Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma had been expected to be on the mass exodus list at Hotspur Way last summer; however, the Mali international managed to survive, but going into the upcoming offseason, there is an expectation that the North Londoners will be looking to ship him off. The former Brighton man has an elite physical profile given how strong he is going into duels and how he is dynamic in ball recoveries and has the capacity of carrying the ball through midfield; however, when you take a tactical look, Bissouma is not a clean fit for the kind of football that Spurs must be looking to deploy if they are looking to be a consistent presence in the top four and have that ball dominance.
If we are talking about Bissouma, he is still very elite when it comes to winning the ball at the back. And he is also good at those first carrying runs after regains where he progresses the ball under pressure, but then his discipline and positioning are quite poor given how regularly he gets caught ahead of the ball and breaks the structure. He does thrive in chaos but then is very slow in ball circulation and inconsistent when it comes to shot passes after inviting pressure.
We have also seen him struggle in structured buildups given how he risks turnovers in his own half. So in a way, Bissouma is brilliant in games Tottenham shouldn’t be playing if the North Londoners are looking to evolve.
Let’s establish a tactical reality of the current squad (and vis-à-vis Bissouma)
Let’s start with the arrival of Lucas Bergvall, someone who is highly technical and moves the ball fast. The Swede is possibly the future eight at N18. Then comes Pape Matar Sarr, who is physically dynamic and possesses tactical intelligence and controls the tempo better than Bissouma. And comes Rodrigo Bentancur, who primarily looks to win the balls deep into his own half and has that ball progression responsibility.
Given that the North Londoners are looking to bring a new midfielder into the squad, complemented by how they already have high technical ball domination in the middle of the park, Bissouma’s role will shrink if Tottenham fully commit to higher-possession football.
And what about his market?
Bissouma’s contract at Tottenham expires in two years (2026), making it the right time to sell before his value drops. He still has strong suitors, given there are sides from the Premier League (mid-table clubs), Serie A and the Saudi Pro League looking to secure his signature. So selling now would be the best time given that Spurs can maximise his value before his further decline in performances and avoid another “depreciating asset” mistake (e.g., Winks and Ndombele sagas).
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Author Opinion
While Yves is a popular figure at N17, Tottenham should go on and sell Bissouma given that he doesn’t fit the tactical style of football that the club wants to deploy, and with where his contract stands as of now, it’s best to redeem his services rather than drag it out like the club has wrongly done with other players before.
