On the latest episode of the Last Word On Spurs podcast, Ricky Sacks, Jamie Brown and Sky Sports’ Lyall Thomas have been discussing the latest goings-on at Tottenham Hotspur, with a focus on some of the transfer deals that could potentially happen during the summer window.
One topic of discussion on the recent podcast, which was titled ‘Summer Transfer Window (Ft. Lyall Thomas)‘, was the potential swap deal of Tanguy Ndombele and Inter Milan defender, Milan Skriniar. It has been suggested in recent weeks that Antonio Conte’s side are keen on signing the French midfielder this summer, and are reportedly willing to offer the Slovakian international in return.
Here’s what the Sky Sports pundit had to say about these rumours on the podcast:
“Skriniar, for me, is exceptional. I really think he’s a top defender and he’s in his prime as well. He could get better, but he is already consistently very, very good in the Italian league.
“I think that name has emerged because Inter have some interest in Ndombele.
“Skriniar would be a great player to bring in, somebody that would cost far too much money if you were to pay for him up front this summer, but if other players were involved, it might be a bit more manageable, but unfortunately, I’ve been told repeatedly that Tottenham don’t want to sell Ndombele, especially the chairman.
“They’ve obviously made a considerable investment in him and they still see him as being a top talent in the future, somebody with loads of potential and somebody that could be a really important player for the squad.”
TIF Thoughts…
Although Ndombele has struggled with his fitness and failed to really make an impact on the first team during his debut season with the North London club, you can understand Thomas’ point about Daniel Levy being keen to keep him, especially when you consider that he was bought for a club-record fee last summer.
Meanwhile, Skriniar was not hugely impressive for Inter in the most recent Serie A season; averaging a 6.61 rating across 32 appearances (per Whoscored).
Who would you rather have in the Spurs squad?
Skriniar
Ndombele
However, he is valued at £43.2 million by Transfermarkt which is slightly more than Nodmbele’s £40.5 million value, which suggests that this would be a fair swap in terms of player value, but from what Thomas says, it seems as if the Lilywhites are keen to see the former Lyon man establish himself as a key player in Mourinho’s squad.