Tottenham signed Moussa Sissoko from Newcastle in 2016 and it has proven bad for his career as well as the club.
Moussa Sissoko was fortunate to earn a place at Euro 2016 after a poor season with Newcastle but once at the tournament he stunned everybody.
He transformed into a dynamic box to box player, culminating in him being one of France’s best players in their final defeat to Portugal.
It was enough to earn him a big move, with Tottenham Hotspur foolishly suckered in to paying £30 million for him.
The writing was on the wall for Sissoko early on at Spurs that not all was well, and last night his decision to join them was sealed as a total failure.
France named their World Cup squad for 2018 with Sissoko omitted, named only as one of a handful of standby players.
So how could a starter at Euro 2016, one of their best performers at that, not even make the list of 23 two years later after suffering no injury problems?
For Sissoko the choice of club proved the killer, with competition for places too high at Tottenham.
He rejected a move to Everton in order to sign with Spurs and he might have been better off signing with the Toffees.
Champions League football was an attraction for Sissoko, but he did not start a single knockout game for the club in his two years for them.
The problem for Sissoko was not just signing for Spurs, but deciding to stick it out last summer when it was clear that his World Cup chances were at risk.
He was still being selected in France squads, but Didier Deschamps had warned him he needed to play regularly.
His second season began fairly well but this was due to Victor Wanyama’s injury and once the Kenyan returned, Sissoko’s playing time decreased, and his World Cup chances faded.
Tottenham will feel they have not had a good return on their £30 million investment on Sissoko, however much of it they have paid up at this point.
Sissoko will be feeling even more frustrated, that his Tottenham spell has irrevocably damaged his international career, whether it be joining them in the first place, or not leaving after one year, it’s clear he made a mistake, or simply over-estimated his own ability to put it right.
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