Charlie Eccleshare of The Athletic took to Twitter during Tottenham Hotspur’s recent win to air his confusion over new signing Yves Bissouma not starting despite being ‘exactly’ what the club needs in midfield.
Spurs picked up their latest win this weekend, which now puts them third in the Premier League table, still unbeaten and just two points off the top just four games into the season.
Despite picking up the win, Spurs did not have an easy ride against Nottingham Forest and were lucky to not concede. While they picked up the win in the end, there were questions flying around about the starting XI.
Eccleshare questioned why new signing Bissouma has not had the chance to start yet after Antonio Conte opted against fielding the Malian from the off, despite a ‘lacklustre‘ display last time out against Wolves.
Writing on Twitter, the journalist claimed the former Brighton & Hove Albion star is the type of player Conte would want to bring in before the end of the transfer window if they didn’t already have him.
He said: “Still feels odd Bissouma isn’t starting games. If THFC hadn’t signed him already, feel like he’d be being cited as EXACTLY the kind of player they need to bring in between now and the end of the window.”
Still feels odd Bissouma isn't starting games. If #THFC hadn't signed him already, feel like he'd be being cited as EXACTLY the kind of player they need to bring in between now and the end of the window.
— Charlie Eccleshare (@CDEccleshare) August 28, 2022
TIF Thoughts on Bissouma…
While the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur have been the mainstays for Spurs in the centre, Bissouma has been one of the highest-touted talents in football, so it is hard to see how he is not in the starting team.
It is also hard to believe Spurs spent all that money for a bench player, and although it is still early days, you do wonder when Bissouma’s chance will come if Conte’s side keep picking up the points.
When looking at the stats, it is obvious that Bissouma should be challenging both Hojbjerg and Bentancur. The Mali international currently ranks in the 92nd percentile for pass completion, 91st for clearances and the 89th for tackles per game, as per FBref.
Meanwhile, Hojbjerg ranks in the 91st, 79th and 54th in these categories respectively and Bentancur ranks in the 86th, 69th and 77th in these key areas. Luckily for Bissouma, he is just 25 years old and has bags of time left to cement himself as the starter, but there is no chance he joined Spurs to sit on the bench, so we agree with Eccleshare’s concerns.
Should Bissouma start next game?Yes
No
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