Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma could be on the sidelines for the opening match against Southampton in the Premier League this Saturday, according to Alasdair Gold of Football.London.
Bissouma moved to north London in June from Brighton and Hove Albion for an initial £25million fee (Sky Sports), having penned a four-year contract with Antonio Conte’s side
The Mali international suffered a slight hamstring tweak during the friendly fixture against Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma in Israel last Saturday and was seen using an ice pack on the back of his leg following the 1-0 defeat, casting doubts about his availability in the game against the Saints this weekend.
Bissouma also failed to feature during the club’s pre-season tour of South Korea in the matches against Team K-League and Sevilla having contracted Covid-19 while in Asia.
Antonio Conte would have a problem to deal with due to Bissouma’s potential absence, as it would mean that Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur are the only first-team options available to choose from right now.
Oliver Skipp is set to miss this weekend’s game after suffering a deep cut on his foot from a teammate’s stud during training, with Pape Matar Sarr and Harvey White forming the remaining choices.
Our View
Bissouma’s injury issue could not come at an even worse time for us, considering how important it is to start the campaign in the best way possible. Hence, potentially losing his services would be a blow indeed, as Conte may be forced to make use of just two first-team midfielders for Saturday’s match.
While the likes of Harry Winks, Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele are also available, it is highly unlikely that they would play a part, having already been deemed surplus for requirements. Conte has left them out of the pre-season so far, indicating how the coach has no plans to continue with them moving forward (The Sun).
Bissouma could still make it into the squad, although one may expect the Italian manager not to take any risks with his summer signing. Hence, we could see the 25-year-old midfielder on the bench and possibly earn some minutes if he can recover in time to an extent.
Perhaps this situation could also force Spurs to reassess their transfer plans for this summer. After all, they could use another midfielder in their ranks if Matar Sarr and While are not considered ready enough to play senior-team football under Conte regularly.
