Tottenham have released Tanguy Ndombele from his contract one year early.
The French midfielder joined from Lyon in 2019 for a club record fee of £55 million.
3
However, the 27-year-old only made 91 appearances in five years and has not played for the club since January 2022.
That day, Spurs were 1-0 down against Morecambe in the third round of the FA Cup and left the field sluggishly after being substituted.
This angered the fans, who loudly booed their player for his antics before their team scored three goals in 14 minutes to secure a narrow victory over the underdogs.
Since then, Ndombele has been loaned to his former teams Lyon, Napoli and Galatasaray.
He has won league titles with the last two, although mostly as a substitute, and he has played in the Champions League.
However, Ndombele will not get a chance to make amends in North London as the club has confirmed his departure.
In a statement, Spurs said: “The club can confirm the departure of Tanguy Ndombele following the mutual termination of his contract with effect from 30 June and at the end of his current loan period.”
“The midfielder joined from Olympique Lyonnais in July 2019, scored on his debut against Aston Villa and went on to make 91 appearances for us in all competitions, scoring 10 goals.
“During his time here last season, Tanguy spent time on loan at Lyon, Napoli and Turkish Süper Lig club Galatasaray.
“We wish Tanguy all the best for the future.”
Ndombele is said to have received a weekly salary of around £200,000.
Spurs fans will be disappointed with the player’s departure as he has great talent but was unable to capitalise on it.
3
Ndombele scored on his Premier League debut against Aston Villa and then scored a crucial goal against Manchester United, while also providing eight assists.
Tottenham’s managers were also angry with the player.
During his tenure, Jose Mourinho said: “Tanguy, I have to be honest, Tanguy is the kind of guy you always expect more from than he gives you because he is so talented that you always expect more.”
“More because his talent is incredible. You know, I think in terms of his talent, his play in midfield and his vision, he is unmatched in European football at the moment.
3
“But you always have the feeling that he has more to give. He never reaches the limits of his effort, his willingness to sacrifice or even his ambition.
“So he’s the guy that I love as a player, but he frustrates me a little bit because I think he could be a lot better, a lot better than he is.
“For example, when I see France and Tanguy didn’t play, I don’t blame Didier. [Deschamps]. I blame Tanguy because he is better than the other guys.
“He should show that every day in training and in every game.”
Speaking about Ndombele’s problems at Spurs, Antonio Conte said in 2021: “I have seen many managers struggle with his position.
“He has the quality. He has to understand that it is a team and he has to play into the team. It is important to do what the position requires of you.”
“We work very hard. He has to work much harder than the others. He has talent, but he has to use it for the team, not for the individual player.”
The news comes just days after Spurs released Ryan Sessegnon, Eric Dier, Ivan Perisic and Japhet Tanganga.