Ange Postecoglou’s second season at Tottenham has started with one of his key midfielders having to be axed from the club’s first Premier League match.
Yves Bissouma has been suspended by the club from their opener at Leicester City on Monday after the Mali international uploaded clips of himself using a banned substance onto social media site Snapchat last weekend.
Bissouma inhaled nitrous oxide – also known as laughing gas, which was classified as a Class C drug in British law last November.
“He is a footballer of this club — he has responsibilities to the club, to his teammates, to our supporters, to everyone associated with the club, and he has failed in those duties,” Australian Postecoglou said at a press conference on Thursday.
“He won’t be available for Monday … but beyond that, there is also some trust-building that needs to happen between Biss and me, and Biss and the group. That’s what he needs to work hard at, to win that back.”
The incident comes just as Postecoglou was seeking to build on the feelgood impact of his first season which ended, despite a late slump as injuries bit, with a fifth place finish earning a return to European football.
The squad has been strengthened by the arrival of club record signing Dominic Solanke, acquired from Bournemouth for Stg 65m ($A126 m).
“Football-wise you can see he has all the attributes we need,” Postecoglou said.
Tottenham have also invested in 18-year-olds Archie Gray for Stg 35m ($A68m) from Leeds and Lucas Bergvall for euros 10m ($A17 m) from Swedish club Djurgarden.
Other Australian interest in the Premier League will centre on Ipswich Town. Socceroo Cameron Burgess and Massimo Luongo, who has retired from the national side, were key figures as an improbable back-to-back promotion was secured last season, taking the club from third tier to first.
While manager Kieran McKenna has impressed in his first coaching role the Tractor Boys are hot favourites to go down – and have a tough start at home to Liverpool on Saturday, then away to champions Manchester City.
There are two other Australians on Premier League club books, but neither are likely to feature much, if at all.
Garang Kuol is a highly-regarded prospect for the Socceroos but the 19-year-old is not listed on Newcastle United’s website, in either senior or U21 squads, and looks set for another loan.
Cameron Peupion is listed in Brighton’s squad, but so are 37 other players and the 21-year-old’s best chance of regular action is again likely to be a loan.
Elsewhere in the league Manchester City are favourites to win a fifth successive title, but could be derailed by the league’s long-awaited enquiry into alleged breaches of financial regulations, due to report early in 2025. If found guilty City could be relegated, though an appeal would be expected, further delaying any outcome.
Arsenal, runners-up last season, are their most likely rivals.
There are questions over how quickly Arne Slot will enable Liverpool fans to stop pining for Jurgen Klopp, how deep is the backing from new co-owners Ineos for Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag, and whether the coaching and player churn at Chelsea can deliver.
Amid such uncertainty Postecoglu will hope, at the very least, to claim a place for Tottenham in next season’s Champions League.