Hopefully Tanguy Ndombele can get himself back into Antonio Conte’s team, claims Jermaine Defoe
Former Tottenham star Jemaine Defoe believes that Tanguy Ndombele’s presence would be a boon for Antonio Conte’s team but revealed that the Frenchman needs to work on his performances. The midfielder has struggled to make an impact at Tottenham ever since his big-money move from Olympique Lyon.
Few players have struggled as much as Tanguy Ndombele with the Frenchman finding consistency hard to come by which has affected his performances. However, while the talent and ability still remains there, the 25-year-old was still booed off the field by Spurs’ faithful in a recent FA Cup win over Morecambe and has since been heavily linked with a move away. Things haven’t gone according to plan and reports indicated that Ndombele has also been training away from the first-team.
That has played into the possibility that he could be on his way out but Jermaine Defoe believes that Ndombele can fight his way back into Antonio Conte’s team again. The former Spurs forward admitted that the Frenchman does need to work slightly harder and show that on the field but also added that there is a chance for him to get back in. Defoe also reveals that the 25-year-old’s skillset is one that Spurs don’t have and it’s exactly what could work in his favour.
"I think being away from the group, as a player you've got to take it as a positive, because it gives you an opportunity. When you train with the group, sometimes players can train at 60 per cent because you're training with the group and you're getting coached, and you can stand and you can talk,” Defoe said, reported Sky Sports.
"When you're training one-on-one with a fitness coach, you're training at 100 per cent because there's short recovery. So if he can approach it in that way, where he thinks 'I need to get up to speed', because it's such a fantastic football club, a top manager, of course you want to get in the team and do well.
"He came for big money, he's getting good wages and at times I've seen him and I've thought, 'I like this player'. His passing, he breaks lines, intelligent play - you see him in games and you can see the potential. I think being away from the group is not always a bad thing, it's just about getting up to speed and getting those fitness levels that the manager wants and hopefully he can get himself back in the team," he added.