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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.

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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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It is somewhat ironic to be advising a manager as notoriously hot-headed as Roberto De Zerbi to tell his Tottenham Hotspur players to calm down during matches.

Keeping a level head has seemingly been an impossible task at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but correcting this promises to be the difference between survival and relegation.

As tactically dismal as Spurs have been during too many matches this season, they have a wider problem to tackle: unenforced errors at the worst possible times.

Antonin Kinsky’s error-strewn performance against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League horribly encapsulated this rot. While Igor Tudor was rightly lambasted for playing him in the first place, the goalkeeper effectively threw two goals into his own net.

Despite sporting the captain’s armband, Cristian Romero has been too rash on numerous occasions, with his teammates falling under the spell of his shakiness and red flashes.

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If Tottenham are to stay in the Premier League next month, all this will have to change.

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How many errors have Tottenham made this season?

The picture De Zerbi has inherited is not a pretty one.

In the space of just five matches, he will have to lift spirits off the floor, bring about stability and restore an attacking thrust that has been sorely missed this campaign. As if that wasn’t already a tall enough task, the Italian will also need to clamp down on sloppy mistakes.

According to The Athletic, Spurs actually led the whole of the top-flight for errors leading to a shot or goal over the first 16 matches of the season, committing 20. They were remarkably consistent on this front over the next 15 games, making 19 and placing third overall.

These slip-ups have stemmed from both shattered confidence and structural failings. The former will take time to fix, but De Zerbi can get straight to work in addressing the latter.

Under Thomas Frank and Tudor, Tottenham’s midfield resembled a black hole. Players timed their sprints poorly, which opened up gaping spaces. Then, further forward, Spurs’ forwards too often looked to push up without the necessary support behind them.

In a nutshell, this reduced the number of teammates around them, narrowing passing options. When there were no clear avenues to exploit, sloppy giveaways were commonplace.

De Zerbi would do well to knit his team together, instructing them to move as one. Each bank should push up according to triggers, and after Spurs win back possession, they will have options both short and in behind – hallmarks of their new head coach’s style of play.

His tactics at both Brighton and Marseille revolved heavily around passing patterns and drawing out opponents, which carries an element of risk and heavy individual responsibility.

It will be a lot for a squad battered and bruised by recent results to take in, but they have little choice but to clamp down on their mistakes and get on board. If they don’t, or show they are simply unable to, De Zerbi will have no hesitation in shipping them out.

There have been multiple glaring errors resulting in goals this term – seven, in fact, since December 15. Each of them was down to players making the wrong decisions.

Radu Dragusin and Yves Bissouma helped gift a goal apiece to Manchester City in a 2-2 draw back in February, while during the 4-1 battering at the hands of Arsenal just a few weeks later, Dragusin again and Djed Spence were culpable.

These errors have left Spurs sparring from the back foot.

In the image below, Dragusin can be seen getting too tight to Viktor Gyokeres, which allowed the striker to lay off to Eberechi Eze. Quickly, the ball was in the back of the net.

In this screenshot, Spence’s attempt to shield the ball on the touchline was poor. Gabriel Martinelli won back possession seconds before Gyokeres bent home Arsenal’s fourth goal.

Damningly, Tottenham’s league-high three red cards also picked up during the same period were not factored in, proving that ill-discipline has cost them, too.

It is good news, then, that De Zerbi has already made a good impression in training.

Roberto De Zerbi must fix tactical problems

Too many players have been responsible for high-profile mistakes.

During the first 16 top-flight matches this season, Pedro Porro led the way in errors leading to an opposition shot, with five. Spurs’ desire to play out usually led them to find the full-back out wide, who was given very little support.

Spence, playing on the other side of the backline, has been just as poor in the 15 games since, making six errors before a shot. Of those blunders, two resulted in goals.

Both defenders will argue, quite rightly, that limited options down the touchline have forced them to turn back inside, where they have been crowded out. De Zerbi must, therefore, find a way to release his midfielders, who would then be able to receive the ball and turn.

It is nothing short of alarming that a team packed with so many standout names has continually failed to find these solutions themselves, but clearly, they badly need help.

De Zerbi has been parachuted into the middle of a crisis to do just that, but only time will tell whether he has the answers.

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Connor Gallagher has been quite an atrocious signing for Tottenham Hotspur by all accounts.

Given the risk of relegation that was already starting to present itself in January, Spurs knew they had to act upon it with smart recruitment and ambition.

Gallagher was one of those who arrived in North London, off the back of a successful spell with Atletico Madrid.

However, it became apparent rather quickly that the former Chelsea star was not even close to what Tottenham needed in their engine room, with a series of poor performances.

Tottenham’s recruitment has been flawed for a while now, and Gallagher is living proof that nothing has changed in that regard.

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Conor Gallagher concerns laid bare at Tottenham

Like many of the midfielders that Tottenham have, Gallagher isnt known for excelling in one particular area of his game, but instead being average at all of them.

However, even that would be far-fetched to describe his performances in the Premier League this season.

Gallagher ranks among the bottom 16.5 per cent of midfielders in the Premier League for his pass accuracy, which comes in at just 80.5 per cent.

It sees him average just 30.92 passes per game, which again has him among the bottom 22 per cent.

His lack of physicality and fight is the biggest concern, though, with the Englishman having won just 45.1 per cent of his duels.

Again, that places him among the bottom 16.5 per cent of players in the top flight, showcasing that he has not even been average this season; he’s been woeful.

What’s next for Gallagher at Tottenham?

Spurs have a huge summer of recruitment ahead, and one of the priorities will be to add more quality to a midfield that has been lacking it all season.

That may see Gallagher fall out of favour already, which would not eb a shock given his lack of impact since joining.

As for what could happen from there, Tottenham could look to cut their losses with him or utilise him as an impact player from time to time.

Though that would be highly ironic given the lack of impact he has had, at least in a positive sense.

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Roberto De Zerbi must continue to make the most of Tottenham Hotspur‘s strong set-piece record this season as he looks to plot a course to safety.

De Zerbi’s coaching staff was unveiled during the international break but featured several surprises, with the majority of his trusted lieutenants not following him to North London.

Marcattilio Marcattilii has joined the club as a first-team fitness coach, with Marcello Quinto taking up a role as senior professional development phase coach.

The duo will work alongside assistant coaches Bruno Saltor and Andreas Georgson, individual development coach Cameron Campbell and goalkeeping coach Fabian Otte.

De Zerbi will take charge of his first match against Sunderland on Sunday, and he would do well to build on some impressive work from Georgson, who has been a revelation.

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What is Tottenham’s set-piece record this season?

According to Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas, Spurs were determined to retain Georgson’s services, despite him working under a third manager already this season.

The 44-year-old has established good relationships with the players this campaign, and they have certainly benefitted from his laser focus on improving set-pieces.

Dead balls have been a useful weapon for Spurs, who are effective from corners and long throws. This has been a refreshing change from their lack of potency on this front last term.

Tottenham have scored 13 goals from set plays in the Premier League, placing them ninth. However, the fact they have not scored a single penalty makes this all the more impressive.

Georgson’s efforts on overhauling their set-piece routines are paying off, with Spurs now a threat from inswingers, outswingers and balls clipped to the edge of the penalty area.

While Arsenal unsurprisingly lead the way with 19 goals, Tottenham have added another string to their bow at the perfect time. Now, they must utilise it in their relegation fight.

Who is Andreas Georgson?

Georgson was proud to take up his post at Tottenham after deciding to leave Manchester United, spending less than 12 months at Old Trafford under Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim.

He arrived at United from Norwegian club Lillestrom, where he was head coach, and also previously worked for Brentford, Arsenal and Southampton.

Last October, it was announced that Georgson would balance his duties at Spurs while working under Graham Potter at the Swedish national team.

However, considering that Tottenham have relied on set-pieces for over 30 per cent of their goals this season, De Zerbi will need him fully focused on the scrap for survival in N17.

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Tottenham Hotspur star Mohammed Kudus has reportedly suffered a fresh injury blow ahead of Spurs’ Premier League run-in.

Tottenham won the race for Kudus’ signature last summer, as the tricky winger left West Ham for the north London team for £55million.

Kudus is one of the Premier League’s most potent dribblers but he has not been seen for Tottenham since going off injured against Sunderland on 4 January.

That has limited the Ghana international to 26 games in all competitions this season, with Tottenham’s wretched form coinciding with his absence.

Kudus was nearing a first-team return for Tottenham but reports suggest he has suffered a fresh setback that will end his season and jeopardise his chances of playing at this summer’s World Cup.

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Mohammed Kudus injury is a huge blow for Tottenham

On the face of it, three goals and six assists aren’t exactly setting the world alight.

But Kudus is one of Tottenham’s most effective attackers. This season, the ex-Ajax star has created three big chances, has averaged 2.7 successful dribbles a game, and has been fouled 1.2 times per match.

Despite playing far fewer games than some of his fellow wingers, Kudus still has the fourth-most successful dribbles in the league this season.

Indeed, only Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye (55), Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh (56), and Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku (63) have completed more successful dribbles than the Spurs ace (52).

However, according to The Sun reporters Jake Sanders and Tom Barclay, Kudus has suffered a new injury setback and may need to go under the knife.

This is also backed up by Tottenham insider @Szypriv, who tweeted that Kudus is unlikely to play another game this season.

If that is the case, then Roberto De Zerbi‘s task of keeping Tottenham in the Premier League will be even harder.

Who will step up in Kudus’ absence?

Tottenham are just one point and one place above the relegation zone, and haven’t won in the league since 28 December.

They have gone through two managers since then in Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, and now De Zerbi is at the reins.

Kudus is one of Tottenham’s few players who can strike genuine fear into the opposition with his pace, power, unpredictability, and dribbling prowess.

Now, the burden will fall on the likes of Tottenham forward Mathys Tel, who has flattered to deceive this season.

Wilson Odobert and Dejan Kulusevski are out injured, and Xavi Simons has struggled to shine this term, too.

Pedro Porro was deployed as a right midfielder in Tottenham’s 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest but right now, De Zerbi’s options are thin on the ground.

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Tottenham and ENIC’s Premier League failure exposed by PSG

Tottenham Hotspur‘s struggles at home have been highlighted by Paris Saint-Germain’s dominant record against Premier League sides.

After winning the Europa League under Ange Postecoglou, ENIC decided to go in a different direction and hired Thomas Frank last summer.

Spurs had an encouraging Champions League campaign under the Dane but their Premier League form took a nosedive in the winter.

Frank was then sacked, interim replacement Igor Tudor didn’t last long, and now Roberto De Zerbi is in the dugout.

As Tottenham prepare to face Sunderland on Sunday, their wretched form at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has come into sharp focus.

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Tottenham’s dire home form

With seven games of the Premier League season to go, Tottenham sit 17th in the table, one point above the relegation zone.

They have the worst home form in the Premier League, even below lowly Wolves and Burnley, but their results on the road are the ninth-best in the division.

Many of those points came in the opening months of the season, with Tottenham’s last win in the league coming way back on 28 December.

Since the start of 2025, Tottenham have beaten Liverpool, Manchester United, Brentford, Burnley and Southampton – a team no longer in the Premier League.

And off the back of Paris Saint-Germain outclassing Liverpool 2-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final Champions League tie on Wednesday, the French giants now have a better home record against English teams in this stretch than Spurs.

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The Athletic’s Colin Millar adds that in the same period, PSG have also won away at Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool. They also edged out Tottenham to win the Super Cup last summer at a neutral venue.

PSG are one of the best teams in the world. But when they have beaten more English sides in the Champions League than Tottenham have in nearly 18 months, it is a sad state of affairs.

Can Roberto De Zerbi save Tottenham?

Tottenham wanted to hire De Zerbi in the summer but after dismissing Tudor, they moved quickly to appoint the Italian.

The 46-year-old had an eventful spell at Brighton between 2022-2024, as the former Sassuolo manager guided the Seagulls into Europe for the first time in their history.

He also left the club after an apparent disagreement with owner Tony Bloom over the direction of the south coast outfit. De Zerbi didn’t win any of his opening five matches when he joined Brighton, but had a better start at Marseille.

The difference was that De Zerbi had a pre-season campaign at Marseille, whereas he joined mid-season at Brighton.

Despite Tottenham players being impressed by De Zerbi’s early training sessions, a victory at Sunderland on Sunday is all that matters.

How they fare against the Mackems may determine their chances of staying up this season.

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Roy Keane used Tottenham Hotspur‘s relegation predicament as the punchline for a joke on The Overlap.

With just seven games to go, Roberto De Zerbi is the man tasked with keeping Tottenham in the Premier League, though very few fans or pundits, for that matter, hold the belief that he will do it.

Spurs sit just one point above the drop zone ahead of their trip to Sunderland, who will be full of momentum after their Tyne-Wear derby victory over Newcastle prior to the international break.

While it remains possible, Keane wasted no time in making his relegation prediction, with Spurs one of the three sides set for the drop in his eyes.

But as he has done on several occasions this season already, Keane used that as a dig against Tottenham that had the rest of the panel in stitches.

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Tottenham relegation claim made by Roy Keane

On the latest episode of The Overlap, Keane, alongside several other pundits, was discussing the best goals, moments, and stadiums in the Premier League.

Unsurprisingly, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was the first one named for the latter, but Keane couldn’t resist a dig immediately after.

Wayne Rooney said: “Tottenham’s new one, it has to be. I think it’s amazing.”

To which Keane replied: “In the Championship next year,” with Rooney and Gary Neville forced into laughter as a result.

And it’s a fair point to make when considering that Tottenham have yet to win a Premier League game in 2026, with just five points picked up in total.

Where would Tottenham Hotspur Stadium rank in all-time Championship table?

Unsurprisingly, Tottenham’s ground would be the biggest in Championship history, and by a considerable margin.

As of today, Newcastle’s St James’ Park is the biggest stadium to have hosted Championship football, with a capacity of 52,405.

Should Spurs suffer relegation, their ground, with a capacity of 62,850, would become the biggest to feature at that level.

It’s a showcase of just how wrong things have gone on the pitch over the last 12 months that it is a genuine possibility in a matter of months.

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Ashley Phillips has impressed on loan away from Tottenham Hotspur, having been nominated for the Championship Young Player of the Season award.

Spurs have certainly made the most of the loan market over the last 12 months, with several academy stars having shone out on loan.

Mikey Moore has certainly impressed the most at Rangers, but Will Lankshear, Jamie Donley and Phillips have all shown their worth in the EFL.

The latter has since been nominated for the Championship Young Player of the Season award for his performances with Stoke City throughout the season.

Phillips will return to Tottenham this summer, and he may be able to stake a claim for his place.

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Ashley Phillips’ season by numbers

Phillips thrived at Stoke last season, so to have seen him make the move there again this season was not much of a shock.

However, the next step for him will be much higher, given just how well he has fared in the Championship.

The 20-year-old has completed 85.7 per cent of his attempted passes, with a total of 1356 completed, which places him among the top 15.6 per cent of defenders in the Championship.

His strengths defensively have been on show as well, with Phillips having won 67.6 per cent of his aerial duels and 63.2 per cent of his duels in total.

The Spurs loanee has made a remarkable 234 clearances in the 36 appearances he has made, while also contributing with one assist.

What’s next for Phillips at Tottenham?

That will largely come down to what happens between now and the end of May.

If Spurs are relegated, Phillips is almost guaranteed a starting role in North London, though he may still be of use if they avoid it.

Tottenham have shown their lack of depth at centre-back, and Phillips would be a huge improvement on several of those who have been called upon this season.

One way or another, it feels likely we will see plenty of him next season.

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Xavi Simons will benefit from Roberto De Zerbi’s approach to Tottenham Hotspur training.

Simons moved to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium from RB Leipzig in a whopping £51.8million deal last summer but has endured a slow start to life at his new club.

The playmaker has rotated in and out of the starting XI while registering nine goal contributions in 38 appearances in all competitions. Clearly, he will have wanted more.

While he has shown promise during all-too fleeting glimpses, he has yet to truly find his feet in North London, with Spurs’ relegation worries compounding a tough debut campaign.

However, Simons, desperate to get back on track under De Zerbi, must now look to put all this aside in order to play a crucial part in their Premier League survival run-in.

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How can Roberto De Zerbi help Xavi Simons?

De Zerbi has made an immediate impact on his Tottenham squad, according to Alasdair Gold, with the new head coach focusing on how he can help each of his players improve.

This individual work will stand Spurs in good stead as they look to stay above the dreaded dotted line, and will also give Simons the chance to focus on his shortcomings.

The 22-year-old has been slow to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League, and this is showcased in his statistics. It is clear where De Zerbi can encourage growth.

According to Sofascore, Simons’ dribble success rate is just 43 per cent, while he loses the ball 11.5 times per game. In addition, his total duels won are down to 49 per cent.

De Zerbi may ask him to bulk up, which would allow him to better hold his own. However, he is also down on goals, assists and big chances created in comparison to last season.

But on the flip side, no Tottenham players have created more big chances (six) or generated a higher expected assists total (3.55) than the diminutive Dutchman.

Additionally, only Mohammed Kudus (five) has registered more assists than Simons (four) in the top-flight this campaign, giving De Zerbi a solid foundation from which to work.

Simons has little time to impress De Zerbi

It can be argued that the attacking midfielder clearly has the creative prowess to inspire Spurs to safety, and the new manager will try his utmost to take him to new heights.

But this project must be balanced against the short-term urgency of the situation.

De Zerbi, after all, has just seven matches to save Tottenham from relegation to the Championship. Currently, they are just one point and one place above the bottom three.

The Italian has no choice but to hit the ground running, and to do just that, he will choose players he will trust to make an immediate impact. As it stands, Simons could miss out.

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Roberto De Zerbi may have won over some Tottenham Hotspur fans already with his plans for the rest of the season.

The former Brighton manager came into the North London club facing serious issues, as they sit 17th in the Premier League.

He has to turn their form around, with seven matches left to play, otherwise they are in very real danger of being relegated to the Championship.

Then, planning for the long-term future can start, but the immediate focus is on improving results and escaping the survival battle.

Tottenham have got their man in the door, and his early work has already left some observers singing his praises.

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What has De Zerbi done already at Tottenham?

John Wenham has been left impressed after what he has already seen from De Zerbi at Tottenham, despite him not managing a game yet.

Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, he said: “It does seem like the pictures of the players, the training sessions seem really good, there’s been reports coming out that the players for that session have been really good.

“They’re coming away from it, buzzing and happy, there are a lot of smiling faces, even Micky van de Ven and others who have painted a sort of gloomy picture for some parts of the season, now all seem to be buying into De Zerbi and his coaching staff, which is obviously a good sign.

“It’s something we need because there’s no time for an adaptation period. I think he was quite clever in his in-house media interview, where he basically said he’s got his principles and he’s got his way of playing, but at the moment, we’re just going to be focusing on the basics to get wins over the line.

“He used slightly different words, but that was the idea that maybe over pre-season we can build into his philosophy and his style of play a little bit more.

“But at the moment, he’s just going to be going back to basics and just trying to get as many points on the board as possible between now and the end of the season.”

Why is what De Zerbi has done so impressive?

It would have been easy for him to come in and try to implement his methods straight away, which could have harmed Spurs’ chances of staying up.

However, he has recognised that, and instead will approach the situation pragmatically, playing to the strengths of the current squad.

That is the right way to go about it, given the potential consequences if it was to go wrong, that is why it is so impressive.

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