View: Fading Tottenham star fails to build on Champions League prediction made by Potter

Yves Bissouma was told he had the quality to play in the Champions League – but now, his Tottenham Hotspur career looks set to end with a whimper.

There was a good deal of excitement when Bissouma swapped Brighton for Tottenham in the summer of 2022 on a four-year deal for £25million.

Since the start of the 2020-21 season up until September 2021, the Mali international had made the most tackles of any Premier League midfielder (120), and the second-most interceptions (76).

He was fourth for possession won in the middle third (168) but Bissouma was also very capable on the ball, with the ex-Lille man among the top 10 midfielders for completed take-ons (61).

Fast forward to the present, though, and Bissouma’s Tottenham spell is petering out, in a case of what might have been.

Yves Bissouma fails to deliver on his potential

Before Bissouma completed his move to Tottenham, he was linked with Arsenal, Manchester United, and more.

In the 2020-21 campaign, then Brighton head coach Graham Potter waxed lyrical about the Malian.

“[Bissouma] understood when to cover, release, put pressure on, and then you can see his qualities. His high-end actions are Champions League level. I think you saw the full array of his quality,” said Potter.

But when he joined Tottenham, then-boss Antonio Conte was not completely sold on the midfielder, preferring Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg instead.

Bissouma got his chance to play in the Champions League but few will remember his performances there. Instead, Tottenham fans may recall his indiscipline, injuries, off-field indiscretions, and wasted talent.

This season, a knee injury has sidelined him for much of the campaign, and now, he is out with a muscle problem.

In 2020-21, he was outperforming Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante. In 2025-26, Bissouma has a Sofascore rating of 6.63, he averages 1.1 interceptions a match, 2.3 tackles, 3.1 ball recoveries and he has made one error that has led to a goal.

He is in the final few months of his contract, and after being dropped for lateness and being caught taking laughing gas in recent seasons, Bissouma’s Tottenham stay looks set to come to a sorry end.

One last hurrah for Bissouma?

Despite Bissouma not delivering on his considerable potential at Tottenham, his underlying numbers this season aren’t all that bad.

Even if he was fit, the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha may be ahead of him in the midfield pecking order.

But at his best, he is a midfield destroyer. Unfortunately for him and Tottenham, Spurs fans just haven’t seen that enough.

It remains to be seen when he will be back fit from this current muscle problem.

Roberto De Zerbi does like a holding midfield player but that ship may have sailed for Bissouma.

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