Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte’s decision to not start Mali midfielder Yves Bissouma in more games is “slightly surprising.”
That is according to journalist Paul Brown, who was speaking to GIVEMESPORT about the latest news from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Bissouma signed for Spurs from Brighton & Hove Albion back in June for a fee of £25m, as Conte looked to improve and increase his options in the middle of the park.
The club had initially tried to sign the 26-year-old in January, but were unable to get a deal over the line.
Since joining the club, Bissouma has started just one game in which he helped Conte’s side earn a 1-1 draw at West Ham United, whilst appearing in five more fixtures as a substitute.
And Brown believes that there must be some justification as to why the 27-time Mali international isn’t starting in games, and has labelled the decision to not start him in more fixtures as “surprising.”
“It might be a case of new club and needs a chance to settle in and get used to things, but there must be a reason why he’s not starting every week,” Brown told GIVEMESPORT.
“They invested a fair amount of money on him and a lot of people thought that was a really good signing, so it is slightly surprising that he hasn’t played more.”
TIF Thoughts on Brown’s comments
We don’t believe that Spurs fans will be startled that Brown is surprised about Bissouma’s lack of minutes, due to the relatively large financial outlay they’ve taken in securing the player’s signature this summer.
The midfielder is an exceptional passer of the ball, ranking in the top 7% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues and European competition for pass completion rate per 90 minutes (90.0%) over the last 365 days, according to FBref.
However, he’s more than just an exquisite passer and is more than capable of providing stability in a defensive sense, ranking in the top 9% of midfielders for interceptions (2.43) and clearances (2.24) per 90 minutes, and the top 10% for blocks per 90 (2.10), according to the same stats provider.
Therefore, we believe that it is only a matter of time before Conte deploys Bissouma in his midfield, after the Mali international’s initial settling-in period at Hotspur Way.