Tottenham frustration as midfield flop labelled ‘master of tempo’ after win for loan side

Tottenham will no doubt feel the frustration after one of their January loan exits, Tanguy Ndombele, was given rave reviews after Lyon’s win on Saturday.

The club’s record signing returned to his old side on a temporary basis last month, with a view to a permanent switch in the summer. Indeed, Ndombele was one of a number of so-called flair players shown the door by Antonio Conte, with Dele Alli, Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gill also leaving.

Ndombele did struggle in his first outing for his old club, a 2-0 loss to Monaco on February 5. However, he started Saturday’s clash with Nice and pulled the strings in a 2-0 triumph.

The France international grabbed as assist and was dubbed the ‘master of tempo’ by L’Equipe in their player ratings.

Indeed, Ndombele was given an 8/10 for his performance. That mark is considerably high by L’Equipe’s normally harsher standards.

The performance will be even more galling for Tottenham fans and probably boss Antonio Conte, given how the Spurs midfield was largely dominated by Southampton in midweek.

Conte’s men will face another strong engine room on Sunday when Wolves come to town.

The partnership of Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves have been labelled better than anything Conte can call upon.

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However, the Italian is expected to mix things up by handing a first start to January signing Rodrigo Bentancur against Bruno Lage’s men.

The Uruguay international made a big impression when he replaced Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg against Saints.

He could start alongside the Dane against Wolves, with Harry Winks the man most likely to drop out.

Paratici steps midfielder chase

Meanwhile, Tottenham director of football Fabio Paratici is prioritising a free transfer for AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie, according to a report.

Spurs boss Antonio Conte wasted no time reshaping his squad in his first transfer window at the club. While he signed two new players in Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur, he focused heavily on player exits.

And after letting four first-team players leave on a mix of loan and permanent deals, Conte labelled his team more “complete”.

As such, while Bentancur and Kulusevski settle in at Tottenham, the focus is slowly turning to the summer transfer window.

Reports have claimed that Ivory Coast international midfielder Kessie is a firm transfer target. He is into the final six months of his Milan contract but looks highly unlikely to stay at the club.

Tottenham had links with a move for Kessie ahead of the January transfer window. Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Manchester United are also in the race.

Paratici concerned by Liverpool interest

Further reports have claimed that Liverpool are pondering a potential deal for the 25-year-old.

As a result, Sport has claimed that Tottenham transfer chief Paratici is now prioritising a move for Kessie.

While Conte admires the midfielder, Paratici also tried to sign him when in charge of Juventus’ football operations.

Indeed, the Spanish source claims that Paratici ‘knows Kessie very well’ and has not lost interest.

The player is currently free to talk to Tottenham and other clubs outside of Italy due to his contractual situation.

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