In many ways, Sissoko should find his spiritual home at Tottenham. While he was previously adored by the Toon army, a lack of effort and consistency made selling their former star for £30m something of a reason to celebrate. Mind you, this is a team that spent over £20m on Matt Ritchie and Dwight Gayle, so perhaps their bitterness over Sissoko isn't the best indicator of the player we're getting. Sissoko has a point to prove, and looks to be a player that will play off of the reciprocal relationship between those on the pitch and those in the stands. Simply put, he'll have the backing of the crowd right away and will no doubt want to return both the fans' faith and his hefty price tag.
The reason I think Pochettino is the key to getting the best out of Sissoko is simple - he has already done it. In Mousa Dembele, Poch took a serial underperformer and added an unprecedented level of fitness and desire to the player. Much like Sissoko, nobody ever questioned Dembele's ability - rather, his consistency and effectiveness within a given position. While we might not see Sissoko has a fixed position in the first team, you can put good money on the fact that Pochettino will turn him into a consistent performer. This is a manager who turned Danny Rose - a player who many thought had no future at the club - into arguably the best left back in the Premier League. If anyone can get the best out of players, I trust Pochettino can.
As for Sissoko himself, it's no secret that there's a level of untapped potential within the lad. His performances for France were, at times, breathtaking - being able to stand alongside the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba without looking out of place speaks wonders about Sissoko's natural ability. His main two issues have always been attitude and consistency. While Pochettino is renowned for providing the latter in abundance, how will he cope with Sissoko's apparent nonchalance? Players like Emmanuel Adebayor and Benoit Assou-Ekotto have already been shunned for their failure to comply with the desired mentality of the squad. In truth, it's impossible to say whether Pochettino and Sissoko will see eye to eye, but Levy's business acumen means we only pay £6m for every year Sissoko stays at the club. Perhaps we will be cutting our losses in a year or two, but Pochettino's proven track record with regards to getting the best out of players makes me think Sissoko could be an invaluable asset for the foreseeable future.
Tactically, Sissoko fits the profile no end. Wanyama has certainly helped to solidify the midfield, and it's no disservice to suggest he's inadequate cover for Dembele - he's just not that type of midfielder. While our Belgium star will no doubt miss parts of the season, it's highly probable that Sissoko will deputise in his place. Although the two possess slightly different skillsets and styles of play, one thing they have in common is the fact they can both beat a man with ease. Dembele is the far more intricate of the two, but Sissoko undoubtedly has the power and guile to take the ball from the back four and drive at the opposition, something we sorely miss without Dembele. It's also imperative we break away from two 'destroyers' in home games - a Dier/Wanyama partnership might work in a tough away fixture, but against teams who put ten men behind the ball we desperately need some ingenuity in the deep lying midfield position.
Having said all this, Sissoko can expect to find himself deployed as a right midfielder/number ten at times this season. Pochettino tends to rotate his side effectively, so expect to see Sissoko take the place of the jaded Alli from time to time this season. The Frenchman describes himself as possessing 'a lot of energy', which is one of the key components of Pochettino's Tottenham. I've seen enough of Sissoko to know that he has the technical ability and energy to succeed in various positions for us, providing he invests in the 'Pochettino attitude' when it comes to training.
With Sissoko, Nkoudou and Dembele to return, our bench should be looking incredibly strong in the next few weeks. Even though fans will rightfully question whether Sissoko was an overpriced panic buy - and I do believe he is to some extent - there is no reason why he can't be a great player for us. There is no reason to be negative - would you prefer Levy to have denied Pochettino's request of an extra player and for us to not have an exciting £30m signing to cheer on? I for one can't wait to see what Sissoko brings to the Lane.
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