Stephen Kelly has expressed his excitement at Tottenham closing in on the signing of the ‘proven’ Yves Bissouma from Brighton, as he told Sky Sports News on Thursday morning.
The Premier League fixtures for the 2022/23 campaign were released on Thursday, with Spurs facing Southampton on home soil, but will Bissouma be in north London on August 6?
Well, according to Sky Sports, it’s only a matter of time before Spurs officially announce that they have signed the all-action midfielder from Brighton.
It seems as though the deal to sign the 25-year-old will be in ‘excess of £30 million’ and Antonio Conte’s third signing of the summer.
Nonetheless, this is what ex-Spurs man Kelly had to say about the prospect of Bissouma being added to the club’s ranks – Newcastle United were also keen to sign him up.
“Bissouma is a proven player in the Premier League,” said Kelly. “A lot of interest. He gives that energy and mobility in the middle of the park.
“He just strengthens our numbers in there, so far it’s been good and if they can add to that before they get back to pre-season.
“Then have quite a good group of players together, so the manager can work with them for a decent amount of time before the season starts, which makes it all the better. I think Tottenham have gone about their business very well.”
DOES BISSOUMA START FOR SPURS?
When the 2022 summer transfer window slams shut, Tottenham’s signing of Bissouma might be one of the best deals of the summer from any team.
The Mali international is a top-quality performer, who is comfortable at getting on the ball in pressure situations, reading danger, driving forward with the ball and using his aggression at the right time.
All in all, it could be argued that when Southampton come to town on the opening day of the season, then Bissouma could argue that he starts ahead of both Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur.
Given that the two have built an ever-progressing partnership when Bentancur arrived from Juventus in January, then it wouldn’t be a surprise if Antonio Conte sticks with those two for the first few weeks.
But once Bissouma gets warmed up, then he might just be the one starting on a regular basis in that midfield.
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