Yves Bissouma: The shirt number he could wear at Tottenham
By Sean Walsh
Yves Bissouma has completed his transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion to Tottenham Hotspur, signing a four-year deal in north London.
While the transfer fee is officially undisclosed, the Mali international is believed to have set Spurs back £26m.
Bissouma was unveiled wearing the club's new Nike home shirt for the 2022/23 season, but like fellow new signings Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster, has not been presented with an official squad number yet. The likelihood is the trio are waiting for more to become available following the sale of current first-team players.
But what number could Bissouma take? Let's look at his options.
Tottenham shirt numbers currently available
As of 17 June, the following numbers are available to Bissouma: 9, 11, 13, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 31, 32 and any number from 34 upwards bar 40.
However, there are some caveats to these choices. For starters, numbers 11 (Bryan Gil), 18 (Giovani Lo Celso), 28 (Tanguy Ndombele), 41 (Alfie Whiteman) and 47 (Jack Clarke) belong to players out on loan, though this doesn't necessarily mean they're unavailable to Bissouma.
Additionally, the number 26 shirt is unofficially retired in honour of club legend Ledley King, with it being speculated it will only ever be worn again if a member of his family makes it into Spurs' squad.
Listen now to 90min's Tottenham podcast, Oh What a Night, with Sean Walsh and Jude Summerfield. On this week's episode, the pair look back at Spurs' 2021/22 season and choose their player of the year.
Tottenham shirt numbers that might become available
Bissouma's official shirt number doesn't have to be registered until the very eve of the 2022/23 Premier League season, and if Tottenham shift some players before then, it's possible that the Mali midfielder can inherit some numbers which are currently off limits.
Harry Winks wears the number 8 shirt which Bissouma possessed at Brighton, though it is widely expected that he will be moved on this summer.
Should Davinson Sanchez depart, the apt number 6 shirt would be freed up, while Emerson Royal (12), Joe Rodon (14) and Steven Bergwijn (23) could also leave in the coming weeks.
However, the number 21 shirt which Bissouma previously wore for Lille is taken by Dejan Kulusevski, who will be staying on loan at Spurs.