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Moussa Sissoko and the changing face of Spurs

6 min read
by Editor
The signing of Sissoko was a departure from our recent transfer policy. Hamish Scragg takes a look at our £30 million man and the possible repercussions of the decision to sign him.

Tottenham are unquestionably a team on the up. Last season a young team invigorated by Pochettino’s high intensity pressing dazzled fans with breath-taking football and their unlikely title challenge was only unsuccessful due to Leicester – even more surprisingly – one nilling their way to become Champions of England. However, this article is not to rehash the accolades Poch and the team received in getting there but instead showing Spurs signing Sissoko is a departure from established Tottenham transfer practice at management and board level.

For the majority his time at Newcastle Sissoko was the antithesis of the type of player Tottenham built their season and culture around. Last season was a departure from the “soft” players with undoubted talent and skill but a mind-set that crowned ‘Spursy’ in football orthodoxy. Poch drilled a group of young, hungry players into a pressing force that harassed the opposition into submission. Yet Sissoko’s last year on Tyneside saw him do none of these, he became a figure of derision and ridicule after his insipid performances saw Newcastle relegated, again. His performances that showed his undoubted ability only happened when Newcastle were faced with the glitz and glamour of Sky cameras and a ‘big club’ rather than the unrelenting and far bleaker reality of a relegation battle against the Bournemouth’s of the world. Sissoko’s physical gifts oozed potential and a player who on his day could have spared Newcastle the drop. Instead he moped and hid, his physical talents promised big things but his soft attitude failed to deliver any of them – in short – he was Spursy.

[linequote]He became a figure of derision and ridicule after his insipid performances saw Newcastle relegated, again[/linequote]

Therefore, Tottenham’s deadline day deal for Sissoko at 30 million English pounds seems all the more unlikely. His three years in the Premier League have seen criminally few good games, certainly none to show he would fit in Poch’s high intensity system in which those who don’t follow his way are gone quickly. It would not be reckless to assume that Sissoko was more of a panic buy and will soon be shipped off to China. Yet Sissoko has undeniable physical gifts that few others possess. At his barnstorming best he leaves opposing players spread-eagled on the turf, there are numerous examples of players literally bouncing off him when trying to challenge him as he carries the ball forward which is testament to his power. His power is complemented by remarkable – if surprising – speed for a man his size, Sissoko will be one of the fastest players on our team. His speed, power and direct running will create chances and he can chip in with a goal, he is especially proficient at pulling the ball back -ideal for Alli, Eriksen or Lamela to fire home – or fizzing a ball across the goalmouth – perfect for Kane or Janssen’s movement across the front post. This powerful running and carrying the ball forward is something Tottenham miss if the metronomic Mousa Dembele is not playing. Poch’s strategy relies on the more skilful Eriksen, Lamela and Son manipulating pockets of space for Alli and Kane to exploit or create an overlap opportunity for Walker and Rose. Last season once we had been worked out by opposition managers who instructed their team to sit deep and not allow space meant we could not break a defence down, there was plenty of huff and puff – with Sissoko we have someone who can blow the house down.

This leaves perhaps the most surprising aspect of Spurs’ Sissoko saga, Levy agreeing to negotiate with Mike Ashley for an (overpriced) deadline day move. Sissoko’s pace and power if coupled with application and consistent performances are easily worth 30 million, his performances for France in the Euro 2016 Final where he outplayed Griezmann and Pogba, among others, were also worth £30 million. But his performances for Newcastle were not. You could try to explain his poor performances away; when he was good Newcastle were good; shown by their runs under Pardew (before January when Ashley sold their crown jewels and the team giving up because of it) and Benitez – a capable manager – coming in saw far better performances. Aside from those managers he had clowns in charge – imagine being an international footballer turning up to be trained by John ‘I believe I’m the best manager in the Premier League’ Carver and listen to his – I’m sure – in-depth thoughts on football tactics. Or take Schteve McClaren – a man who was hired not to take the team forward but because he was the Managing Directors mate – seriously. Newcastle as a football club did not try, it is not ironic the stadium is adorned with Sports Direct regalia as that is what the club had turned into. A store for discounted foreign imports to do the minimum possible in order for maximum profit for Ashley’s pockets. It was not just Sissoko who didn’t try to make Newcastle great; it was the owner, the board and the other players. Newcastle were stuck in football purgatory and no Spurs fan would castigate Lloris, Vertonghen and others for poor performances and wanting out when Sherwood was in charge. However, ultimately, his performances for Newcastle do not help the feeling he was just another Levy panic buy after we could not get the actual target; he’s the Benjamin Stambouli to Morgan Schneiderlin, the Federico Fazio to a functioning human being. No doubt Poch wanted him and pushed the move but it is likely he wanted somebody else before – rumoured to be Zaha.

[linequote]His performances for France in the Euro 2016 Final where he outplayed Griezmann and Pogba, among others, were worth £30 million[/linequote]

Therefore, it is very surprising Levy actually paid the 30 million to bring him to Hotspur Way. There is talk of installments – 6 million per year for five years – but this is unlikely as Ashley has shown himself to be in Levy’s league of transfer negotiation sh*thousery, that deal fleeces Newcastle because even if Sissoko has a bad year we could flip him for profit and make a mug of Ashley, which when it comes to money he is not. What Levy did was show he trusts Poch far more than he had before, in a time of saving for the stadium, overpaying for a plan B seems all the more unlikely. The move is stark contrast to last year when faced with another ‘tough’ negotiator Levy would not budge to Jeremy Pearce’s demands for Berahino so we entered the season with one striker and Nacer Chadli/Heung Min Son left if the worst happened to Kane. If rumours are to be believed the opening offer for Sissoko was 18 million pounds – he paid an extra 12 – surprising when he wouldn’t pay an extra few for Berahino. Clearly there is more trust between Levy and Pochettino now; Poch believes that Levy will do his best to bring in players and in turn Levy trusts Poch to get the best out of them. Hopefully this dynamic keeps Poch at Spurs when the wolves come to the door.

And this is why the signing of Sissoko is crucially important. He is now 27 – he has limited resale value, it’s implausible (likely impossible) that he’ll be flipped for double in a few years. He isn’t the analytically impressive young buck that climbs out of Mitchell’s fabled black box and dazzles on Squawka ripe for Poch to coach up and Levy making a large profit. He is the very rough around the edges Plan B in his prime that has been right under our noses, this signing is purely for footballing purposes and this is an extremely positive development. Ultimately Sissoko’s success and failure goes further than derision over the fee and all the way to the boardroom. If Sissoko flops and is a poor investment Levy won’t sanction this type of transfer again, it will damage the trust Levy and Pochettino have which will have a knock on future transfers and, perhaps, Pochettino’s future at Tottenham.

All views and opinions expressed in this article are the views and opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Fighting Cock. We offer a platform for fans to commit their views to text and voice their thoughts. Football is a passionate game and as long as the views stay within the parameters of what is acceptable, we encourage people to write, get involved and share their thoughts on the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.

2 Comments

  1. james
    24/09/2016 @ 12:08 am

    He was a panic buy and way down the list of priorities. The fact that he came in as top earner when he isn’t a guaranteed starter emphasises our desperation. His agent must have rubbed his hands with glee. After hourly briefings from the club throughout deadline day saying we weren’t prepared to up our initial offer and unless Newcastle reduced the asking price the deal was dead. We then offered the asking price. At this moment the agent had all the power. The rash of new contracts being handed out since are a result of offering this under performer more than any of the players already on the books.

    We were underpaying most of our key players and could no longer do this, but to have a squad man earn more than every player on our books despite the raft of new deals must rancour with key men. It has to work or knowing Levy he will blame the manager.

    Why doesn’t anyone seem to understand the concept of staged payments? It is how Utd paid us for Carrick and Berbatov. And how Madrid are still paying us for Modric and Bale.

    The headline fee is announced, a down payment is made with the rest paid in instalments over the length of the initial contract. So in this case £30m is payable over 5 years, it is not you only pay while the player is on your books. No one would agree to such terms.

    No one except maybe City and I doubt even they do this just lump the whole fee down in cash! I have no idea why people seem to think this is the case.

  2. Chris
    03/11/2016 @ 3:41 pm

    Newcastle beat Spurs home and away last season and dumped Sissoko on you. I am not surprised the author sees fit to do a hatchet job on NUFC.

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