A Pochettino masterstroke? – Here’s why Tottenham have struck gold by shelling out £60m to sign this 22-year-old dynamo

Spurs Opinion: The Lilywhites have made a massive statement of intent by signing Tanguy Ndombele

According to The Metro, Spurs have announced the club-record signing of Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele for a fee believed to be in the region of £60 million, making him the most expensive buy in the club’s history.

The £60 million fee paid for Ndombele smashed the Lilywhites’ previous transfer record of £42 million, which they splashed to bring Colombian centre-back Davinson Sanchez from Ajax back in 2017. (h/t Metro)

The news of Ndombele’s arrival comes just a day after Spurs ended their 18-month transfer drought with the acquisition of winger Jack Clarke from Leeds United.

While Clarke has been immediately loaned back to Elland Road, Ndombele will be expected to play a key role in the club’s surge for the Premier League title next season. (h/t Metro)

The 22-year-old becomes Tottenham’s first major signing since the acquisition of Lucas Moura from PSG back in January 2018.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino had been calling upon the board to complete a marquee signing in order to compete with the likes of Liverpool and Man City for the Premier League title and the Frenchman’s arrival is likely to go a long way towards helping him reinvigorate his project at North London.

The Mirror understands that Spurs successfully managed to beat off competition from a number of top clubs in Europe in the race to sign Ndombele, including a last-minute attempt from Man United to hijack the move.

The fans on the white half of North London have every reason to rejoice their club’s success in the transfer market and this move is likely to be a significant confidence-booster for the Lilywhites ahead of the upcoming season.

Ndombele was always going to be a hot property this summer following his impressive run in Ligue 1, as well as in the Champions League last season. The 22-year-old contributed with 3 goals and 8 assists in 49 appearances across all competitions this past season to guide Lyon to a third-place finish in the French top-flight.

The Frenchman has been a revelation in Europe since his move to Lyon from fellow Ligue 1 outfit Amiens back in the summer of 2017.

Spurs were in the market for a new deep midfielder following the departure of Mousa Dembele to China in January and it is easy to see why they have, indeed, struck gold with the signing of Tanguy Ndombele.

The Frenchman has been hailed as a complete midfielder very early in his career and the Lilywhites will be hoping that the best is yet to come from the 22-year-old.

Now, it is worth mentioning here that Ndombele could prove to be the missing link in Pochettino’s midfield, with the manager showing an inclination to use a diamond formation in the middle of the park last season. 

The likes of Mousa Dembele, Harry Winks, Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier were rotated for that holding role at the base of the diamond.

However, neither of them featured consistently enough due to recurrent injuries, whilst Christian Eriksen, Moussa Sissoko and Dele Alli exchanged roles on either side of the pitch and at the tip of the diamond in the hole behind the two strikers. 

However, with Ndombele now in the ranks, Pochettino would not only have the luxury of rotating his options effectively in the Premier League and the domestic cup competitions but the manager will also be able to field a deep midfielder without having to compensate on the creative side of things. 

As opposed to the likes of Dembele or Winks who tend to slow things down with a few extra touches on the ball or by passing it sideways, Ndombele has only one thing on his mind when he gets the ball at his feet, which is to drive forward and break the opposition’s lines with his pace and dribbling skills.

To add to that, the 22-year-old has a deadly eye for key passes and he has shown in the past that he is more than capable of chipping in with valuable contributions in terms of goals and assists.

Yet, realistically speaking, the Frenchman is also very adept at retaining possession and passing the ball around neatly without much fuss.

That, coupled with his sharpness, agility, anticipation, razor-sharp reflexes, high footballing IQ and ability to break up the play with crucial tackles and interceptions, make him a better all-around player as compared to the likes of Winks, Dier and Wanyama.

Of course, the arrival of Ndombele has also boosted Spurs’ squad depth significantly, the lack of which has often been the key reason behind their undoing in recent seasons.

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Having said that, Spurs have arguably pulled off the most lucrative transfer in the Premier League till date this summer and this move is definitely going to make a huge difference to their chances of challenging for the league title next term.