(Credit: Imago/Manh Tung, Breaking Media)

Jonathan Burnett

Sun 10 August 2025 8:00, UK

Yves Bissouma will only leave Tottenham Hotspur this summer if Thomas Frank can find an upgrade in the transfer market.

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Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, former Tottenham and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson said Bissouma could be the next player out the door as part of Spurs’ rebuild.

Frank has spent almost £125million on new additions since his arrival in North London this summer, albeit Kevin Danso, Mathys Tel and Luka Vuskovic’s signings come after loans and pre-agreed transfers.

Spurs have also added Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha to Frank’s squad on a season-long loan, and his taking of Radu Dragusin’s number six jersey implies that Tottenham want to make the move permanent.

Thomas Frank is putting his stamp on Tottenham’s squad this summer (Credit: Imago)

In the wake of Palhinha’s arrival, Football Insider revealed on 4 August that Bissouma is “highly likely” to leave Tottenham this summer, with a bid lined up for England midfielder Conor Gallagher to replace him.

As a result, Robinson has told Football Insider that with Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur, Archie Gray and Pape Sarr also in the mix, the arrival of a player like Gallagher could spell the end of Bissouma’s time at Tottenham.

This article contains exclusive comment from Paul Robinson, a football pundit and former England, Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United goalkeeper.

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Football Insider revealed on 1 August that Gallagher will cost Tottenham £40m with Atletico Madrid reluctant to sell him this summer, but he is the calibre of player who would expect to displace Bissouma.

Speaking on the latest Inside Track, Robinson argued that although Palhinha will be expected to start for Spurs next season, Frank isn’t in a hurry to force Bissouma out the door with his current squad depth.

“[Bissouma’s] contract is up this year – he played a good chunk of their games last year so he’s quite an integral part of the squad”, Robinson told Football Insider.

“You look at the cover that they’ve got in the area – Bentancur, Sarr, Gray, Palhinha coming in – and whether that opens the door for his exit.

Portugal midfielder Palhinha isn’t seen as a direct replacement for Bissouma (Credit: Imago)

“Is Bissouma one they could do without?

If Tottenham can buy better, they’ll let him go, but at the moment, they probably need the players and the squad depth.”

Injuries and a lack of adequate sqaud depth played a key role in Spurs’ dismal domestic form last season, with the likes of Gray often forced to fill in across the backline as Ange Postecoglou‘s side finished 17th.

Tottenham are keen on signing Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid (Credit: Imago)

Regardless, Tottenham will look to break even on the £25million fee they paid Brighton to sign Bissouma in 2022, and Frank certainly won’t stand in the Mali midfielder’s way if adequate bids arrive this summer.

Losing James Maddison to an ACL injury until well into 2026 does look set to affect their transfer plans in attacking midfield, but further back, Tottenham may have the adequate cover to bring Bissouma’s disappointing spell to an end.
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