Yves Bissouma Set to Relaunch Career at Ajax

Yves Bissouma is set to relaunch his career at Ajax, with the former Tottenham midfielder close to signing a short-term deal in Amsterdam that could stretch beyond this season.

The 30-year-old, a free agent since leaving Spurs in June, is in the Dutch capital to finalise an agreement that will run until the end of the campaign, with an option for a further 12 months. Bissouma’s move would mark a return to top-level European football after a difficult end to his time in north London.

Ajax, rebuilding and in need of experience at the base of midfield, are turning to a player who once looked like one of the Premier League’s most dynamic ball-winners. At Brighton, Bissouma’s blend of aggression, timing in the tackle and ability to carry the ball through pressure made him one of the most sought-after midfielders in England. That form earned him a high-profile switch to Tottenham in 2022.

He went on to make 111 appearances for Spurs, but his spell there never quite matched the expectations that greeted his arrival. The turning point came in August 2025, when then Tottenham manager Thomas Frank left him out of the squad for the UEFA Super Cup clash with Paris St-Germain, citing persistent lateness. It was a public jolt, and it foreshadowed the end of his time at the club.

Now comes a different stage and a different kind of pressure. Ajax, with their tradition of technical, front-foot football, are betting that Bissouma’s experience and bite can stabilise a midfield that has lacked authority. For the Mali international, it is a chance to reset his career in a league that often gives talented, out-of-rhythm players the space to find themselves again.

If the deal is completed as expected, the contract’s optional extra year will hang over the months ahead like a quiet challenge: prove you still belong at this level, and stay.