Jamie Carragher recently opened up about a private conversation he had with former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino, shedding light on the contrasting views of Pochettino and José Mourinho regarding Tanguy Ndombele.
Ndombele, who was brought to Spurs from Lyon in 2019 for a club-record €62 million, was seen as a transformative player, but his time in North London was marked by inconsistency.
Pochettino, the man responsible for the big money signing, believed strongly in the French midfielder’s talent.
Despite the struggles the player faced at Spurs, Pochettino maintained optimism, convinced that the player could make a major impact on the team.
Carragher shared that Pochettino defended Ndombele during a Champions League meeting, expressing his confidence that the midfielder was a “good player” despite his underwhelming performances.
Ndombele’s inconsistency saw him fall out of favor under Mourinho, who employed a much tougher approach to the player.
The Sky Sports pundit recalled a famous incident during a game against Burnley, where Mourinho substituted Ndombele before half-time.
The decision drew attention and criticism, but Carragher noted that Mourinho’s frustration reflected Ndombele’s poor performances.
Speaking on The Overlap, the former Liverpool defender said:
“He was lazy, wasn’t he? I remember analysing him on a game, yeah. I remember a game away at Burnley because I looked at it on the Monday Night Football. Did Jose bring him off before half-time? It was something that stood out.
“I did analysis on him, because at the time everyone was having a go at Jose and I was almost sort of defending him and saying ‘well that’s why he’s done it’, and then a few weeks later, I bumped into Pochettino at a Champions League game at Anfield.
“He’d brought him and he was adamant saying ‘no, you’ve got it wrong, this fella’s a good player’, obviously he brought him in, but he never, ever showed anything did he?”
Despite Pochettino’s early hopes, Ndombele never reached the heights expected of him at Tottenham. His inconsistent form and perceived lack of work ethic ultimately led to his departure from the club.
Earlier this summer, Spurs mutually agreed to terminate his contract, allowing him to return to France, where he signed a two-year deal with Nice.
This marked the end of a disappointing chapter for both the player and the club.
