Tottenham Hotspur head coach Antonio Conte has, on Friday, moved to light a fire under summer signing Yves Bissouma.
Malian international Bissouma, of course, sealed a long-awaited move to north London back in June.
After long standing as one of the Premier League’s standout midfield performers whilst lining out for Brighton, the 26-year-old, in turn, was expected to kick on towards an immediate starting berth for his new club, too.
To this point, however, Bissouma has featured from the off in just one of Spurs’ five league outings, amounting to a total of just 116 minutes of time spent on the pitch.
And even his solitary start, last time out against West Ham, came owing to Rodrigo Bentancur missing out through injury.
Not only that, but Bissouma’s ensuing display saw him singled out for widespread criticism on the part of the Tottenham faithful.
And the Italian tactician was characteristically ruthless with his response.
Confirming that the summer addition to his squad remains some way off the required standard, Conte insisted that Bissouma “needs to work because for sure he is behind Bentancur and Højbjerg.”
Conte on Bissouma: “He needs to work because for sure he is behind Bentancur and Højbjerg.”
– @iamrahmanosman pic.twitter.com/BZx1KU7tru
— The Spurs Web (@thespursweb) September 2, 2022
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