Moussa Sissoko denies he has been a Tottenham flop since joining for joint-club record fee of £30m
French midfielder has struggled to win over Spurs fans since joining from Newcastle in what was at the time a joint-club record fee but wants to prove himself now
MOUSSA SISSOKO denies he has been a flop at Tottenham.
The French midfielder has struggled to win over Spurs fans since joining them from Newcastle for a then joint-club record fee of £30million two years ago.
He even wanted to quit the North Londoners last summer after a miserable first season at the club in which he made just eight Prem starts.
And despite 15 League starts last term he hardly pulled up trees and was left out of France’s victorious World Cup squad.
But Sissoko insisted: “No, I think my first season here wasn't easy. I came late, I didn't have pre-season and it was a new challenge for me.
“But last year I played a lot of games and I did well like the team. This year is going to be the same. I will try to play more and I will try to do better and better.
“I'm happy with everyone here. The staff are always happy with me and so I'll keep going.”
Sissoko is set to feature for Tottenham when they face Barcelona here in the early hours of Sunday in the second match of their pre-season tour.
He impressed as Spurs kicked off their trip with a 4-1 win over Roma in San Diego on Thursday.
He said: “It's important to train well and take these games seriously to try to be ready for the first game of the season.
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“We know how important pre-season is, to reach a good condition, to start to know how we're going to play and to have a good feel altogether.
“We showed some very positive things against Roma and we need to carry on from that performance.”
With Tottenham still to make a signing this summer, Sissoko could yet play an important part in their coming campaign.
Asked what his ambitions are for the season, he said: “The same as always.
"To try to be better and better, to improve, to help the team to finish higher up the league and to go far in the Champions League.”
And he still has not given up hope of winning his place back in the France team after their triumph in Russia.
Sissoko, capped 53 times by his country, admits he had mixed feelings as he watched on TV as his Tottenham team-mate Hugo Lloris led Les Bleus to their 4-2 victory over Croatia in the Final last month.
He added: “This is life sometimes. I wanted to be part of this team but the manager decided to leave me out.
“This is football. But I was very happy for them. They deserved it. Now I'm looking forward and we will see what will happen in the future.”