Ligue 1 Star Tanguy Ndombele Insists He Wanted Lyon Stay Amid Summer Interest From Tottenham

Tottenham became the first club in the history of the Premier League to fail to make a signing during a summer transfer window ahead of this season, and Lyon star Tanguy Ndombele has admitted he had no interest in leaving Ligue 1 for north London in the summer.

The 21-year-old had only spent one season with the French side before being linked with a swift move away during the summer following some impressive performances during his first campaign with Lyon.

Tottenham were rumoured to have been among the clubs interested in signing the French midfielder, but Lyon refused to sell and Ndombele has insisted that he did not want to leave, telling the club’s official website, via Insidefutbol.com: “I’m happy to stay at Lyon for one more season.

“That’s what I wanted. I hope that we are going to have a great season. It was important for me as I only had one season here and I wanted to stay and continue my development.

“I want to do great things here. I have personal goals but I prefer to keep it to myself.

“I had a good season and people were not expecting me to do well at this level.”

Ndombele’s contract at the Groupama Stadium runs until 2023, and his growing stock in Ligue 1 means that any interested clubs may have to pay a premium to secure the midfielder’s services from Lyon.

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The Frenchman made 32 appearances for Bruno Genesio’s side last season after joining from Ligue 1 rivals Amiens and has already established himself as a key figure for Lyon, though he is yet to make a senior appearance for France under Didier Deschamps.