Tottenham Hotspur loanee Tanguy Ndombele has claimed that his departure from the club was due to former manager Antonio Conte. Ndombele, who joined Spurs in 2019 for €62m, was one of the players deemed surplus to requirements by Conte during the summer transfer window.
Along with Giovani Lo Celso, Sergio Reguilon, and Harry Winks, Ndombele was left out of the squad that travelled to South Korea for pre-season friendlies and was subsequently loaned out to Italian side Napoli.
In an interview with So Foot (via Gianluca Di Marzio) Ndombele revealed his frustrations at being forced out of the club, stating that “with Conte there was no choice, I would have liked to demonstrate my value on the pitch but I was on the edge of the group. It was communicated to me from the first day of training with the team.”
The midfielder also expressed his disappointment at feeling like a commodity rather than a person, stating that he works constantly to improve his game.
He said:
“I don’t know what my future will be, many fans ask me to return to Tottenham but the clubs will decide and Napoli have an option to buy.”
“I don’t mind being on loan here but sometimes I see footballers being treated more like commodities than people.”
“There was no other solution with Tottenham and I’m happy I chose Napoli.”
“With Conte there was no choice, I would have liked to demonstrate my value on the pitch but I was on the edge of the group. It was communicated to me from the first day of training with the team.”
“I am listless? It’s a label that I’ve always had, from school to the field. But it’s not like that, on the contrary I work constantly to improve.”
Despite the loan move, Ndombele’s future at Tottenham remains uncertain.
With Conte now gone, it will be interesting to see how Ndombele’s future at the club unfolds. If he manages to impress Conte’s replacement in pre-season, he may be able to secure a place in the team.
At the same time, Napoli also have an option to buy him on a permanent deal at the end of the loan period.
However, with his asking price reportedly deemed too steep by Napoli director Cristiano Giuntoli, it remains to be seen whether the Italian side will make his move permanent.
