Tottenham Hotspur have splashed the cash on a new holding midfielder which has left many fans at Liverpool rueing the lack of pursuit from their boss Jurgen Klopp. Lyon’s standout star Tanguy Ndombele has joined the North London club for a record £53.8m, signing a six-year contract.
Ndombele had been linked to a number of clubs this summer, including Champions League winners Liverpool. Mauricio Pochettino’s side were defeated by The Reds in that final and have responded by beating them to the signing of the 22-year-old. It is hoped that their second signing of the summer after a barren spell of 18 months with no incomings can help close the gap on Jurgen Klopp’s men – Spurs finished a colossal 26 points behind the Premier League runners-up last season.
The French international made 49 appearances for Lyon last season, scoring three goals and recording eight assists from primarily a defensive midfield position. He also featured in the Champions League which is exactly the calibre of player Pochettino needs to close in on their Premier League rivals.
Liverpool are yet to make any significant moves in the transfer market this summer with only the £1.3m arrival of 17-year-old Sepp van den Berg from PEC Zwolle which has left Liverpool fans wondering why they haven’t tried to upgrade their midfield with the signing of Ndombele.
Read a selection of Liverpool supporters’ reaction to the signing below:
As a Liverpool fan, this is why I never laughed at Spurs for beating them in the UCL final.
Something like a UCL final is a massive achievement and this is the result of that.
You can laugh at the team for losing but it's serious progression. Massive signing for Spurs. https://t.co/vI3ltZeDjQ
— Señor (@EnRouteAnfield) July 2, 2019
To be honest I do like the look of #ndombele and with James Milner getting older I can’t help but think #LFC should have tried to get him
— Manpreet Dhadwal (@ManpreetDhadwal) July 2, 2019
Ndombele is a top signing by Spurs it'll be interesting if they keep spending if Eriksen leaves or whether they are just spending that money before they get it in. Regardless i think they will fare better.
Unfairly labelled bottlers like Liverpool, but they making real progress.— Unbearable Liverpool Fan (@UnbearableLFC) July 2, 2019
I'd have given my left arm for us to have signed Ndombele. Fair play to Spurs, excellent talent who could potentially be the difference for them next season. I reckon Spurs will be top 3 material next season, though United and Arsenal could still have some good signings lined up.
— Stephen (@Stephen_LFC__) July 2, 2019
Naaaah I'm proper jealous!!!#jurgenklopp hellllooooo??? Are you not seeing this.. #Lfc #LFCFamily #Anfield
— RedMist (@TheLFCNinja) July 2, 2019
I love how Spurs signed Ndombele, Man City are about to sign Rodri and Liverpool still have versatile Lallana. Truly wonderful business, @LFC.
— Josh (@Josh_LFC4life) July 2, 2019
@SpursOfficial Signed a very good player in Tanguy Ndombele, there intentions are clear, major improvement. Meanwhile, @LFC , the European Champions are "happy with the squad"????Liverpool have cheap owners, with no ambition to win the Premier League #SSFootball
— arno rice (@ArnoRice) July 2, 2019
Yeah. I envy them. Such a good player
— Son of a sailor (@Sonofasailor1) July 2, 2019