Yves Bissouma could only watch on from the substitutes’ bench on Wednesday evening as Tottenham fell to a 1-0 defeat at home to Manchester City.
Previously an undroppable in Ange Postecoglou’s first season as Spurs boss, the Mali international has unfortunately found himself in and out of the team this campaign.
In the Premier League, Bissouma has started 12 games, come on as a substitute on eight occasions and remained unused three times. The 28-year-old has quite clearly dropped down the pecking order in the 2024/25 campaign and you would have to say it doesn’t look too promising for him at present.
Lucas Bergvall has leapfrogged him in what looks to be Postecoglou’s preferred midfield of choice alongside Rodrigo Bentancur and one of James Maddison or Dejan Kulusevski.
In Tottenham’s last five Premier League games, Bissouma started and played 68 minutes against Brentford, was brought on as a late substitute in the Manchester United and Ipswich Town wins and then did not feature altogether in the home defeats to Leicester City and Manchester City.
Bissouma’s mixed form has subsequently seen him cut from the Tottenham XI and Bergvall has fully seized his opportunity since coming in. Given his current predicament and his contract situation, Tottenham have a call to make over the ex-Brighton & Hove Albion man in the summer as they plan for the long-term future.
Bissouma’s current deal expires at the end of the 2025/26 campaign, meaning this summer is the ideal opportunity to cash in on him if they do not plan on offering him fresh terms. Postecoglou has been unable to find the perfect solution to the No.6 role in his team and that may well see Johan Lange look for an alternative option there before the start of next season.
Tottenham do have the opportunity to clinch a deal for Real Betis ace Johnny Cardoso as part of their agreement with the Spanish side last August that saw Giovani Lo Celso head back to the Estadio Benito Villamarin.
The north London club have an option to sign the United States international in a reported two-week window in the summer for €25million (£21million).
Regardless of whether it is Cardoso or another player for the No.6 role, Tottenham need to address that position as they look to take their midfield to a whole new level.
Bissouma is not the only Spurs midfielder out of contract in 2026 as Bentancur is also in a similar boat, with reports indicating that the club have opened talks with the Uruguayan about extending his current deal.
“Rodri has been great. In terms of his contract situation that is handled by other people and obviously a lot of our strategizing is not just about the short term but the longer term,” said Postecoglou when asked about a new contract for Bentancur in his press conference ahead of the Manchester City fixture.
“Rodri, this latter period, is getting back to the levels he wants to be. He was coming off a long term injury last year, came back looked really good and then got another injury.
It’s really disruptive. Even this year he got off to a false start with his long suspension.
“You can see he just needs regular game time and he is getting up to speed. Really good guy around the group as well. He is experienced now. From our perspective, in this run-in he is going to be really important.”
Whereas Bentancur is viewed as going to be “really important” for the team between now and May as they chase Europa League success and a strong finish to the league campaign, it remains to be seen what role Bissouma will play. Right now, it’s hard to visualise him getting the consistent minutes he wants in the Premier League and the same also goes for the Europa League as Postecoglou will surely go full strength in Europe with silverware on the line.
Just never getting going in his first season at Tottenham and enduring a frustrating second half to the 2023/24 campaign, Bissouma’s third year as a Spurs player looks to be heading in the same direction.
As Postecoglou, Lange and Tottenham plot for the years ahead, they have a big decision to make over Bissouma and the same goes for Cardoso.
