Belated Thoughts on a Curious Deadline Day
It had to happen sooner or later. Daniel Levy, arch zero-hour negotiator, went and pointed the bargaining gun at himself this Transfer Deadline Day; wading into the action at the last second and being forced to double his original offer for French international, Moussa Sissoko. A remarkable case of anti-brinkmanship. The day Levy Levy’d himself.
Nevertheless, Sissoko is a Spurs player now, and, while £30m is a ludicrous sum for a man of his, let’s say, varying talents, there’s nothing to stop the former Newcastle midfielder becoming a worthwhile addition to the squad. Despite Martin Keown hinting that the whole deal was quite unnecessary:
‘I think it’s an awful lot of money for a player who struggled for consistency in his three years at Newcastle,’ he told the Daily Mail.
Everyone’s a critic, eh?
Moussa and Arsenal Sitting in a Tree K.I.S.S…
Many Spurs fans won’t warm to Sissoko, not immediately anyway. Even before we learned of the Frenchman’s apparent skullduggery towards Everton on Deadline Day— a confusing episode which he has since cleared up — this is the man, who, at times during his Newcastle career, just stopped trying.
It almost feels like received wisdom to say that Sissoko could only muster enthusiasm for the televised fixtures, but plenty of Newcastle fans will confirm that he simply didn’t look arsed unless the big Sky cameras were rolling.
His ongoing, public adoration for the other North London club won’t endear himself to the locals, either. The beautiful Arsenal, as he anointed them earlier in the year. There’s a small chance he’ll regret saying that.
Eurostar
So there’s some negativity surrounding the deal. But forgetting the inflated price and his questionable attitude, Sissoko, at this best, is a dynamic and effecting midfielder. We witnessed at Euro 2016 what he might be capable of, should his interest be caught.
In the final in Saint-Denis, which just happened to be one of the year’s most watched sporting events, he was perhaps France’s stand-out performer. Full of direct and powerful running, at a time when many of his teammates looked dumbstruck by the occasion. Paul Pogba included.
That’s the Moussa Sissoko Spurs fans will hope to be getting. Someone to provide a jolt of momentum and drive from midfield should a game be hanging in the balance. Something that is often missing when Dembélé is sidelined or if Eriksen is lost on the peripheries. Sissoko can be the spark.
Hugo Lloris can certainly see the benefit of the signing:
‘I think it’s very good for Tottenham that he’s here.’
Well that’s that settled.
Marseille Roulette
Elsewhere, Georges-Kévin N’Koudou finally hopped aboard, a mere forty days after passing his medical. Spurs’ social media team were able to laugh at the drawn-out saga— posting a montage of press snippets from the transfer’s numerous plot twists— and Georges himself took things in good spirits. I’m now 40-years-old, he joked with @spursoffical, in what can only be described as top banter.
Is he any good? Time will tell, I guess. The kick-ups during his grand introduction looked fairly assured and I’ve watched at least three minutes of thumping-techno-soundtracked YouTube videos from his spell at the Vélodrome to make some snap judgements. He’s an upgrade on Clinton N’Jie, at least.
