Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma in line to return against Brighton
Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma is in line to return against his former club Brighton after almost two months since his last outing in a Spurs shirt.
It has been a stop-start season for the 27-year-old who has had some bright displays under Ange Postecoglou but has also been shown two red cards in the Premier League.
His most recent dismissal came in the 2-0 win away at Nottingham Forest on Friday 15 December when he was shown his marching orders for a late challenge on Ryan Yates.
He served the final game of his four-match suspension in the 1-0 win over Burnley in the FA Cup on 5 January, although at this point he had already joined up with the Mali squad ahead of the African Cup of Nations getting underway.
Mali were eliminated from the tournament in dramatic fashion on Saturday 3 February, as host nation Ivory Coast beat them 2-1, scoring a stoppage-time equaliser before winning the match in the 120th minute to advance to the semi-finals.
Bissouma is understood to have been suffering from malaria throughout the tournament, but is now thought to be free of the disease and will be assessed upon his return to Hotspur Way ahead of a potential return to Premier League action against Brighton on Saturday 10 February (Standard Sport, 5 February).
Forgotten Tottenham man?
Nine matches have passed since Bissouma’s dismissal against Forest.
Having previously missed two matches through suspension earlier in the season, it means Bissouma has so far missed 11 games across the current campaign for Tottenham in what will only end up being a 41-match season for the North London club after they were eliminated from the FA Cup.
Some supporters might question this lack of availability, but there is no doubt that when the midfielder is available, he possesses a lot of quality.
Although he was only able to make an appearance from the bench against Ivory Coast, he didn’t need much time to demonstrate his ability.
As per Sofascore, Bissouma completed 93 per cent of his passes, won his one ground duel and made one tackle throughout his 30 minutes on the pitch.
At his best, Bissouma can dominate a midfield battle for Spurs and turn matches on their head.
As per fbref, he ranks in the top six per cent of Premier League midfielders this season for his pass completion rate (91.0 per cent per 90) and the top three per cent for the number of tackles he has won (2.31 per 90).
In addition, he sits in the top nine per cent of his positional peers in England’s top flight across the current campaign for the number of successful take-ons he has completed (1.79 per 90).
He is unplayable at times, and Postecoglou will be delighted to finally have him available for selection once again.
Bissouma will likely be keen to make up for lost time, and what better way to start than with a big performance against your former employers?
In other Tottenham news, ex-Spurs scout Bryan King believes one “big” Spurs star could be axed by Postecoglou after his performance against Everton.
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