Despite Tottenham struggling for the first stages of the season under Mauricio Pochettino, Tanguy Ndombélé was one of the few success stories.
Arriving from Lyon in a €60m or so transfer, the France international didn’t take long to settle in London and adapt to Premier League football.
Injured for Mourinho’s first match in charge, Ndombélé got his first start under the Portuguese manager at the weekend against Bournemouth in a more restrained role, but still performed for 74 minutes before being taken off for Lucas Moura.
With four months now under his belt in English football, the player sat down with Foot Mercato to look back at his time at Lyon and his abrupt departure after just two seasons with the Ligue 1 side.
He said: “When I first arrived at Lyon, I didn’t think I’d leave so soon, but things happen so quickly in football. I could have left after one year. The club didn’t want me to and I wasn’t exactly for it either, but if I had needed to, I would have. Lyon kept me an extra year and then I left. Everyone was happy. It was a nice story”.
The player revealed he also could have stayed for the current campaign if he had wanted to, but, in the end, for the good of everyone involved, he decided to swap the south of France for London and try something new at Tottenham.
He explained: “For me, it wasn’t a bad time to leave, at least. I think the club thought that too, they had offers so might as well let him go now because if he flops then we’re all losers. There’s also a risk. When you have great seasons, you can stagnate after. You’re at Lyon, not at Paris Saint-Germain who keep on winning the league. It’s different”.
As for any regrets during his time at Lyon, the Tottenham midfielder admits he would have liked to win at least one title with the French club, as well as been able to say goodbye to the fans, which he never got the chance to do.
