Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea - July 11, 2022, Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Yves Bissouma, Emerson Royal, Richarlison and Lucas Moura during training.
Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold has delivered an update on Yves Bissouma and Fraser Forster after the duo tested positive for a viral infection during pre-season.
The Lowdown: Starting pre-season with a win
Antonio Conte’s side kicked off their pre-season campaign in South Korea with a thrilling 6-3 victory over Team K-League at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Wednesday, but there were two summer signings missing from the teamsheet.
In his post-match interview, the manager explained that Bissouma and Forster were both absent from the game after contracting the virus, which would have come as a huge blow as they missed out on the opportunity of making their Spurs debut in front of fans.
The Latest: Gold’s update on Spurs duo
Taking to Twitter, Gold shared the latest on the Tottenham duo’s current situation and revealed what it will mean moving forward.
He wrote: “In addition on Bissouma and Forster, they are expected to isolate in Spurs’ team hotel here in Korea for a total of seven days from the positive test. That means they will have to fly back to the UK separately from the rest of the Tottenham squad, who travel home on Sunday.”
The Verdict: Preparation setback
Conte not having Bissouma and Forster available to him for at least another week will be a hugely frustrating situation for him and the two players.
Not only are the new signings missing out on time to gel and create new bonds with their team-mates, they are also losing out on valuable preparation and training as they aim to be fully fit and up to speed in readiness for the start of the season.
Whilst there has been no other news since, there is always the risk of other members of the squad catching the virus, which would be far from ideal.
Therefore, Conte will just have to go with what he has available moving forward and hope that he will be able to complete all the work with the other summer signings before the opening weekend of the upcoming Premier League campaign.
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