Even with the title virtually wrapped up by the turn of the year, Guardiola didn’t want to risk being left short at the back. Last summer, Tanguy Ndombele became the most expensive signing in Tottenham’s history with a transfer fee of €60m.
Perhaps Mourinho should restrict this sort of thing to the dressing room, but managers tend to escalate tactics like this: If a quiet word doesn't work, have a go in front of the squad. Mourinho has done it at basically every club he has been at, which might be a sign that he should try something different, but equally it's not a technique that only he uses.If Ndombele actually isn't fit enough -- in the cardiovascular sense, not just free from injury -- to compete at the levels of intensity required, then arguably he deserves to be criticised. As such, he could represent an ‘and’ rather than ‘or’ in the case of Guardiola’s plans to strengthen his midfield. Tanguy Ndombele vs Jose Mourinho. The Premier League champions are not alone in tracking Ndombele, who Lyon are prepared to cash in on over the next two windows - and if he maintains this form, he will be the subject of a bidding war among some of Europe’s top clubs. And with City’s hierarchy in attendance in Lyon - including chairman Khaldoon al Mubarak and director of football Txiki Begiristain - the opportunity was there to register firm interest, just as they did in the case of Fred at Shakhtar Donetsk at around this stage last season. You wonder about the effect -- not just on Ndombele but on the rest of the squad -- that such a public roasting will have and if this really is the best way to boost morale. The powerhouse had steam-rolled City’s midfield in the French side’s 2-1 win at the Etihad in September - and they simply couldn’t get to grips with him again in the Groupama Stadium. Guardiola defends Jesus after 104 days without Premier League goal But his priority right now is a dominant holding midfielder to provide competition for Fernandinho. Latest Premier League and sport news LIVE: Tottenham reject Tanguy Ndombele-Aaron Ramsey swap bid, Ex-Wigan chairman ‘devastated’ by administration, Gabriel Martinelli signs new Arsenal deal Holding midfield is one such area, with 33-year-old Fernandinho having no natural back up. ) Given his pace and physicality, there would be few concerns about his ability to adapt to English football, much like Mendy. Their next league action is a week from Monday, when they travel to Goodison Park for the Merseyside derby, and in the interim, Manchester City play twice, against Arsenal and Burnley. The then-club record signing of Aymeric Laporte last January was born out of a fear City were too reliant on John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi. Are you sure you want to mark this comment as inappropriate? Rodri and Tanguy Ndombele are two new Premier League signings that were most talked about the day they were signed. One fan has now made a highlight reel of Ndombele’s best bits against Man City in the 2-2 draw and it is impressive, to say the least. 24 Along with Guardiola and chief executive Ferran Soriano, Khaldoon and Begiristain effectively make up a four-man transfer committee, constantly assessing potential fault lines in City’s squad that could ultimately undermine their pursuit of trophies. If so, the defeat at Selhurst Park will act as a bucket of cold water to the face.Wolves might have missed an opportunity to keep up with the Champions League contenders by First, the cross: Centre-backs shouldn't be able to cross like Sheffield United have surprised a lot of people this season, and this was just another way they have done that. Tanguy Ndombele to Man City: Don’t be surprised if Pep Guardiola makes his move after Champions League display After the dizzying high of beating Liverpool last weekend, the realities of the Premier League survival fight kicked in with the grimness of returning from an exhilarating holiday to a week of constant drizzle, with "We've missed an opportunity in many ways," coach Nigel Pearson said after the game. Tanguy Ndombélé, 23, from France Tottenham Hotspur, since 2019 Central Midfield Market value: £40.50m * Dec 28, 1996 in Longjumeau, France "This is armchair psychology, but could this be a strange negative consequence of the Liverpool victory, the belief that came from that translating into overconfidence, the idea that they could do anything when in fact they just needed to do enough? Jose Mourinho may have tried to play the rift down after the 2-0 win against West Ham, however reports keep … The France international moved from Lyon to north London in a club-record deal whic… Bawling out a player in public is risky: The best case scenario is that he responds and improves, and the worst case is it alienates the entire squad.But on Saturday against Southampton, Saint-Maximin was exactly the opposite, ruthlessly pressing Will Watford look back on this weekend and curse themselves for missing a golden opportunity?
Guardiola still hasn’t given up on one day landing the World Cup winner. Then, if there's still no response, the next step is to use the camera and the microphone.This, admittedly, is supposition, and it could fail quite badly. He's such an intense character that we know he's probably fretting horribly behind the scenes -- and rightly so.The balance of his defence has been a problem all season, which has a knock-on impact on the midfield, and if that weren't enough, he now has to worry about his goalkeeper, Perhaps this is inevitable considering that all of their Premier League games since around December have essentially been pointless, so All of these weaknesses will inevitably carry over into their European encounters, and you can be sure that Zinedine Zidane has been watching closely.Liverpool could be champions by the time they next play.