Yves Bissouma, another part of Conte's master plan? Plus Eriksen.

 

Yves Bissouma, another part of Conte's master plan? Plus Eriksen.

Yes, we've got another player in quick succession, which is unlike Levy, but all that shows is that he no longer pulls the strings in player purchases… that is left to our director of football, Fabio Paratici (and a good job, too).

We have been extremely busy, with the club previously announcing the signings of Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster on free transfers even before the transfer window officially opened. Good on Paratici, it seems he isn't under the shackles of Levy and is his own master. This makes sense as he is a man who has his own reputation to think of and wouldn't want to get swamped into Levy's way of thinking. The same applies to Conte; as he is here for another season, it is evident that Levy has succumbed to the magician's magic. Then again, if Levy hadn't, it might be all over for him.

Yves Bissouma became the club's third summer signing, signing a contract with us until 2026...

But that isn't the end of it, oh, no! the club are confident of wrapping up the signing of Djed Spence over the coming days after finalising Bissouma's capture. Wow! This is undoubtedly moving away from the way Levy usually does things.

Paratici has undoubtedly been working non-stop and showing that he is worth his wages. According to reports, he has 'barely taken any time off' after the season ended, and everybody raves about the 49-year-old's powerhouse approach.

Yes, we've completed the signing of 25-year-old Mali midfielder Yves Bissouma from Brighton on a four-year deal worth £25m plus add-ons. Bissouma made 124 appearances for the Seagulls after joining the club from Lille in July 2018. Because he was coming to the end of his contract at Brighton, we got him on the cheap; some have valued him at £70 million. As I said, he became our third summer signing, following the arrival of goalkeeper Fraser Forster and winger Ivan Perisic on free transfers.

The central midfielder started 26 Premier League games for Brighton last season, scoring once. He played an essential role for Graham Potter's Seagulls as they secured ninth place in the Premier League, which was the highest finish in the club's history.

Bissouma said last September it was not his time to leave Brighton but that he wanted to play in the Champions League, and as we got fourth and into the Champions League, he will now play at the higher end of World football. No more struggling for survival.

A bit about Bissouma

Yves Bissouma was born on 30 August 1996 and is a midfielder. He was born in Issia, Ivory Coast. Bissouma trained at the Majestic SC academy in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. At age 13, he was scouted to the academy in Mali and trained there for five years. At age 18, he joined AS Real Bamako, Mali.

After that, he played for Lille, Brighton and now Tottenham.

He scored his first-ever Premier League goal on the last day of the 2019–20 season with a long-range shot in a 2–1 away win against Burnley. Bissouma was given a straight red card late on in Brighton's 3–0 away victory over Newcastle in their second league match of the 2020–21 season for catching Jamal Lewis in the face with his boot. He scored his first goal in a 4–2 away defeat against Everton on 3 October. On 23 January 2021, in a fourth-round FA Cup tie, Bissouma scored a 30-yard goal to put Brighton ahead in a 2–1 home win against Blackpool.

International career

Moving to Mali at age thirteen to pursue a football career, Bissouma participated in the 2016 African Nations Championship with Mali. In the semi-final against the Ivory Coast, he was substituted in the 76th minute and scored the decisive goal for 1–0 in the 89th minute.

Bissouma was named in Mali's squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations to be played in January 2022. He appeared in the first match on 13 January, coming on as a 59th-minute substitute replacing Adama Traoré in the 1–0 controversial victory over Tunisia, with the referee blowing for full time early on two occasions. Bissouma played in all four of Mali's matches as they were knocked out via penalties against Equatorial Guniea in the round of 16 on 26 January.

His personal life

Bissouma has been banned from driving in the United Kingdom on two occasions due to repeated speeding offences in 2019 and 2021. On 6 October 2021, Sussex Police arrested Bissouma on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman. He was initially bailed until 3 November; his bail was later extended to 6 December. On 8 December, it was announced that he had been bailed for another four weeks. A further update in January 2022 from Sussex Police noted that he was currently released under investigation while enquiries continued. Nevertheless, Spurs decided to purchase this talented player and expect any such conviction won't affect his stay at Tottenham.

So, that is that… apart from the police enquiry, all looking good.

Let us hope the next player coming in won't be too long coming… along with the dead wood going in the opposite direction.

On Christian Eriksen

Eriksen joined Brentford in January following his mutual departure from Inter Milan and helped them avoid relegation from the Premier League to finish in a respectable thirteenth place in the table.

He is currently a free agent and has been offered a new contract by Brentford, he has met with manager Thomas Frank on Tuesday to have dinner and a 'good talk' but is still mulling over his future.

It has been reported that he would like to remain in London, and it is a straight shoot-out between Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur to secure his signature ahead of the new season.

We need a strong squad to compete in the Champions and Premier leagues, and a move to Tottenham will allow Eriksen to play in the Champions League once again while also reuniting with many of his former team-mates, plus the enticement of playing under Antonio Conte, having won the Serie A title under him at Inter Milan. We must also remember that this season we will be allowed five subs. This could be a game-changer, therefore, we would need quality on the bench to cope with such changes.

I was at the away game against Brentford; the season just gone, and every time he took a corner, instead of booing the opposition player, he got a round of applause from our fans… that is something I've never experienced before (ok, Pat Jennings at Woolwich). After the game, he came over to our side (away fans) and was given a massive round of ovations… not only would he be an excellent acquisition for us, but a great fan favourite.

Personally; what I've been hearing is that Eriksen is having talks with Tottenham officials. Nevertheless,  It is not just that straightforward in signing him up. Spurs also have to look into his medical condition etc. I do, however, think it is a no-brainer. He loves Tottenham, the fans love him, and he is a creative midfielder, just what we need… and he has a few more years left in him at the highest level. So sign him Paratici before somebody else signs up this talented midfielder.

 

COYS!

Glenn