Tanguy Ndombele seems to be off to a rocky start at Galatasaray. The midfielder, who is currently on loan from Tottenham, is reportedly in a feud with Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk. The main bone of contention? Ndombele’s fitness, or rather, the lack thereof.
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Ndombele’s career has been far from smooth sailing. Since his £63 million move to Spurs in 2019, he has struggled to make a significant impact. Despite still being under contract with Tottenham, he has only managed to make 91 appearances for the club. Now, he finds himself on his third consecutive loan spell, with stints at Lyon, Napoli, and now Galatasaray.
His time in Turkey, however, has not been without drama. Ndombele has played just 123 minutes across all competitions this season, and it’s his lack of fitness that’s drawing concern. It’s reported that Manager Buruk is waiting for Ndombele to shed some excess weight and reduce his body fat percentage to an acceptable level. Apparently, Tanguy Ndombele was on the heavy side when he joined the club, and the target weight is 75 kilograms.
What’s added fuel to the fire in this fitness feud is an incident following Ndombele’s brief appearance in a Champions League match against Bayern Munich. Instead of sticking to a healthy diet provided by the team hotel, Ndombele allegedly ordered a burger upon his return. This decision didn’t sit well with the management.
As a result, Buruk had a stern meeting with Ndombele, making it clear that the Frenchman won’t be on the field until he meets the weight and body fat expectations. Consequently, Tanguy Ndombele was absent from the recent league game against Rizespor.
It remains to be seen if Ndombele can shape up to meet the club’s standards, but if not, it looks like he might be in for a challenging season. His struggles with fitness continue to be a talking point, and the feud with the manager only adds to the drama surrounding his career.
