Tottenham transfer news: £40.5m Pochettino signing 'wanted to leave Spurs this summer' | OneFootball

Michael Bridge doesn't reckon that Tanguy Ndombele is very happy at Tottenham and has urged the midfielder to "knuckle down".

Ndombele was linked with a return to Lyon this summer, according to ESPN, which could have seen him leave Spurs just two years after making the record switch from the French giants.

The 24-year-old didn't return to Ligue 1 and has since worked his way into Nuno Espirito Santo's best XI despite not yet hitting top form.

What's the latest news with Ndombele?

It probably says more about the lack of squad depth at Tottenham that Ndombele has come straight back into the team and is almost a guaranteed starter than about the Frenchman himself.

Ndombele, valued at £40.5m by Transfermarkt, has shown glimpses of his quality this season, his goals at Wolves and Newcastle just two examples, but much like the previous two campaigns, he's yet to produce on a consistent basis.

His WhoScored rating for the season is 6.74, which puts him sixth in the Tottenham squad, although he's contributed to just one league goal in five outings and has lasted 90 minutes on one occasion.

Ndombele started the defeat at West Ham on Sunday, but only Heung Min Son (5.98) was given a worse mark overall than his 6.36 from players that started the game, with the midfielder contributing little more than a defence-splitting pass through for the South Korean.

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He generally failed to show his exhilarating talent at the London Stadium and Bridge knows that Spurs need him to perform at his best on a more regular basis.

What did Bridge say?

He told GIVEMESPORT: "We all know he wanted to go and he's not massively happy, but he needs to knuckle down, for the benefit of him if he wants to be seen on the world stage.

"He's not even in the French squad, there's a reason for that."

Does Ndombele have a future at Tottenham?

You got the feeling in the summer that if someone had matched Spurs' asking-price for Ndombele, he would no longer be here.

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But he is, and for now, as Bridge reiterated, he needs to start performing. Not only is he their record signing, but  he's their joint-highest paid player along with Harry Kane and he really needs to start showing the fans what the fuss was about when he signed.

Ndombele could still prove a success in north London, but with Spurs already on four defeats for the season, now is his time to shine.