“Before – not after – every player, there is a person,” muses Franck Haise. The new Nice manager gained fame for maximizing player potential during his tenure at Lens, from reviving careers like Wesley Saïd’s to elevating players like Jonathan Gradit and Florian Sotoca from amateur football to Champions League experience in their later years.
“There’s nothing magical,” Haise asserts. “I don’t possess a wand. It’s all about fostering a connection.” Numerous theories exist regarding why Tanguy Ndombele didn’t thrive at Tottenham, but perhaps his previous managers’ failure to establish this bond was a key factor.
“Tanguy is someone you always expect more from… The impression is he always has more to offer. He never reaches the limits of effort, sacrifice, or even ambition,” was José Mourinho’s assessment of the former France international. Over Mourinho’s two seasons at Tottenham, Ndombele appeared 57 times across all competitions, yet the Portuguese manager could never consistently elicit the performance level that led Tottenham to make him their record signing in 2019.
A series of loan spells—first to Lyon, then Napoli, and finally Galatasaray—failed to reignite Ndombele’s career. With one year left on his contract, Spurs and Ndombele mutually agreed to terminate the €62m deal, cutting their losses.
“Abroad was tough,” Ndombele said upon returning to France, joining Nice on a free transfer. “He made a lot of effort to come here,” shared Nice’s sporting director, Florian Maurice. Given Nice’s well-documented financial constraints, Ndombele took a significant pay cut to reboot his career.
“I wanted to return to France, where I feel more comfortable, and I’m also at a stage in my career where I want to play more,” Ndombele explained. Despite limited game time last season, he has started in all five of Nice’s Ligue 1 matches this campaign, after just four league starts for Galatasaray last season. His last five consecutive league starts were during a stint at Tottenham in September-October 2021.
He’s not just starting games but also dictating them, as seen in Nice’s historic 8-0 win over Saint-Étienne. Ndombele scored his first goal for his new club on the night, celebrating Nice’s 120th anniversary. “It’s a night that will be etched in everyone’s memory, certainly mine,” Haise reflected. For Ndombele, it was a night hinting at brighter days ahead.
At just 27, his best years may still lie ahead. The environment at Nice seems more conducive to his success than Tottenham; some players aren’t suited to being uprooted from their comfort zones, and Ndombele appears to be one of them.
“He needs—and he’s not alone—a climate of trust, which is what we’re striving to provide,” Haise noted. “But beyond the club’s atmosphere, it’s Tanguy primarily ensuring things are going well.” Ndombele ranks third in Ligue 1 for take-ons and is in the top 10 for key passes, fouls drawn, and expected assists.
That flair, which waned during his demoralizing time at Tottenham, is returning. “Little by little, we’re rediscovering the player we knew a few years ago,” Maurice observed. Without the price tag pressure, back in a familiar setting, and crucially, with his manager’s trust, Ndombele’s shattered confidence is being rebuilt.
“From what I see in his matches, I think in terms of confidence, it’s going pretty well,” Haise said. “Confidence comes from hard work and investment.” These traits were notably absent during Ndombele’s time at Tottenham, especially under Mourinho, but the former Lyon midfielder has turned a new leaf.
With upcoming fixtures against Lens, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Sociedad before the international break, tougher challenges await Ndombele and Nice, but the signs of revival are clear.
