A lot of the talk around north London this week has been surrounding Tanguy Ndombele’s future at Tottenham Hotspur and just days away from the derby, there is all sorts coming out behind the scenes.
Indeed, the Frenchman has been subject to controversy once again, with reports suggesting that the club are trying to move him on before Deadline Day on January 31st.
He was booed off during their FA Cup third-round victory over Morecambe on Sunday afternoon. He went straight down the tunnel after being substituted in the second half and the more raucous the crowd’s reaction was, the slower he trudged off.
A shocking sign from your club-record signing when the team was 1-0 down at the time. It’s hard to imagine any way back for him now. But we’ve been here before under both Jose Mourinho and Nuno Santo.
Has Giovani Lo Celso been a flop at Spurs?
YES!
NO!
In fact, some reports suggest that he isn’t even unhappy at the club and it will be hard enough to find an exit strategy for him when he’s rolling in £200k-per-week.
It wouldn’t be the end of the world if he did stay as he’s certainly been better than his fellow club-record arrival, Giovani Lo Celso, who in his absence delivered another shocking display during their Carabao Cup semi-final exit earlier in the week.
The Argentine playmaker, who also cost Spurs around £55m from Real Betis in August 2019, has shown an inability to beat the first man with his set-pieces – leading to a parody account being made on social media about his mistakes – whilst he has very rarely contributed in front of goal.
As per Transfermarkt, the 25-year-old midfielder has provided only eight goals and six assists across 83 appearances, nearly lower than the total number of yellow cards he’s received (13). That is a direct goal contribution of once every six matches (or once every 327 minutes).
Ndombele by comparison is clear as an attacking option. He has managed a goal or assist once every 4.7 games (or once every 271 minutes), also via Transfermarkt.
As you can see by those figures alone, the disgraced Frenchman is way, way clear of his fellow expensive flop.
Lo Celso does earn less on around £70k-per-week but that doesn’t excuse the fact that he has been absolutely stealing a living from the club, more so than Ndombele.
Now valued at just €30m (£25m) by CIES Football Observatory, perhaps it is the Argentina international who needs to be axed this month. After two-and-a-half years at the club, he is yet to show much promise at all and his stats being worse than Ndombele’s is certainly alarming.
Once dubbed “phenomenal” by Mourinho, Lo Celso’s time at Spurs must be waring thin after another disappointing outing.
AND in other news, Forget Gollini: £74k-p/w Spurs calamity who had only 21 touches failed Conte yet again…