How to solve a problem like the Yves Bissouma contract situation?
Let me take you back to North London for a moment, where this month we witnessed arguably Albion’s best performances of the season. Away at Arsenal and Spurs, it seemed Graham Potter discovered the blueprint for the rest of the campaign.
He employed a system that looked like an innovative 3-1-5-1. Albion played more ‘direct’ compared to any previous games in 2022. No more continuous sideways passing, yet the team remained defensively solid.
Without the ball, our front six pressed high and on the odd occasion our press was broken, there was always Bissouma to clear the danger.
Imagine yourself being appointed special advisor to Antonio Conte, Mikel Arteta or Erik Ten Hag this summer. What would be your first recommendation to your new boss? Total no-brainer, right?
“Go and get Yves Bissouma, at any cost”. Harry Winks, Fred, Scott McTominay, Nemanja Matić, Granit Xhaka? If Arsenal, Spurs or Manchester United want to move up the table they need to strengthen their midfield and it is in no doubt Bissouma would improve those three teams.
Bissouma’s contract situation puts Brighton in a difficult position. If they do not sell this summer, then they risk losing Bissouma on a free in a year. The club surely cannot allow a player of his quality go with nothing in return to compensate for the loss?
And if/when Bissouma does depart, what does Potter do with his shiny new blueprint? Can the Albion even play a 3-1-5-1 without Bissouma? Let’s have a look at some potential options.
Look for an in-house solution
This method recently worked well in the case of Ben White being succeeded in a back three by Dan Burn. Sell Bissouma, pocket the cash and replace the outgoing player with somebody who is already on the Albion payroll.
Could this work again, this time in midfield? The obvious candidate to take over the defensive midfield role from Bissouma is Moises Caicedo.
The Ecuadorian however is still only 20 years of age and most likely too inexperienced to be given such a pivotal position in the team.
Besides, do we know his best position? Caicedo could well be a box-to-box midfielder in the same mould as Jakub Moder and Enoch Mwepu.
Alternatively, Potter could continue with playing Alexis MacAllister as a deep lying playmaker as he did in the 2-2 draw with Southampton.
It was obvious in that game that Mac Allister does not offer the same protection to the back three as Bissouma does. The same can be said of Adam Lalana, Steven Alzate or Pascal Gross.
As a result of Bissouma not being available, Potter had to revert to playing a back four this weekend. Brighton are never as good playing a four, which shows the importance of Bissouma – he allows Potter to play his best defensive shape.
Splash the cash
How much are we likely to get for Bissouma? £30 million to £40 million seems a fair price in today’s market for somebody of his quality with only one remaining year on his contract. Aston Villa offered £35 million in January and may yet return with a similar bid in the summer.
The rumour is that Leicester City are about to make an offer for Ibrahim Sangaré. He is a 24 year old, 6’3 Ivory Coast international with 21 caps under his belt.
Sangaré is strong in the tackle, remarkably good with his feet for a big chap and a threat in the air. Never heard of the man? Well that is probably because he showcases his talents in the Dutch Eredivisie for PSV Eindhoven and starred in the UEFA Conference League.
Albion fans these days shiver when scouts cross the North Sea but that does not mean there is no talent in the Lowlands.
The Leicester scouting department discovered Jamie Vardy, N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez in lower league football. They seem to know how to spot talent, just in case you don’t want to take my word for it.
The price quoted for Sangaré by the way is £30 million. He would be a like-for-like replacement for Bissouma. Other options naturally are available but finding talent able to make an instant impact in the starting line-up comes at a price and is never without risk.
We never know how players settle in a new country and cope with the intensity of the Premier League. And remember, it took Bissouma 18 months to adapt to English football.
Let Bissouma run down his contract
Is that even an option? The Albion are not really in a financial position to throw away a substantial transfer fee for the sake of one more season.
Would Bissouma still be motivated to deliver Spurs-away type performances during the next season if he knows he is off? Would he reign in his all-action style wanting to avoid the risk of picking up an injury with such a big move in the pipeline? It is a big gamble.
Bissouma signs a new contract and pledges his long term future to the Albion
Make the guy an offer. What have we got to lose? Make him the highest paid player in the history of the club. It is without doubt good business.
There is still so much room for improvement in his overall play. His best years are still to come. Bissouma is young and will retain a high transfer value for many years.
But will the player himself be interested? My personal take on this is that the odds of Bissouma signing a new contract are more or less the same as me making the Dutch World Cup squad or the current UK Prime Minister developing a moral compass.
Still, we can dream. So watch this space. Time will tell. All will unfold over the summer. No matter how the club solves a problem like Bissouma, whoever plays in defensive midfield for Albion next season, we will support the player, the team and the people who make the decisions.
Stand or fall.
Marco Hof
