Yves Bissouma's Move to Ajax: A High-Risk Signing

Yves Bissouma is closing in on a move to Ajax, and the news has stirred up plenty of noise in England – but not for the reasons a new signing would usually hope for.

The Mali international, out of contract after four years at Tottenham Hotspur, is being talked about less as a midfield reinforcement and more as a walking warning sign. Nobody questions his talent. The doubts circle around everything that has happened away from the pitch.

talkSPORT journalist Jack Johnson was blunt. “That his contract was not extended at Spurs did not come as a surprise,” he wrote. It was not just the knee injury that disrupted his final season. According to Johnson, repeated lateness and “various problems off the pitch” pushed his then-manager Thomas Frank to leave him out of the squad for what was described as a “lack of discipline.”

The pressure finally told when a social media video emerged. As talkSPORT recalled, that disciplinary incident was directly linked to footage Bissouma himself had posted online, showing him using nitrous oxide. Even after his suspension, he was reportedly filmed a second time with a nitrous oxide balloon.

The Mirror added a darker layer behind those images. Bissouma later explained that a burglary at his home had deeply shaken him and triggered serious mental health struggles. He spoke of anxiety, panic, depression and paranoia in the aftermath of the traumatic break-in, and said that was how he ended up turning to nitrous oxide.

English outlets have listened to that explanation but remain wary. For them, Ajax are stepping into a high‑risk deal. The Sun put it starkly: “Ajax will have to keep a closer eye on Bissouma than their predecessors did, in order to prevent a repeat of that situation.”

That concern is echoed in the Netherlands. On Monday evening, Valentijn Driessen did not hide his scepticism on Vandaag Inside. His assessment was scathing. “That is some Malian who is more into nitrous oxide than he is present at training. Nitrous oxide for recreational use, and for a footballer at that!” he said. Driessen then pointed to the club’s stance on Noa Lang. “Jordi Cruyff did not want Noa Lang because he was supposedly a difficult footballer, but if you bring this one in… then you really are bringing in trouble.”

Ajax know all of this. They have read the same headlines, heard the same warnings. They are pushing ahead anyway.

Bissouma is reportedly already in Amsterdam for his medical. If all goes to plan, he will sign a contract running until mid‑2027, with an option for a further year. The question now is simple: will Ajax be the club that finally unlocks the player – and keeps the chaos out?