Playing for 90
Fansided

Tottenham may sell high priced star in January

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 02: Moussa Sissoko of Tottenham Hotspur (L) and Jesus Navas of Manchester City (R) battle for possession during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City at White Hart Lane on October 2, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 02: Moussa Sissoko of Tottenham Hotspur (L) and Jesus Navas of Manchester City (R) battle for possession during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City at White Hart Lane on October 2, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Tottenham may ship Moussa Sissoko out in January

Spurs fans can’t say that Newcastle supporters didn’t warn them. Some Magpie fans were sad to see Moussa Sissoko go on Deadline Day, but the vast majority mocked Tottenham for paying £30 million for the inconsistent midfielder.

Of course, Tottenham agreed to make the big move for Sissoko after his sparkling display for France in Euro 2016. His form for the French national team made Daniel Levy and company believe he could be the missing piece for Spurs’ title push. Unfortunately, he’s provided almost nothing since his arrival at White Hart Lane.

When asked about Sissoko’s lack of involvement against Chelsea, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino simply declared he didn’t deserve to be in the squad. Instead of naming the Frenchman to the bench, Pochettino elected to leave him at home. The Spurs boss quipped that his midfielder was watching the game on television.

Those familiar with Pochettino know that once he slams a player in the press, his time with Spurs is nearly over. That’s just the situation Sissoko finds himself in now. He only has one more chance to show his manager he’s worthy of important playing time.

That chance will occur during training this week. Pochettino is clearly testing Sissoko to see how he will react. The gaffer wants to see Sissoko come back into training with a real chip on his shoulder. If he does, he’ll have every opportunity to carve out a place in the Tottenham squad.

On the other hand, if he comes back to training with a bad attitude, his days at the club will certainly be numbered. Sissoko can look to the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Younes Kaboul and Etienne Capoue to see what happens when you get on the wrong side of Pochettino. It’s a battle the player always loses.

More from Tottenham Hotspur

Ordinarily, selling a £30 million player in January might be rather difficult for a club like Spurs. In this case, the original terms of the transfer agreement may make it quite simple. Rumors have swirled around the transaction that Tottenham would only pay Newcastle installments of £6 million based on how long he remained with the club. It’s possible Spurs would only be on the hook for one installment if they jettisoned him in the winter window.

Some Spurs fans may be dead set on seeing Sissoko go, but I still believe the best case scenario for Tottenham is him deciding to fulfill his potential at the club. When he’s playing his best football, he can be an absolute terror for the opposition. No rationale Spurs fan can say that version of Sissoko wouldn’t be a huge boost to Tottenham at the moment.

Home/Tottenham Hotspur