The Tottenham Hotspur star has transformed his fortunes in North London.
Moussa Sissoko has admitted to Sky Sports that he endured a ‘painful’ first season at Tottenham Hotspur.
Sissoko joined Tottenham for £30 million [BBC Sport] from Newcastle United after a glittering Euro 2016 campaign with France, where he reached the final.
The 29-year-old became Spurs’ joint-record signing with Erik Lamela at the time but struggled to justify the transfer fee, setting up three goals and scoring none in 34 appearances across all competitions.
He started only eight Premier League games for Mauricio Pochettino during the 2016-17 campaign, and the former Newcastle and Toulouse winger concedes that the lack of playing time offered by the Argentine manager hurt him.
“It was painful,” he told Sky Sports. “In the past when I was at Toulouse or Newcastle I used to play every game.
“I expected to do the same here, but for different reasons it was a change for me and I needed to adapt to the new style of play with new players and lots of other things.”
It’s a very different story this season for Sissoko, who has started 29 games across all competitions.
It has taken over two years, but the Frenchman is finally a key player for Pochettino and fans of the North London side now adore him for his attitude and application.
It’s been a remarkable turnaround for a player who was linked with a loan move to Trabzonspor in the summer of 2017 [ESPN] and he now looks value for money.
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