PSG transfer rumors: How Tottenham’s Tanguy Ndombele could reshape Mauricio Pochettino’s midfield

Paris Saint-Germain are currently in talks with Tottenham Hotspur’s Tanguy Ndombele over a January loan move which has the potential to not only revive the 25-year-old but also to enable the French giants to finally start to rebuild their midfield.

For years, since Thiago Motta and Blaise Matuidi’s Parc des Princes era, PSG have pinned their hopes on the fragile talent that is Marco Verratti and while there is no doubting his ability when fit, his availability often influences the Ligue 1 leaders’ fortunes.

Should Ndombele arrive this month, Mauricio Pochettino would not only be reunited with an enigmatic talent who made a promising start to life under him in London, but he would no longer need to rely on the Italy international as heavily.

Being able to construct a midfield of Verratti, Ndombele and possibly Idrissa Gueye would make Les Parisiens’ starting XI a different proposition with a 3-4-3 or 4-3-3 shapes both likely to be heavily tested by the Argentine tactician in a bid to maximize the strengths of all three ahead of their Real Madrid Champions League tie (on Paramount+).

The France international would add creativity and technique alongside Verratti but also bring a physical presence and dynamism that could help to spark an attack boasting Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi to life in the second half of the season.

Swapping Leandro Paredes for Gueye could be adventurous while Ndombele would ensure that the midfield is not as workmanlike without Verratti and Georginio Wijnaldum could also benefit from the ex-Olympique Lyonnais man’s arrival — if it goes through.

PSG have been linked with Dele Alli in the past, especially since Pochettino’s arrival, but Ndombele makes more sense as a potential fit and adds to the intrigue surrounding another possible evolution of the lavish Qatari project in Paris: Frenchification.

With Zinedine Zidane strongly tipped to take over as head coach at the end of this season and Manchester United’s Paul Pogba a free transfer target for the summer, any potential option to buy raises the prospect of PSG making a strong play to keep Kylian Mbappe by repatriating Parisian stars.

That is not to say that this move would be a no-brainer as former players such as Serge Aurier have shown that returning to the Ile-de-France region of their roots is not as easy as it seems with numerous potential pitfalls away from the pitch.

However, a return to France and Ligue 1 could equally revive Ndombele who never appeared to truly recover from Jose Mourinho’s spell in charge at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and life is certainly not easy under the demanding Antonio Conte right now.

A loan move back to familiar territory could be just what the talented midfielder from Longjumeau needs to start enjoying his soccer again and restore some of his value ahead of a potential permanent transfer come the summer.

Assuming Ndombele does make the move, suddenly it is more than just Mbappe and Kimpembe representing the French contingent with Pogba on the radar as well as RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku and Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby all potentially overseen by Zidane.

Firstly, though, Ndombele would be joining Pochettino’s squad with the aim of UEFA Champions League, Ligue 1 and Coupe de France success and his potential addition to that group could provide a big boost ahead of next month’s clash with Mbappe’s main suitors Real Madrid.