This polarising player is immensely talented but is certainly not irreplaceable
Although there are never guarantees in sports, fans of Tottenham Hotspur may be confident that Ange Postecoglou’s first season will end in a thrilling manner.
With ten games remaining in the Premier League, Spurs are now sitting in fifth place, right behind Aston Villa in the top four, and Manchester United is closing in on them from sixth place.
Tottenham was confident after defeating Aston Villa, who was in fourth place, just a few days ago. They knew that if they won their remaining match, they would catch up to Unai Emery’s team. However, the heartbreaking loss to Fulham at Craven Cottage last weekend serves as a harsh reminder that this team still needs improvement.
After joining from Serie A team Genoa in January for a reported £27 million, Radu Dragusin had a forgettable starting debut. However, the Romanian center back was not the only player at fault, as Yves Bissouma, who has been inconsistent this season, was also charming to deceive.
No other Lilywhite can match the tough-tackling midfielder’s unique quality in the middle of the park due to his exceptional talent.
Although Bissouma is a talented player, Postecoglou has shown a merciless streak in his first season in command. Would it be unfair to argue that there is an upgrade somewhere?
Why Spurs signed Yves Bissouma
After Bissouma’s outstanding performances on the south coast, Tottenham managed to sign him from Brighton & Hove Albion for a sum that would increase to £35 million in July 2022. The Seagulls manager at the time, Graham Potter, called Bissouma a “incredible” talent.
Under Antonio Conte, Champions League football had been accomplished, and the 27-year-old was convinced to leave Brighton behind and join the Spurs enterprise in the capital by the attraction of Europe’s top club tournament.
His success with the Seagulls faded quickly at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as the player who earns £55k per week only started 11 Premier League games during the season, averaging 0.7 tackles and 0.5 interceptions per game on Sofascore, and winning just 47% of his contested duels.
Yves Bissouma’s 2023/24 season in numbers
Known as a “monster” by journalist Aaron Stokes, Bissouma has been quite successful this season when he is on the field. However, he has missed five Premier League games because of suspension, and on Saturday night, he was responsible for a terrible performance against Fulham.
‘Wasn’t helped much by his wandering fellow midfielders but he struggled to make his presence felt in the game or inspire confidence in those around him,’ Alasdair Gold of football.london said in his post-match comments, awarding the midfielder a dismal 3/10.
Without a doubt, Bissouma is a top-tier midfield player with a variety of attributes in the engine room that work well with Postecoglou’s style. However, his availability is his greatest asset, and his recklessness has hurt Spurs’ campaign.
The Malian midfielder ranked in the top 1% of positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues for pass completion over the previous season, the top 14% for progressive passes, the top 10% for successful take-ons, the top 5% for tackles, the top 6% for interceptions, and the top 12% for clearances per ninety. These statistics are based on data from FBref.
He is obviously endowed with some pretty amazing skills; he is a skillful distributor, a formidable possession recycler, and a cunning dribbler.
But Bissoma needs to make sure he finishes the season with composure and a laser-like focus on making sure Tottenham wins so they can play in the Champions League.
Bissouma’s current value, as determined by Football Transfers’ player valuation model, is under £10 million, a staggering £25 million decline in less than two years after his arrival.
Of course, a lot of this may be attributed to the disappointing 2022–2023 season, but considering his return and his establishment of a prominent position in the Tottenham squad, this price tag should increase in the upcoming months. The fact is, though, that Bissouma lacks the consistency and steadiness this N17 team needs as he continues to fluctuate.
Bissouma’s inconsistent performances are reflected in his reduced value relative to Oliver Skipp, the club’s dependable utility player. However, he would be most incensed to discover that Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is still a more valuable asset than he is.
Hojbjerg’s contract expires in 2025, and it was anticipated that he would have completed a move away from Tottenham in January. However, he turned down offers from teams like Lyon in France.
The Danish midfielder has also only started six Premier League games in 2023–24, and according to Sofascore, he averages just 0.2 crucial passes, 0.9 tackles, and two successful duels per game this season. He is also too cautious and stagnant with the ball to really thrive in Postecoglou’s system.
Although Bissouma may have a bright future at Tottenham, he isn’t exactly establishing himself as the focal point of this new endeavor. As Tottenham considers whether to cash in and reinvest in a more dependable star, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a conversation about his sale.
