If rumours are believed, Arsenal are in pole position to beat Tottenham Hotspur to the signing of Yves Bissouma.
Arsenal are ‘confident’ of snuffing out their North London rivals for the Brighton midfielder, The Daily Star has reported.
Tottenham were a bit of a surprise entry into the race and haven’t been linked as heavily as the Gunners or Liverpool.
But if he does wind up snubbing Spurs for Arsenal, there’s one player on the white half of the North London divide who might benefit.
Oliver Skipp is due back at Hotspur Way this summer after helping Norwich City to Premier League promotion.
The 20-year-old has been exceptional all season long in the Championship and there’s a lot of Lilywhites fans who want to see him in the senior squad next term.
Thing is, that would’ve been very difficult if Tottenham went out and signed Bissouma, who would have joined the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso as midfield options.
But if the North Londoners don’t sign Bissouma – or any midfielder – then it opens the door for Skipp in a big way, particularly with Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks being linked with a move away.
At 20, Skipp needs to be playing regular football for the sake of his development.
And therefore there’s not much point in Tottenham keeping him in the senior squad next season if he won’t be playing a lot.
But if Bissouma winds up at Arsenal instead of Spurs then it does benefit the young academy gem in a big, big way.
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