Tottenham midfielder unavailable for Premier League opener

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglu has confirmed that midfielder Yves Bissouma has been suspended by the club for Monday night's 24/25 season opener away to Leicester City.

Ange said "He needs to build that trust back with both me and the group. The door is open for him but behavior is crucial."

The Spurs manager was asked what Bissouma could do to regain his trust and said "Behaviour mate. It's that simple. It's about making better decisions. He was very apologetic to me, the club, and everyone involved but that's just part of it."

This comes after the Spurs midfielder posted himself inhaling laughing gas on his Snapchat story earlier this month.

Such a thing became illegal in 2023, so it always felt like he'd have got off lightly if he was to face no punishment at all. It would have set a dangerous precedent and it was hard to believe a disciplinarian such as Ange allowing that to happen.

After managing to impress in pre-season, it cannot be overstated how idiotic it is from Bissouma to undo his hard work and anger his manager who he is desperately trying to impress in order to solidify his place in the starting line-up.

Tottenham midfielder unavailable for Premier League opener

It is likely to be a straight shootout between Rodrigo Bentancur and Archie Gray for that spot in midfield next to Pape Sarr on Monday night. Oliver Skipp could feature too, just perhaps not for Spurs.

With Bentancur only playing 45 minutes in pre-season as a result of his Copa America success with the Uruguayan national team - Gray may be trusted with a start on his competitive Spurs debut. He started the play-off final against Southampton - so he knows what it's like to start bigger games than this.

The teenager also started both games against Leicester for Leeds United in the Championship last season, winning both games and starting both at right-back - whilst moving to left-back and forcing the winner in the game at Elland Road.

With Ange's recent quotes about being willing to throw a player into the team and having an expectation that they hit the ground running, it is plausible to see Gray in that starting XI on Monday night.