Spurs’ £165k-per-week flop has become their worst signing since Ndombele

The Daniel Levy era at Tottenham Hotspur has been a total rollercoaster, one that’s not just been encapsulated by years of mediocrity on the pitch, but their dealings off the pitch too.

While their recruitment is getting better, notably preparing for the future by bringing the likes of Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and highly-rated defender Luka Vuskovic to the club, they have still wasted several hundreds of millions on players who simply haven’t cut it.

In recent years we’re talking about the likes of £60m Richarlison, £ 25m Yves Bissouma, £25m Emerson Royal and £ 55m Young Lo Celso.

One of the worst, however, was the ill-fated Tanguy Ndombele move.

Why Ndombele’s Spurs move was such a disaster

The year was 2019 and the month was July. It was the summer window and Levy knew he needed to spend to take Spurs to the next level.

Spend he did, splashing out a club-record fee at the time of £55m on Ndombele. The Frenchman arrived from Lyon with some suggesting he was the dream replacement for the much-loved Mousa Dembele.

You could see why such a comparison was being made. Ndombele was a powerful carrier, his technical ability was first-class and he could affect games in both boxes.

He moved from Ligue 1 having scored three goals and supplied eight assists in the 2018/19 campaign. The Frenchman – capped seven times – never replicated those numbers in the white of Spurs, however.

In fact, across 91 outings for the club, he only amassed nine assists and netted ten goals. He wasn’t explicitly signed for his ability to contribute in the final third but for the price tag and the hype, you’d expect better.

So, why did it not work out? Well, not only did he suffer from injuries, missing several games through a groin problem, but he didn’t particularly work hard enough. That was the view of many people, chiefly Jose Mourinho.

“We had to start with him as a No 10,” the former Spurs boss explained. “He didn’t have the discipline, the strength or the stamina to be a midfield player.”

One training ground source encapsulated it perfectly. Speaking to the Athletic, they said at the time: “Tanguy is the maverick of the team, he can do stuff that nobody else can do. Incredibly talented, incredible ability, just sometimes you just want to be like, ‘Tanguy you’re so good, just do the basics’.”

Well, after never really making the grade in north London, he finally left England behind in June 2024 when his contract was cancelled.

Spurs haven’t exactly done great things in the market since then, and that’s typified by Timo Werner‘s move.

Spurs’ worst signing since Ndombele

While the likes of Richarlison, Lo Celso and Bissouma – all signing since Ndombele – haven’t exactly set the world alight, they have at least made positive contributions.

The Brazilian scored 12 goals in all competitions last termwhile Lo Celso had some memorable moments, netting against Manchester City in 2023/24 and playing an important role in the team through the middle stages of Ange Postecoglou’s debut year at the helm.

However, for Werner, he hasn’t had many memorable moments at all. While Ndombele is certainly the worst of the bunch, the German has flopped in a similar way.

Of course, being a loan move, there hasn’t been a whole wad of cash wasted here but if anything has been wasted, it’s time and effort to get a deal over the line.

The former Chelsea attacker initially signed in January of 2024 on loan and did make an impact in the back end of that season, scoring twice and supplying three assists in 13 outings.

As a consequence, his loan move in England was extended over the summer, keeping him at the club until the end of the current campaign. Sadly, it just hasn’t been worthwhile.

The £165k-per-week earner has only scored once all campaign – a goal in the Carabao Cup – and has three assists in the Premier League.

The nadir of his time at the club was definitely against Tamworth in the FA Cup back in January. Spurs nearly lost the game and Werner notably underperformed with podcaster and content creator Will Reyner suggesting “he looks comfortably the worst player on the pitch against a non-league side.” Damning words indeed.

He’s not just frustrated supporters but he’s also annoyed Postecoglou who notably laid into the Germany international back in December after a performance against Rangers, suggesting his performance was “not acceptable”. Tell us how you really feel, Ange.

Also described as a “weird” signing by ESPN pundit Don Hutchinsonis it really a surprise that Spurs are set to pass on their option to buy the 29-year-old at the end of his loan this summer?

It was reported that Levy could exercise a £8.5m buy option but it’s suggested that he will head back to RB Leipzig in the summer.

That is certainly the right decision for a player who has flopped just as hard as Ndombele did in Spurs colours.