The final of Euro 2016 threw up a surprise in the result, but also in who was the best player for France. As Portugal managed to stifle the hosts and build their own pressure, a bright spark for France was Moussa Sissoko.
Given freedom to bomb forward, sometimes at the expense of even Paul Pogba, Sissoko did a job for France and manager Didier Deschamps. If all his colleagues had matched his performance level then France would probably be champions.
It was hugely frustrating for Newcastle United fans who feel Sissoko hasn’t been putting the effort in for them. The club were relegated last season and if Sissoko and a few others had played at their top form then that simply wouldn’t have happened.
There’s a lot to be said for a manager having complete faith in a player and giving him confidence, but Sissoko’s poor Newcastle form can’t just be blamed upon the coach in charge at the time.
Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo have a feature on the player in their Monday edition, and say there’s been offers from Arsenal, Liverpool and AC Milan.
The Liverpool offer is said to be the most important, with the club putting €21m on the table. That’s about £18m and would be a bargain if last night’s performance was taken in isolation.
However, reports from the North East say Newcastle United are looking for a fee of around £35m, which is perhaps a bit unrealistic.
An Arsenal offer may be the product of Sissoko’s dreams. He’s never hidden his desire for a move to the Gunners, but Arsene Wenger hasn’t yet made moves to make it happen.
