Tanguy Ndombele's club-record move to Tottenham was far from completed when the Frenchman traveled to London on Tuesday morning, with the midfielder only making a final decision on the switch during the two-hour trip to the capital.
The 22-year-old signed a long-term deal with Spurs from Lyon for a club-record fee of €60m plus €10m in bonuses, putting an end to speculation that had seen him linked with moves to Manchester United and Juventus this summer.
According to L'Equipe, Ndombele was still unsure whether to put pen to paper on the deal with Mauricio Pochettino's side, with the French publication revealing that the midfielder hadn't even brought any specific items of clothing to wear for his eventual unveiling.
Juventus had initially seized the initiative after multiple meetings with the player's camp, only for the Serie A outfit to dwell on the move allowing Tottenham time to take advantage.
Secret meetings at the tail end of June saw Pochettino meet with the player alongside his assistant Miguel D’Agostino, where he supposedly told the player (as quoted by Get French Football News): “I know that it is going to be difficult but I want to keep you as the Tanguy that you are. The Tanguy who pushes on, who breaks the lines."
At this point, the Bianconeri were busy finalising a deal for Adrien Rabiot, while United also delayed their negotiations to sort out Paul Pogba's future, which presented Spurs chairman Daniel Levy with the chance to meet with Lyon's president Jean-Michel Aulas - where a deal was agreed between the two clubs.
Meanwhile, talks progressed with Ndombele's entourage, who achieved their goal of making the player one of the highest earners at the club with the deal finally being concluded on Tuesday afternoon.
Source :
90min
