“I don’t expect him to walk on water”- Paolo Di Canio takes a brutal dig at Tottenham loanee

Paolo Di Canio takes a brutal dig at Tottenham loanee and Napoli midfielder Tanguy Ndombele

Tanguy Ndombele signed for Tottenham Hotspur from Olympique de Lyonnais for a club record fee of £65million in the summer of 2019, and signed a long-term contract that only expires in 2025.

As a result, Spurs would have faced natural difficulties in trying to offload him – which they desperately wanted to this summer. Trying to sell a player permanently with three years on his contract could have driven away suitors, considering the initial amount Spurs paid for him to Lyon.

Moreover, his performances have been nothing short of forgettable for Spurs in recent seasons. His salary, which is believed to be in the region of £200,000-a-week, also would have complicated loan transfers.

However, Tottenham found a buyer in Napoli and let the French international leave on a temporary spell. His contract with the Serie A club entails a buy option whereby Napoli could purchase him permanently next season for a fee of €30million, as per Fabrizio Romano.

Di Canio has a point

Ndombele has only managed to play 58 minutes of league football in the Serie A this season and did not start in Napoli’s heroic 4-1 thrashing of Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League group stages.

A criticism often thrown the France international’s way is that he doesn’t seem to put in a shift on the pitch, especially when out of possession. Di Canio, who formerly played as a striker for West Ham United, has made a similar remark.

In a scathing assessment of the 25-year-old midfielder, the Italian icon told Calcio Napoli (h/t Football.London):

“If [Luciano] Spalletti works a miracle, I will take my hat off. This guy doesn’t want to sacrifice himself without the ball. I don’t expect him to walk on water, but if he at least swam it’d be a resounding success.”

Ndombele is a talent that seems to be going to waste. At 25, he still has a lot of years ahead of him but whether he fulfils his potential or not depends majorly on one man – and that is Tanguy Ndombele himself.