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Tottenham have agreed a deal with Brighton for supposed Arsenal target Yves Bissouma, report Times Sport.
The Gunners’ fierce rivals have leapfrogged them in a deal for the 25-year-old Malian international. Bissouma has been a rock in the Seagull’s side this season, as the south-coast club finished 9th in the league, just five points outside European competition.
Arsenal had been strongly linked with the combative midfielder, with the Malian even posting on social media recently encouraging the Gunners to make a move to acquire his services. However, those pleas appear to be in vain, as senior officials at London Colney never seriously considered a prospect of moving for the talented midfielder.
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It appears the route Arteta’s side is going down this season is that of ‘death by a thousand passes’ as opposed to continuing to load his team with physical units capable of driving through the opposition alone.
Nonetheless, Bissouma will be a phenomenal signing for the bitterest of rivals, slotting straight into the Spurs starting XI, a substantial upgrade on both Rodrigo Bentacur and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg. Operating in Conte’s 3-4-3, the Malian midfielder is tailor-made for the Italian’s style of play, where the central players are defensively destructive, and the wingbacks and attacking players provide the requisite creativity.
The lack of movement for the supremely talented midfielder may extend beyond the pitch however. Bissouma was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault, and has been released since impending an investigation.
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The outcome of that investigation is yet to be concluded, however, one would suspect Spurs wouldn’t pursue the deal if they had any inclination that the outcome is negative for Bissouma.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Yves Bissouma, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Transfers, Brighton And Hove Albion
