According to Owen Fulda of the Daily Star, Tottenham could sell Moussa Sissoko for £18m to raise funds for new arrivals. This is despite the 30-year-old being a regular in midfield and having impressed under Jose Mourinho. It’s no secret that we need to make money for summer recruits, but why would we offload an important midfielder?
Mourinho prefers Sissoko over Ndombele
If Mourinho had to choose one midfielder to sell, it wouldn’t be Sissoko. The French international made 35/52 appearances in all competitions last season only missing games through injury or suspension, so it’s hard to see him being made available for sale.
As per WhoScored, Sissoko has made 40/67 successful dribbles, created 16 chances, completed 87.5% of his 2455 passes, blocked 27 shots/crosses/passes, made 35 clearances and averaged a tackle (39) or interception (27) every 37 minutes. He’s had more successful dribbles than David Silva (33) and more tackles than Harry Maguire (37).
We also agreed a four-year deal with Sissoko last summer too, so he’s clearly an important player moving forward. Tanguy Ndombele, on the other hand, may be expendable. He’s been called out by Mourinho for a lack of fitness, was dropped entirely (231 minutes in 2020) for poor form and has already been linked with a move away.
Ndombele may be our most expensive signing and seven years Sissoko’s junior, but he’s not close to being as valuable as his countryman. We’re set to sign Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton this week, but it’s not Sissoko that the incoming midfielder could be replacing.
Moussa has been a good omen
Sissoko made 29 Premier League appearances last season. We won 13 (44.8%), drew eight (27.6%) and lost eight (27.6%) with him. In the nine games without him, we only won three (33%), drew three (33%) and lost three (33%). The numbers show that we win fewer games and lose more without Sissoko in the team.
From the 18 Premier League games Ndombele missed, we won 12 (66.6%), drew four (36.3%) and lost two (11.1%). It’s hard to deny which player’s absence we miss the most, so Mourinho surely wouldn’t sabotage the squad by removing an important cog.
Summary
Sissoko impressed last season and has shown no desire to leave Tottenham, so it’s highly unlikely that he’ll be sold this summer. Letting him go wouldn’t be smart, even if we need money.
In other news, Tottenham are showing interest in a Watford forward