Tottenham just received an untimely Iliman Ndiaye jibe
Everyone has it in for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club at the moment. Resentment is rife among rival supporters, who seem to believe the Lilywhites had no right to spend as wildly as they did off the back of two consecutive 17th-place finishes.
Our shiny new toys, particularly £100m man Sandro Tonali, are being scrutinised to the nth degree, and the club's sluggish start to the season has been pounced upon.
Some have labelled it the worst transfer window in history, genuinely.
There's no doubt that the mood soured in N17 towards the end of the summer, as we wrapped up our business by completing a double Chelsea swoop. Tosin Adarabioyo came in to replace Kevin Danso, while Mykhailo Mudryk was the shock pivot from priority winger targets.
Spurs had wanted Cody Gakpo, then Iliman Ndiaye, but eventually struck a loan deal for the Ukrainian, who's been out of the game for two years.
To go from the dazzling Ndiaye to one-dimensional speedster Mudryk representing a bitter disappointment, and the Senagelese international has explained why Spurs supporters will have to spend the next year watching Mudryk hopelessly chase his first touch.
Iliman Ndiaye explains why he didn't sign for Spurs
We'd reached an agreement in principle with Everton after our 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United on Matchday 2 of the Premier League season. Richarlison was set to move in the opposite direction in a separate deal, too.
However, Ndiaye has revealed that N17 was never his preferred destination. He wanted to play Champions League football, and said he was "buzzing" when Manchester City came in for him.
“I was just being patient [during the summer transfer window], and when City came through, I was buzzing. It was always going to be City," the 26-year-old told BBC Sport after making his debut for the Cityzens in their 1-0 win over Coventry City on Saturday.
"I wanted Champions League and playing at one of the best teams in the world. I'm not saying Tottenham is not, but when Manchester City comes through, you don't say no," Ndiaye added.
A desire to compete with the very best is understandable for the Senegalese international, who has never before played in Europe's premier club competition. Marseille were knocked out by Panathinaikos in the third qualifying round shortly after he signed for them in 2023; then he joined Everton the following summer.
Spurs doubtless would've offered Ndiaye a lucrative pay packet, as I'm sure City have also provided, but I don't think we can be too disheartned if the 26-year-old just ultimately wanted to hear that anthem in all its glory.
Despite our summer overhaul, there's no guarantee that we'll be competing at Europe's top table anytime soon.
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