first 52 matches for the club.