Sidelined Ryan Sessegnon could be sent out on loan by Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur may be forced to find a loan move for Ryan Sessegnon this summer amid fears that the youngster’s development is stalling under Jose Mourinho.
Sessegnon, a £25 million signing from Fulham last summer, has not played a single minute for Tottenham since the Premier League’s restart and was left out of the 20-man squad that faced Everton on Monday night.
The 20-year-old had to overcome a serious hamstring injury at the start of the campaign and has since struggled for game time under Mourinho, starting only four matches in the league. Against Everton on Monday night, Sessegnon was left out of the squad in favour of teenage left-back Dennis Cirkin.
Tottenham are understood to rate Sessegnon highly and have faith in his ability, but there is an acceptance that he needs more minutes if he is to continue to develop as a player.
After emerging as one of Fulham’s key players despite his young age, Sessegnon chose Tottenham over the likes of Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig because he was desperate to play for Mauricio Pochettino.
The sacking of Pochettino in November came just two weeks after Sessegnon, who can play at left back or left wing, made his long-awaited debut for the club.
Sessegnon made his first start under Mourinho against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, scoring Tottenham’s only goal, but has not been given many opportunities since, despite the club’s belief in his talent.
If Tottenham were to sanction a loan move, chairman Daniel Levy would want guarantees that Sessegnon would be given plenty of game time. He is also unlikely to allow Sessegnon to play for a side that could be considered a rival to Tottenham.
As reported by Telegraph Sport last week, Tottenham are hoping to find ways to lower the transfer fee of around £35 million that Southampton are believed to want for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
They could negotiate a deal in which right-back Kyle Walker-Peters makes his loan move to Southampton permanent, and the prospect of Sessegnon being available on loan could also help Tottenham’s negotiating position.
Sessegnon was only 17 when he was named the Championship Player of the Season in 2018 and there were calls for him to be included in England’s World Cup squad that summer.
His lack of game-time at Tottenham has caused him to drop off the international radar for now, despite being seen by many as one of the most talented youngsters of this exciting generation.
Sessegnon would not have been in contention for this summer’s Euro 2020 tournament but will hope that the postponement of the competition until next year will provide him with time to demonstrate his ability.
