Tottenham Hotspur could soon hand a start to rarely-selected summer signing Yves Bissouma, according to Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson.
The Lowdown: Spurs off to a flying start…
Spurs are off to a flying start as they remain unbeaten in both the Premier League and Champions League so far this season.
Indeed, over their first six league matches, Antonio Conte’s side have four wins and two draws to show for their efforts, and that has been followed up by a hard-fought Group D win over Ligue 1 giants Marseille this week.
Conte has largely stuck with the same XI, particularly in midfield, where both Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur have established themselves as mainstays.
The Latest: Bissouma backed for start…
Speaking to Football Insider, former Lilywhites keeper Robinson has backed Conte to potentially start summer signing Bissouma in the Champions League next week.
So far, the Mali international has started just one league game, with the vast majority of his limited 116 minutes coming off the bench (WhoScored). However, Robinson believes that Conte’s nod for the player will come and it could even be next week in Europe.
He explained: “We will see now if Conte can rotate his squad effectively.
“That is one thing in the past that he has struggled with. He has not been consistent in both the league and Champions League. Can he effectively turnaround a team from midweek to the weekend?
“With the strength and depth and the size of squad he has now, I believe he will. There is the ability there to rotate players. They can play the same system.
“Whether it is this weekend or the Champions League next week, Conte has to rotate the players. Bissouma will come in against Man City [now postponed] or in the Champions League next week.
“Spurs would not lose anything by starting Bissouma because he is of equal ability. That is the beauty of it.”
The Verdict: Hand him a chance…
Bissouma was one of Brighton’s best-performing players last season, prompting Spurs to sign him permanently in an astute deal worth £25m plus add-ons.
Lauded as an ‘exciting’ player by former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips, Conte must surely gamble, use his strength in depth and grant Bissouma to showcase his quality at some point.
While that won’t come this weekend, with the City game now postponed, surely their next Champions League outing or even Leicester City at home would be a prime opportunity.