Yves Bissouma is finally a free man over eight months after he was arrested for allegedly committing sexual assault while he was still contracted to Premier League club, Brighton.
The plight of Yves Bissouma started in the early hours of October 6, 2021, when the police arrested him alongside a man in his 40s at a nightclub in Brighton.
Then, reports confirmed that some unnamed people called the Sussex Police to the seafront nightclub to apprehend Bissouma for allegedly assaulting an unnamed victim.
After his arrest, the 25-year-old central midfielder and his alleged accomplice were granted bail.
Before the African Cup of Nations in February 2022, the court amended his bail condition to enable him to link up with his country, Mali, in the one-month-long football tournament.
After the tournament, Bissouma returned to the United Kingdom and continued to face legal battles over the sexual assault allegations.
Amid the scandal, Tottenham Hotspur decided to pay €29.20 million for the services of the Malian midfielder. However, the deal took effect a day after the midfielder was cleared of any wrongdoing.
A statement from the Sussex police department affirmed that Bissouma has been cleared of the sexual assault allegations and no further action will be taken against him. However, the police added that the allegation is still under investigation.
A police statement quoted by Sportsmail read: ‘A man in his 40s from Brighton who was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault has had his conditional bail extended until July 4, 2022.
‘A man in his 20s, also from Brighton, who was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault has been released with no further action to be taken.
‘The investigation is ongoing and no additional information is available at this time.’
What are the details of the contract between Yves Bissouma and Tottenham
While the court was on the verge of clearing Yves Bissouma’s name from the sexual assault allegations which have been hanging on his neck since October 2021, Tottenham Hotspur pushed for the signature of the Malian midfielder.
After the sexual assault case was cleared, the 25-year-old Mali’s international signed a four-year deal with Tottenham which cost the Premier League club £25million. The deal which will expire on June 30, 2026, could rise to £30 million if ad-ones are included.
Malian midfielder Yves Bissouma opens up about signing for Tottenham and his life-long dream of wanting to play Champions League football ⚽️🇲🇱 pic.twitter.com/jJgOfgyA98
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) June 30, 2022
After Bissouma sealed the deal with Tottenham, a famous football pundit, Paul Merson said the deal is the best Premier League deal this summer wishing that Manchester United had signed the player before Tottenham did.
‘This is an unbelievable coup for Spurs as Yves Bissouma could have played for any of the other top-six sides in the Premier League,’ Merson told Sportskeeda.
‘He’s better than Scott McTominay and Fred, I have no idea why Manchester United didn’t go in for him!
‘He runs the show, affects football matches right from the get-go, and is an all-around midfielder with quite a bit of Premier League experience under his belt.
‘No disrespect to Spurs, but why didn’t some of the other teams look at him and consider making a move for him?
‘I look at Liverpool’s midfield and feel he could play for them, especially if someone like Fabinho were to get injured.
‘£25 million in this day and age – it’s nothing. Spurs have nabbed an absolute bargain with Bissouma and he, in my opinion, has been the signing of the summer in the Premier League so far.’
What is the stats of Bissouma?
Yves Bissouma joined Brighton from French Ligue 1 club, Lille on July 17, 2018, for a transfer fee worth €16.80 million. Since then, the central midfielder has played 124 games in all competitions in which he scored 6 goals and provided three assists.
As for his national team, Bissouma who made his international debut on October 18, 2015, has made 27 appearances in which he scored three goals for Mali.
