Michael Dawson says Yves Bissouma ‘hasn’t stepped up’ for Tottenham Hotspur following the deadline day arrival of right-sided wing-back Pedro Porro from Sporting Lisbon.
The former Tottenham defender was talking about Antonio Conte’s January business and how ‘they spent the money in the summer’ because that’s when the majority of action took place.
Well, Bissouma was one of a few faces to have been signed up in the summer, alongside the club-record capture of Richarlison.
During the recently-concluded window, whilst a number of players headed for the exit door, including the shock termination of Matt Doherty’s contract, only two new names arrived – Arnaut Danjuma and Pedro Porro.
How do Spurs fans feel about their dealings in January? And during the overall time that Conte has been in the dugout? Well, former centre-back Dawson shared his thoughts, as he told Sky Sports News (31/01/23).
“They spent the money in the summer as well, over £130 million,” said Dawson. “That was when they looked to do the business. You can be forced to do something during this window.
“Bissouma comes in. Richarlison comes in. He (Bissouma) hasn’t stepped up. We all sat on the show on a Saturday afternoon and said ‘how good Bissouma was. Go and sign him, at £25 million, he is a snip’. He needs opportunities.
“Richarlison was coming in, he came into a front three where you go ‘£60 million?’ He’s been a bit-part player. You start making a squad and you start to think, this should be competitive. Defensively they haven’t been good enough, that’s what it comes down to.
“Two more (signings) now. Pedro coming in. It’s an improvement, in my opinion. But he has to hit the ground running.”
BISSOUMA HASN’T SETTLED IN YET
Even though Bissouma had the experience of playing in the Premier League before Spurs signed him, he is yet to really settle in at Hotspur Way.
He needs a regular run of starts, so he can become more comfortable and then he can really motor forward.
The issue for the former Brighton man is that he’s not going to get ahead of Rodrigo Bentancur because he has been one of Tottenham’s best players, whilst Conte will always pick the ever-reliable Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg instead.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
