The loyalty, leadership, and pure quality that Heung-min Son has displayed throughout his Tottenham Hotspur career have been remarkable.
Between signing in 2015 for £22m and wearing the armband today, the South Korean has cemented himself as not just a Spurs legend, but one of the Premier League greats.
The number seven has played 408 matches for the Lilywhites, boasting an insane record of 162 goals and 84 assists in the process.
However, not every player can amount to the brilliance of Son, including a certain record signing…
What Spurs paid for Tanguy Ndombele
In the summer of 2019, Spurs’ answer to losing in the 2018/19 Champions League final was to reinforce the midfield.
Tanguy Ndombele was the main target, and he joined the club following an impressive Ligue 1 campaign for Lyon, where he registered eight contributions in 31 starts.
The French midfielder joined for a whopping £55m, signing a six-year deal as he became Spurs’ club record signing, a status he still holds to this day.
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Initially, Ndombele looked to be a great purchase, as he scored on his debut against Aston Villa and assisted versus Manchester City on his second appearance, but since then, it hasn’t exactly gone according to plan.
Ndombele’s transfer value in 2024
The 27-year-old’s best season in a Spurs shirt occurred during the 2020/21 term, when he featured 33 times in the Premier League, starting 28 of those.
However, three years on, and he’s only made six more league starts since for Tottenham, first joining Napoli on loan and Galatasaray last season.
Unfortunately, Ndombele has been unable to revive his career away from Spurs, starting just eight times in Serie A and only on four occasions in the Turkish Superlig.
In fact, his last start occurred on 15th January, and with his lack of game time over the last few years, a change of environment looks to be the best option.
Tanguy Ndombele
91
Ivan Persisic
50
Ryan Sessegnon
57
Japhet Tanganga
50
Eric Dier
365
Now, according to a report from The Standard, Ndombele may not have a say in the matter, as Spurs are set to release him this summer for free.
It’s mentioned that he looks likely to join Ryan Sessegnon, Eric Dier, Ivan Perisic, and Japhet Tanganga on the departure list as Daniel Levy aim to complete a squad overhaul.
Over his 91 appearances for Tottenham, Ndombele was often “frustrating,” as journalist Christian Radnedge described him, mainly due to his lack of appropriate attitude.
To think that he cost over two times more than Son, for example, just puts into context how poor of a deal it was from Spurs back in 2019.
There’s no doubt that Ndombele has immense quality, and it’s a shame to see a player with so much potential fail to reach anywhere near his expectations.
The Frenchman's transfer to Spurs will go down as an absolute disaster, especially considering they won't be able to recoup even a single penny of the £55m they once spent on him.
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