Napoli chief Cristiano Guintoli reveals long-standing interest in Tottenham Hotspur’s Tanguy Ndombele
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tanguy Ndombele joined Serie A giants Napoli on a season-long loan this season. He clearly struggled for playing time under manager Antonio Conte.
It became clear this year that the Frenchman was surplus to requirements at N17, which is why he was allowed to join Olympique de Lyonnais on loan in January. Now, he will ply his trade in Naples this season.
According to Napoli director Cristiano Guintoli, Ndombele is a player Napoli have wanted for a while. The Frenchman signed for Spurs from Lyon in 2019. He said on Radio Kiss Kiss (h/t Fabrizio Romano):
“We wanted Tanguy Ndombele since long time. We already had talks with Tottenham few years ago but now the great relationship with their board helped us to reach an agreement on loan with buy option.”
However, the Napoli chief claims they wanted to sign the 25-year-old a few years ago. They failed to get a deal across the line back then but the installation of Serie A veterans Conte and Fabio Paratici in Spurs’ staff room could have helped Napoli sign their man.
At least that’s what Guintoli’s aforementioned words indicate. This deal seems like a win-win for the parties involved.
Manager Luciano Spalletti gets a very able midfielder in their ranks while the player gets the chance to impress manager Didier Deschamps before he releases his 26-man shortlist for the FIFA World Cup in November.
The deal apparently has an option to buy the midfielder, which Spurs fans would hope is activated – unless the France international turns his career around and shows that he can be an asset to our midfield once again.
More Tottenham News:
- Fabrizio Romano explains why Tottenham jumped the gun with Destiny Udogie transfer
- Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg makes admission about ‘crazy’ Richarlison
- Tottenham star Eric Dier credits Antonio Conte for the best form of his career
So far, he has managed just 57 minutes of league football for Napoli across three games.
