Player sold by Nuno in 2021 admits one man helped him at Tottenham during tough spell

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Since his Tottenham career was ended by Nuno Espirito Santo in 2021, things have been difficult for Moussa Sissoko.

The Frenchman suffered relegation with Watford in his first – and only – season with the Hornets, before he sealed a move to Nantes in his homeland.

Now, Sissoko has spoken to L’Equipe about his journey back to France, where he shared praise for Mauricio Pochettino.

What’s the story?

Well, life was certainly not easy for the 32-year-old in his early days at Hotspur Way, where he struggled to make the starting XI following a £30m move from Newcastle in 2016.

However, Pochettino refused to give up on him, something Sissoko admires greatly.

Speaking to L’Equipe, the France international said: “He is the manager I learned the most from on a technical, tactical, even mental level and the one under whom I improved the most. I arrived in a team that was performing well and played a less attacking role than the one I played at Newcastle. I didn’t have a starting spot from the beginning, but he persevered with me.”

That just sums Pochettino up.

The Argentine is not the type to demand signing after signing when things get difficult, but instead, he looks within to see who he can improve and utilise on the pitch.

Fortunately for Sissoko, Pochettino saw something special in him, and his exquisite coaching skills eventually saw the midfielder crowned Legends’ Player of the Season in 2019.

What a turnaround it was for Sissoko in N17, with Pochettino playing a significant role.

Tottenham need a repeat of Moussa Sissoko development

In our view, Daniel Levy could do with a similar comeback story from the likes of Tanguy Ndombele or Giovani Lo Celso.

The pair certainly didn’t come cheap for Tottenham, with Ndombele costing a club-record fee of £53.8m, whereas Spurs paid £27.2m for Lo Celso.

According to some sources, the duo are up for sale, although Levy absolutely cannot expect to receive anything close to the money initially invested.

Therefore, it would be great if Conte managed to help at least one of them perform a U-turn in their Tottenham career.

However, the Italian is a very different coach to Pochettino, to say the least – he is not the type to put his arm around a player and sugarcoat things, to say the least.

Nevertheless, Ndombele and Lo Celso clearly have talent, so it would be a shame to give up on them.