10 January Transfers Everyone Wants To See: #3 Tanguy Ndombele
No matter how good some players are, football players or otherwise – they kind of need a bigger turf or neighbourhood to show that they belong, to prove that they have the “it” factor. Such is the story of some of the most exciting professional footballers in the game today, they can only become as big as the club they play for and we have a few names that many would want to see move to other pastures. Some have been rumoured away from their clubs and some haven’t but sooner rather than later, transfers are inevitable. Are you ready for the third name on the list?
Raheem Sterling of Manchester City shoots while under pressure from Tanguy NDombele Alvaro of Lyon during the Group F match of the UEFA Champions League between Manchester City and Olympique Lyonnais at Etihad Stadium on September 19, 2018 in Manchester, United Kingdom.
(Sept. 18, 2018 - Source: Julian Finney/Getty Images Europe)
He reminds Lyon President, Jean-Michel Aulas, of Ghanaian legend, Michael Essien and has already debuted for the world champions in their competitive midfield setup at only 21-years of age. As we speak, the name Ndombele is almost synonymous to demand. The French international born of Congolese parents is part and parcel of the youthful Lyon team that has been punching way above their weight quite recently. With a super intelligent footballing brain and more than capable legs, Ndombele can and has played almost all over the pitch but remains mostly recognised for being an outstanding box to box midfielder. He first began his senior football career at Amiens, whom he helped secure promotion into the Ligue 1 before being permanently captured by Lyon after a successful loan spell in the 2017/18 season. Actually, it’s been only two years since debuting for Amiens’ first team and he has already been drawn to comparison with the likes of Kante, attracting big boys such as Barcelona, Manchester City, PSG and Chelsea in the process. No wonder he has been in the news daily, with a transfer fee in the region of 80 million euros accompanying all his headlines.
A former scout at French Ligue 1 side Guingamp, who somehow failed to spot the midfield sensation, Phillippe Lemaire didn’t do a bad job in summarising his style of play:
“He stinks of football, He is strong and precise. He feels the game. He is capable of creating lightning, to give rhythm to the game, to counterattack but also to press and regain possession.”
A lot of people should be excited of the prospect of Ndombele clashing with the likes of Sergio Busquets and Rakitic in Lyon’s round of 16 champions league fixture against Barcelona in February next year. But, will he still be in the French side’s colors by then?