What Declan Rice once said about 'unbelievable' Tottenham player looks really silly now after news yesterday

Arsenal star Declan Rice made a comment about Tottenham Hotspur’s Tanguy Ndombele a few years ago, and that assessment looks a bit silly now.

Rice is one of the best midfielders in the world right now. He had a phenomenal debut season at Arsenal – not just as a defensive midfielder but also as a number eight.

The latter is exactly what Tottenham wanted from Ndombele, but after five years on their books, it’s safe to say that things have not worked out for either party.

Ndombele will leave Tottenham this summer.

What Declan Rice once said about Tottenham’s Tanguy Ndombele

Tottenham beat a number of clubs in the race to sign Ndombele from Lyon in the summer of 2019.

The Frenchman was viewed as an unbelievable talent at the time. He had impressed everyone in Lyon’s colours and attracted a lot of attention.

When Tottenham signed him for a club-record fee, many people expected Ndombele to go to the next level under Mauricio Pochettino.

Even Arsenal star Rice, who is a magnificent midfielder himself, was a big fan of Ndombele after watching him in action at Lyon.

The England midfielder was convinced that Ndombele would ‘kill’ it in the Premier League. He even revealed that all the Tottenham players in the Three Lions squad thought he was ‘unbelievable’ after training with him.

That assessment looks a bit silly now after Tottenham struck a deal with Ndombele on Wednesday to terminate his contract and release him in July.

In an Instagram Live in January 2021, Rice said, as quoted by Football London: “Ndombele, I said about this guy when I watched him at Lyon. I said this guy will kill the Premier League.

“It’s obviously taken him a year to adapt for whatever reasons but he’s so silky, he’s so good.

“All the Spurs boys at England say he’s unbelievable as well so Ndombele… proper player.”

In another interview, when asked to name his toughest opponents, Rice waxed lyrical about Ndombele. He said: “This one will surprise you. He gets slammed and hammered a little bit. It’s going to take you back, but Ndombele, who was with Spurs.

“The perception of him, it shouldn’t be what it is because I tell you now, he is one of the toughest I have played against. He is top. Just a street footballer on the pitch. He takes the ball anywhere, little flicks and tricks. Like he doesn’t care.

“He does everything so confidently. With players like that, you just have to let them play. Give them the freedom to go out and do whatever they want. When we played against Lyon in the Europa League, he was incredible. He’s a top player.”

READ MORE: Mauricio Pochettino actually wanted £65m midfielder instead of Tanguy Ndombele

Why Ange Postecoglou was left unimpressed by Ndombele

When Ange Postecoglou was appointed as the Tottenham manager in the summer of 2023, he gave everybody a clean slate.

Ndombele was one of them, and after the first few training sessions together, reports claimed Postecoglou wanted to keep hold of Ndombele.

However, in the weeks that followed, it was reported that Ndombele’s ‘time-keeping and attitude’ failed to impress Postecoglou.

Tottenham then sent Ndombele on loan to Galatasaray. Even though he won the league title there, his time in Turkey was a disaster, and there was never a chance of a permanent move.

Spurs assessed their options and realised the best thing to do would be to terminate his contract and let him go once his deal with Galatasaray expires on June 30.