Thursday 10 November 2016 15:52, UK
Moussa Sissoko has admitted he has not lived up to expectations during his first few months at Tottenham - but has vowed to prove he is worth his club-record transfer.
The 27-year-old France international cost Spurs £30m in a last-ditch Deadline Day-deal from Newcastle but has only made four Premier League starts and nine appearances in all.
Sissoko believes his Spurs team-mates have been conscious of his hefty price-tag but a lack of pre-season has hampered his approval.
"It's true that there has been a lot of mishaps; my late signing, my lack of preparation for the season, my blow to the head against Middlesbrough, and this suspension," Sissoko said ahead of France's match against Sweden on Friday.
"When I arrived, I felt that my team-mates were aware of the amount of my transfer. I was not just any player, but I ignore all of this.
"I was not at the top when I signed, but that's normal. They all worked well this summer while I had a mini-preparation.
"The suspension fell at the wrong time. In addition, it was something involuntary. Even the opposition player said. I had to work harder than others in training and some double sessions to keep up.
"All that now is behind me. I have come out, grown up. All the lights are green.
"Tottenham is the biggest club I have known. You must convince in every game, every training session. But competition never scared me and the coach is correct.
"It means playing the best players of the moment, for the team, always comes first. If we want to win something late in the season then that is how we can get there."
