Fenerbahce president Ali Koc suggests an injury prevented them from signing Tottenham outcast Yves Bissouma.
Yves Bissouma seems to be surplus to requirements at Tottenham, and the club have been looking to offload him throughout the summer. While they couldn’t find him a new club before the end of the transfer window in England, they were hoping a Turkish club would snap him up.
Fenerbahce have been keen on his signature and were reportedly on the verge of securing his services. But the move has fallen through. During an interview with Fener Ajans, the Super Lig club’s president, Ali Koc, has revealed that an injury to the Mali international stopped them from signing him this summer.
Yves Bissouma was close to joining Fenerbahce
Koc said via SportWitness: “We all want a number 8. Bissouma was close, but he got injured,” he is quoted as saying.
“We want a smart number 8. He can distribute the ball intelligently and play box-to-box. We’re working on a young player. Transfers at Fenerbahçe don’t end until the last minute. Those coming in and out never end. We’ll push the envelope until the last moment.”
After proving his credentials at Brighton, Bissouma joined Spurs in the summer of 2022. Unfortunately, the move to the North London club hasn’t worked out for the 29-year-old. He has failed to establish himself as a key figure in the team.
Bissouma is not a key player for Frank
While he did make 44 appearances last season under Ange Postecoglou, the Mali midfielder was more of a rotational option. Following the arrival of Thomas Frank, Bissouma seems to have gone further down the pecking order. Since he is not a part of the new manager’s plans going forward and his contract is running out, Spurs have been keen on getting him off their books.
They were hoping a move to Fenerbahce would materialise, but things haven’t gone according to plan for them. While reports earlier suggested that the Turkish club had been handed a list detailing the player’s personal issues and reasons not to sign him, Koc has stated that the reason for not signing him is an injury.
With the Turkish transfer window ending in a few hours, Bissouma seems set to continue at the North London club for now. They might try again to offload him when the transfer window reopens in January.