Former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer believes that Tanguy Ndombele is only in the Tottenham Hotspur team because of how much he cost.

Ndombele remains Spurs’ most expensive signing, as the club paid over £53m to bring him in from French club Lyon when Mauricio Pochettino was manager.

Ndombele has somewhat struggled since then, though, and has yet to really enjoy a truly productive season in the top-flight.

The midfielder has made a total of 79 appearances for the club but his minutes have sometimes been restricted, even when he has started.

Last season, under Jose Mourinho, Ndombele made 28 starts in the Premier League but completed the 90 minutes just six times.

Palmer does not think he is in the team because he is blowing away new manager Nuno Espirito Santo, but because he is an expensive signing who needs to play regularly due to the investment in him.

He told Football FanCast: “I don’t know whether he’s impressing Nuno. The simple fact is they paid an awful lot of money for him and he needs to be playing football.

“If he’s not playing football, you’re not going to be able to get him out, you’re just going to lose out on the investment you’ve made in him. And if you’ve signed him and you think he’s going to be a good player, you’ve got to play him, it’s as simple as it is.”