Over the last few years, Tottenham Hotspur have been extremely successful in the transfer market, with the last summer window serving as evidence of that.
It seems that Daniel Levy will now only attempt to sign a player if they present good value for their quality and potential, with James Maddison setting them back £40m the perfect example.
However, that hasn’t always been the case for the Lilywhites, with the club being forced to cut ties with expensive transfers, receiving very little in return.
There is one former Spurs player who particularly comes to mind here, well and truly never living up to his price tag.
Moussa Sissoko's time at Spurs in numbers
In 2016, Moussa Sissoko left Newcastle United after an impressive 37-game Premier League campaign where he scored once and provided eight assists.
Tottenham would be his next destination after Mauricio Pochettino agreed on a deal worth £30m for the signature of the powerful French midfielder.
However, during his first campaign at the club, Sissoko failed to have any real influence on the side, and even though he made 25 appearances, he only started eight times.
In the following season, the former Magpies ace featured much more frequently after discovering a new role as a right-sided central midfielder in a three-back variation, which saw the number 17 use his athleticism to provide support to the often on-rushing wingback.
After showcasing his versatility, Sissoko started 27 Premier League games in the 2018/19 term, and he started one more match in the next campaign, but his Spurs career declined from that point on.
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After years of being a reliable member of the squad, Sissoko eventually left Tottenham in 2021, as he signed for Watford for a small fee of £2.5m.
This was obviously quite a low figure for a player who had been a constant in the Spurs side, but nevertheless, the midfielder went on to start 36 matches for the Hornets before leaving the recently relegated side.
In the summer of 2022, the former Tottenham ace returned to France to play for Ligue 1 side Nantes, which is where he still plays his football to this day.
However, his value has massively dropped since moving, and as a 34-year-old, he is now estimated to be worth as little as £771k, according to FootballTransfers.
Giovani Lo Celso
£9m
Ben Davies
£8.8m
Bryan Gil
£8m
Fraser Forster
£1.1m
Moussa Sissoko
£700k
As you can see, this would make Sissoko the least valuable player at Spurs if he were still at the club today, even below backup goalkeeper Fraser Forster.
Unfortunately, it’s no surprise to see that the 6 foot 2 midfielder’s value has plummeted so much, especially when you consider his age, performances, and the fact that he’s playing for a relegation-threatened side.
Overall, despite being a solid player during his spell at Spurs, Sissoko never truly lived up to his £30m price tag, which seems like nothing today. In truth, it was a large sum eight years ago.
Market Movers
Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?