Olivier Bernard has stated that Mohamed Diame is the ready-made replacement for Moussa Sissoko.
Former Newcastle United star Olivier Bernard has stated in his column for the Chronicle that the Magpies already possess an ideal replacement for Moussa Sissoko in Mohamed Diame.
Newcastle sold Sissoko to Tottenham Hotspur for a staggering fee of around £30 million on deadline day and while the deal is certainly a good one for the Magpies from a financial standpoint, there is no denying the fact that the Championship side have lost a quality player.
On his day Sissoko can be a match winner and losing a player of his immense talent could prove to be detrimental to Newcastle’s hopes of earning promotion back to the Premier League this season.
However, former Magpies star Bernard is not too concerned with the departure of Sissoko as he believes that manager Rafael Benitez already possesses a replacement for the Frenchman at his disposal in the form of Diame.
Bernard wrote in his column for the Chronicle, “One acceleration from Sissoko can change a game; but United have replaced like for like too by bringing in Mo Diame because he is a very similar player in that sense and he can be a matchwinner.”
The former defender also suggested that Diame is perhaps even better than Sissoko due to his consistency and added that the Senegalese international will be able to fulfill the void left by the departure of Tottenham man.
He continued, “If anything, he’s more consistent as well. Newcastle had to sell Sissoko in my opinion, but they did exactly the right thing by replacing him with Diame.
“That saga is over now – and hopefully we can see the best of Diame throughout the rest of the Championship campaign so he can fill the void in the side left by Sissoko’s departure.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
