It hasn’t taken long for Moussa Sissoko to establish himself as a key component of Alan Pardew’s new-look Newcastle side. The departure of Demba Ba, allied with an influx of new arrivals, has had an instant impact on the Magpies’ fortunes after a disastrous first few months of the campaign.
Sissoko arrived on these shores with a reputation as a box-to-box midfielder; 20 goals in seven seasons at former club Toulouse suggested he would chip in occasionally but a move to the advanced central midfield role behind Papiss Cisse in a 4-2-3-1 has seen the Frenchman flourish. In a situation similar to the likes of Marouane Fellaini and Michu earlier this season, Sissoko’s penchant for Fantasy points and mid-price appeal has already got the bandwagon in overdrive – almost 100,000 clambered aboard prior to last Saturday’s trip to Tottenham.
So far, Sissoko has rewarded his owners with attacking returns in all three appearances for Pardew’s side. An assist for Cisse’s goal at Villa was followed by a brace on his home debut in a stirring comeback win over Chelsea; the midfielder also teed up Yoan Gouffran for the Magpies’ equaliser at the Lane last weekend. It’s not just individual returns which have stood out, though; Sissoko has afforded Newcastle a greater physical presence and a real drive through the middle, with those wins over Villa and Chelsea the first time this season the club have won back-to-back league matches. Speaking to the press on Tuesday afternoon, Sissoko admitted:
“It has gone off smoothly. I have had a lot of fun. The Frenchmen who came to Newcastle this winter have adapted very well. People are supporting us and you can feel it on the pitch… I am not a number 10. Let’s say I am an attacking central midfielder. I like to move, defend, attack. I do everything a bit. The centre is where I can bring the most to the team. On the side, it is much more complicated…I have always wanted to play in England. It is the league that suits me the best.”
With Hatem Ben Arfa edging towards a return, Newcastle could soon be back to full-strength ahead of a schedule which sees them play host to Southampton, Stoke, Fulham and Sunderland in the next seven, in addition to trips to Swansea and Wigan. Coming in at 6.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) and 6.3 in the Sky Sports game, Sissoko is significantly cheaper than Ben Arfa and Cisse’s respective FPL price tags of 7.4 and 8.8 for those looking to invest in Pardew’s side, while his stand-out displays are even threatening to shake up the order of the popular five man midfields in light of his superb form and eye-catching run of fixtures.
The only issue appears to be finding room for him in our midfield five. There is fierce competition for places and the consistency being shown by Juan Mata, Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale, along with the promise of continued returns from Fellaini and Michu and the budget appeal from the likes of Jason Puncheon: it’s difficult to look beyond those established names. Despite the recent investment, then, Sissoko represents a differential – a stretch from the norm which breaks up the rigid template we’ve seen formed. With the 33% owned Fellaini closing in on 10 bookings and a two-match ban, he could be the one sacrificed, while others may look to upgrade Puncheon or their budget midfielder to get on board Newcastle’s forthcoming run in the hope that Sissoko can go on delivering at his impressive rate.
