Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish has claimed that Tottenham may be planning a ‘system reboot’, following claims that Antonio Conte is receptive to offers for Tanguy Ndombele (Football Insider). 

The Lowdown: Receptive to offers for Ndombele

Since the Italian’s arrival in N17, Ndombele has played just five minutes of Premier League football. After arriving at Tottenham in the summer of 2019 for a club record fee of £54m, the Frenchman has struggled to establish himself as a key component of this Spurs side, with just six goals and four assists in 61 top-flight appearances.

Despite being under contract to the club until 2025, it is reported that Conte has made it clear to the club’s powerbrokers that they should be receptive to offers for Ndombele. This comes amid reports that Juventus are interested in singing the Frenchman in the January transfer window.

The Latest: Pundit claims system reboot is needed

Speaking to Football Insider in the wake of these reports, former Premier League manager McLeish claimed that Tottenham are right to trim the squad of inconsistent players like Ndombele.

He said: “You have to regroup as a squad at some point. For a pretty long time, there have been players who haven’t quite made the grade at Spurs, who haven’t been able to sustain themselves at the top level.

“The consistency is key. How many times have we said ‘he was great last week’ and then we don’t speak about him for 10 weeks as he isn’t playing.

“So I think there has to be a bit of a system reboot. That will mean some players have to leave and you say goodbye.“

The Verdict: Reboot necessary for top four push

Despite Ndombele being called  ‘magnificent’ by former Tottenham manager José Mourinho, it is clear that Conte does not hold a similar opinion of the midfielder; and with the 24-year-old having a current market value of £40.5m, this could be the right time to offload him. This comes as Spurs are reportedly planning ‘the biggest window in the club’s history’, with suggestions that as many as 10 transfers could be completed between incomings and outgoings.

With a bid for Champions League qualification in mind, Conte will surely not mess about when it comes to dropping players from the squad. The Italian has already called on Ndombele to ‘work much more than the others’, so if he doesn’t see results, we could see the player leave the club in January, as McLeish has seemingly hinted.

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