Ndombele rescued by Levy’s soft touch

I’m still here thanks to him, says Tanguy

DANIEL LEVY isn’t usually lauded for his emotional intelligence yet if Spurs are seeing the best of Tanguy Ndombele now, it may well have much to do with their chairman. Towards the end of his first season, in 2020, the club’s £53million record signing was called in to see Levy.

Levy was straight to the point. ‘Tell me, give me the story of why it’s not working?’ said the chairman. By degrees, Levy and player liaison officer Roberto Balbontin cajoled and encouraged the young Frenchman. ‘I’m not concentrating as I should be,’ conceded Ndombele. ‘I’m not 100 per cent.’

The more avuncular side of Levy is evident as he tells Ndombele that he was written off at school at 16 but determined to achieve top grades and make it to university, which he did. Levy attended Cambridge University, though to his credit, he doesn’t say that in the meeting, which was part of the Amazon Prime documentary behind the scenes at Spurs.

‘I am a fighter,’ responded Ndombele. ‘I’ve always fought. I’m here today because I fought. I have never given up in life or in football.’

Initially turned down by Nantes at 12, Ndombele continued to play for local clubs in the Parisian suburb of Epinay-sous-Senart before moving to Brittany at 14 to train at Guingamp, where Didier Drogba had made his name. He then moved to Amiens, just as they were promoted to Ligue 1, and then was picked up by Lyon, where he established a reputation as the next dominant midfielder emerging from France, which persuaded Spurs to sign him.

Since then, the trajectory has flatlined a tad. Yet towards the end of Jose Mourinho’s reign at Spurs and certainly last Sunday in the 3-2 win at Newcastle, the signs of that dominant midfielder are emerging.

‘It’s true that I had that meeting with the chairman,’ said Ndombele, who faces West Ham today. ‘Perhaps if I’m still at Tottenham today it’s thanks to that meeting. If a chairman is seeing something that he is not happy with, it’s normal he wants to speak to the player about it. It was a good meeting. I listened to what he had to say and he listened to me too.’

Perhaps the nadir of his time in England was the unique brand of Mourinho tough love he experienced at Burnley, where he was substituted at half-time and then singled out by the manager afterwards. Mourinho always insisted that Ndombele had the talent to succeed and accepted that the first season could be difficult. Yet he still expected more from him and Ndombele bore no grudge.

‘I am quite happy for people to tell the truth like that about me,’ he said. ‘It was hard at the start but over time we got on much better. With any manager, if I don’t like how I’m treated, I’ll say so. At the end of the day each manager is going to have their own style.’ That said, the quieter, less showy Nuno Espirito Santo might suit him better. ‘Nuno is a really nice guy but he’s a bit quieter and keeps himself to himself,’ said Ndombele.

His career has drawn comparisons with the French midfielders from Parisian suburbs who have thrived in the Premier League, from Patrick Vieira to the most recent phenomenon, N’Golo Kante. Yet playing in a more advanced position, more like a No 10, last weekend showed his versatility and attacking nature. He can clearly play the linking role between defence and attack, No 8.

‘I’m happy to play and adapt to whatever position I’m played in,’ he said. ‘I like playing in a team and we’re taking risks with the ball.’

If Spurs are beginning to find their feet, Ndombele looks to be key to the future.