Tottenham Hotspur opened their chequebook for the first time in 2019 when they signed Tanguy Ndombele, having been the first club in Premier League history to go a summer transfer window without registering a new player the year before. The £53.8m spent on the French midfielder was a record for the North London club, eclipsing what they previously paid for Davinson Sanchez. In his first six months with the Lilywhites, Ndombele has impressed, but how does he stack up against his teammates?
In total, he has made 12 Premier League appearances and a further five in the Champions League. Those have yielded two goals and a further three assists. Though the 22-year-old has a lot more to his game. Spurs fans will be pleased to see him contributing to the scoresheet, directly and indirectly. To his credit, Dele Alli is the only central midfielder in the squad who has had a hand in more goals, but he is playing in a more advanced role on the field.
Compared to the man who has featured alongside Ndombele most frequently, compatriot Moussa Sissoko, the pair have scored the same number of goals, and have taken on the equal amounts of shots per game. But one area where they differ in key passes per 90, the new arrival has averaged over 1.1, while the less creative Sissoko has half that amount in the Champions League and Premier League. The only conciliation for the former Newcastle midfielder is that he has created one big chance in the Premier League, while Ndombele is yet to do so.
While Sissoko has averaged more passes this season, and with marginally higher accuracy, another area Ndombele excels at is dribbling. The summer signing has taken the ball around opponents with a frequency of 1.65 times per match, which eclipses, Sissoko, Harry Winks and Eric Dier.
Overall Spurs have added a player to their squad who is similar to Sissoko, though eight years his junior, and marginally more of an attacking threat. Ndombele offers something very different to Winks, who is better at dictating possession and Dier who occupies a more defensive role. Therefore it was a wise move to bring him over to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during the summer, and there is still plenty of room for progression yet.
