Son Heung-min is a soccer player’s soccer player. Yves Bissouma has revealed the three Tottenham Hotspur players he would have liked to play with.
“Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, and Hugo Lloris were the players he wanted to play with when he joined Tottenham last summer,” Spurs Web, a Tottenham fan community, said in an interview with the player.
Bissouma is a defensive midfielder whose strengths include tackling, defense, and work rate. He began his professional career with Real Bamako in 2014, before moving on to Lille and then Brighton in 2018. Bissouma quickly made the jump to the first team and anchored the center of the defense for four consecutive seasons.
The stats alone are impressive. According to Footballstats.com, Bissouma averaged 4.8 tackles and interceptions per game in 2021-22, the fourth most in the Premier League (PL). He also had the highest pass completion rate in Brighton at 89.2%.
However, he hasn’t really proven his worth since his move to Tottenham. Antonio Conte has mostly used a 3-4-3 formation, with only two players in the middle of the park. Conte used Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur in the middle. There was no place for Bissouma. He was hampered by injury. Bissouma fractured his ankle in February last season and was out of action for about three months.
However, Bissouma doesn’t hold any grudges against Conte, telling Spurs Play: “I was ready to leave Brighton. I had a great four years at Brighton and I told myself it was time,” he said, adding, “I am grateful to Conte and I still respect him.”
With a disappointing first season behind them, the club prepared for the season with a fresh mind under a new manager. Postecoglou’s appointment was a blessing in disguise for Bissouma. Postecoglou formed a midfield line with Pape Sarr and James Maddison above him.
The effect is clear. Bissouma has been a big part of Tottenham’s early-season surge, displaying the same workrate, defensive prowess, and forward movement he showed at Brighton. In particular, against Manchester United, Bissouma shook up the midfield in what has been called the ‘game of his life’. He was sent off against Luton Town last time out, but aside from that game, he’s been an integral part of the team every game.
A talent in full bloom, when Bissouma joined Tottenham last summer, there were certain players he wanted to play alongside. “First of all, to play with Kane, Son Heung-min and all of them was amazing for me,” he said of his arrival.
He emphasized again. “The new stadium, the new training ground, Kane, Son, Heung-min, so I had to leave Brighton, it was amazing. I arrived at Tottenham, and I was welcomed by the fans. It was amazing,” he recalled.