Tottenham summer signing was Pochettino third choice after two deals fell through - report

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Published on:

03 Dec 2016, 2:59 am

By Harry Sykes

Moussa Sissoko was Tottenham's third choice attacking midfield signing in the summer window, according to a report.

The France international was prised from Newcastle in the final hours of deadline day for £30million after Spurs beat Everton in the race to sign him.

But the Evening Standard claim that Sissoko was Spurs' third choice for his position in the summer after manager Mauricio Pochettino was unable to secure deals for Sadio Mane and Wilfried Zaha.

Mane was signed by Liverpool from Southampton for a fee that could rise to £38million while Zaha remained at Crystal Palace.

Mane has been outstanding for the Merseysiders and has added a new dimension to the front line with his pace and trickery, scoring six goals and supplying three assists from 12 Premier League matches as Liverpool emerge as genuine title challengers.

Zaha has been outstanding in a struggling Palace team, supplying six assists in 12 league matches from his wide forward role and also adding two goals.

By contrast, Sissoko has been a major disappointment and Pochettino has even gone public with his unhappiness at the player's failure to buy into the team's worth ethic.

The 27-year-old has made 10 appearances for the London giants and is yet to score or register an assist and was omitted from the 18-man matchday squad that lost to Chelsea last weekend.

In other Tottenham transfer news, Pochettino shares the four reasons why Moussa Sissoko has struggled since his summer arrival.

Tottenham Hotspur

Mauricio Pochettino

Moussa Sissoko