Matthew Chadder

Mon 12 June 2023 7:10, UK

It is fair to say Yves Bissouma’s first season at Tottenham didn’t go as the former Brighton man would have planned or hoped.

On 17 June 2022, Tottenham announced the signing of Bissouma for an initial £25million fee which could rise as high as £35million after add-ons. At the time, it was seen as good business with the midfielder viewed as one of the league’s most exciting.

However, his debut season in North London was not a smooth one with injuries and rotation meaning the 26-year-old only featured in 1,010 Premier League minutes, with his limited starts coming sporadically throughout the season as Tottenham finished eighth.

While his Tottenham career hasn’t gotten off to the best of starts, there is no doubt that there is a real player of quality in Bissouma and he has more than enough ability to turn his fortunes around, especially under new manager Ange Postecoglou.

The new boss’ arrival will allow each player a clean slate and a chance to prove themselves capable of Postecoglou’s favoured 4-3-3 attacking system, something which stats suggest the Mali midfielder will have a chance of doing.

The Australian coach enjoys dominating possession and likes to use a midfield three which Bissouma could sit at the heart of and dictate play. As per stats provided by FBREF, during his final season at Brighton, the midfielder enjoyed an 88.9% average pass accuracy, putting him in the top ten per cent of the league’s midfielders.

His pass completion rate over a short and long distance were both above 91 per cent, which would suit Postecoglou’s possession-based style.

During Postecoglou’s time as head coach of Australia, the manager showed his versatility when out of possession. His team would set up in a low or mid-block with the closest two midfielders moving toward the ball while the third stayed central.

For this role, Postecoglou preferred combative midfielders, and in Bissouma’s final Brighton season, his defensive numbers were extraordinary.

The midfielder was in the top one per cent of his positional peers for tackles won (2.09 per 90), the top two per cent for interceptions (2.13 per 90) and the top six per cent for the percentage of dribbles he tackled (56.8% per 90).

With numbers as good as these, it is easy to believe Bissouma still has and should have a future with the club, and might be able to solidify that future with a string of impressive performances at the heart of Postecoglou’s midfield three.

In other Tottenham news, a Serie A defender described as “untouchable” is on the club’s radar.