Tottenham Hotspur have been a revolving door of injuries this season, but one of the more quiet returnees, overshadowed by the reemergence of star striker Dominic Solanke, has been veteran center midfielder Yves Bissouma.
His injury, in fact, was the only reason why Tottenham were unable to sell him sooner, as he was a prime candidate to be moved in the summer transfer window last year. But Bissouma was predictably met with very little interest on the market outside of cursory glances from the havens for finished players in Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
Bissouma certainly looked finished, making more headlines for inhaling laughing gas than anything else this season. But Bissouma managed to get back on the pitch last weekend in the Premier League against West Ham United in what amounted to a horrid 2-1 home defeat for the Lilywhites.
Yves Bissouma is suddenly important
Funnily enough, Yves Bissouma was one of the few players to be applauded by Tottenham fans, receiving widespread praise for his cameo appearance off the bench. Bissouma looked a lot fresher than anyone expected, and whereas players like Randal Kolo Muani gave the team nothing, Bissouma was one of the team's most active and effective players on the pitch, winning possession, carrying the ball effectively, and even taking a couple of dangerous shots from beyond the box.
Bissouma did basically nothing during AFCON, but in his last meaningful minutes of action for Spurs in the 2024/25 season after James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, and Lucas Bergvall went down with significant injuries, the veteran Malian midfielder stepped up big time to help Spurs win the Europa League title.
Now, Bergvall is, once again, injured for months, as is Rodrigo Bentancur. Conor Gallagher is still figuring out the ropes at Tottenham Hotspur. Joao Palhinha is just coming back from his own injury. Maddison and Kulu? Still nowhere to be found.
So heading into the next Premier League matchup against Burnley, Bissouma now finds himself in unfamiliar territory. All of a sudden, there are many Tottenham fans who actually want to see the former Brighton man playing, and with Bergvall out, they even want him to start alongside potentially Gallagher at the base of the midfield.
Now, it is wild to suggest that Bissouma should be starting over Archie Gray or Joao Palhinha, and if Pape Matar Sarr has recovered from his illness, then that is obviously another player who should be in the mix, too.
But Bissouma brought a veteran presence and leadership against West Ham when it was lacking. Even if he does not start or play against Burnley, the fact that Spurs fans are kicking around the idea of Bissouma playing despite him having a foot out the door just a couple of months ago, maybe a change is in the air. It is unthinkable to have these conversations about Bissouma potentially even starting, and what's crazier than that is if he does start and plays well, he could even have his contract extended as Bentancur did another brush of embracing mediocrity; Spurs have done stranger things.