Louis Saha gives verdict on Yves Bissouma’s Tottenham Hotspur struggles
When Tottenham Hotspur agreed to pay 25million Pounds in transfer fees to Brighton & Hove Albion for Yves Bissouma last summer, fans were expecting a player who will seriously threaten Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s place in the starting XI.
But that hasn’t happened so far. The Denmark international and the Uruguayan midfielder are manager Antonio Conte’s go-top options in the middle of the park.
The measly eight Premier League starts he has managed for us so far are largely down to injury issues. Either Conte had to play with an extra midfielder when two of his first-choice attackers were injured.
Or, he has had to shuffle his midfield in the recent absence of Bentancur, who picked up an injury with Uruguay at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. When he has been on the pitch, the Mali international hasn’t been the most impressive.
He is either taking too long on the ball or isn’t imposing himself enough on either end of the pitch. While Bentancur and Hojbjerg are slowly exploring a new dimension in their play by adding goals and assists, Bissouma is yet to either score or assist in all 20 of his games for us.
Louis Saha, who played as a striker for Spurs, Everton and Manchester United among other teams in his heyday, is surprised by his struggles to adapt at Tottenham. He told Boyle Sports (h/t Express):
“Yves Bissouma’s struggles are baffling, but younger players never guarantee success. I don’t know why Bissouma has struggled. He’s technically brilliant and physically he’s a beast. Conte’s frustration is coming from midfield as there’s talent there but we still need experienced players.”
“…look at what Christian Eriksen has brought to United. Casemiro is a legend, five-time Champions League winner and he’s changed United massively. I think Spurs have asked too much of Bissouma too quickly.”
Can’t fault Saha’s logic there. Manchester United knew they were getting proven superstars in midfield when they signed Christian Eriksen and Casemiro. But it’s not like Bissouma was an unknown quantity at Brighton.
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He was an important player in the Seagulls midfield and the 26-year-old looked like he had adjusted very well to English football. However, this is just the first half of his debut season at Spurs – and as Saha implied, it’s best to be patient with him. He still has three-and-a-half years of contract left here.