Brighton and Hove Albion have made their sixth signing of the close season with the capture of Malian midfielder Yves Bissouma on a five-year deal.
Bissouma, 21, joins from top flight French club Lille who narrowly staved off relegation at the end of last season.
Albion manager Chris Hughton said: “We are delighted to have signed Yves and are pleased to welcome him to the club.
“We have been keen to strengthen the squad in the central midfield positions and this will add to our options in this area. I am very much looking forward to working with him.
“He is someone with good technical ability on the ball, and has good experience at a relatively young age, after playing regularly in a competitive French league for the past two seasons.”
Bissouma began his senior career with Malian side AS Real Bamako before joining Lille in 2016. He made a total of 55 appearances and scored four goals in two seasons with the French club.
The midfielder is also a Mali international. He made his senior debut in 2015 and scored a last-minute winner in the 2016 African Cup of Nations semi-final against Ivory Coast, the country of his birth.
Bissouma said that it was his desire to prove himself at the highest level that convinced him to join the Seagulls and he feels that the Premier League is the ideal place to continue his career.
He said: “I chatted with quite a lot of people who advised me it’s a good league for my progression and it’s good to join a club like Brighton who know what they want – an ambitious club.
“First of all I spoke to my agent, then I spoke to Bakary Sako who plays at Crystal Palace and Molla Wague, who plays for Watford. They both said a lot of good things about the Premier League.
“It’s the dream of every player to come and play in the Premier League. They said it’s different to Ligue 1 – but you see that on the TV.
“They said it’s quite physical, quite difficult, but it’s the best league in the world. That says it all.
“To be a big player you have to prove yourself in the big leagues and that is what pushed me a bit to come here.
“I wanted to come and show what I can do in the Premier League and help the team move forward.”
Bissouma arrives at Albion after a season of struggle with Lille, which saw the side narrowly avoid relegation from Ligue 1, and he was pleased to help the club maintain their top-flight status before moving on.
“It was really tough,” he said. “I don’t wish any player the season we just went through because it was really difficult.
“The group was one of young players with joie de vivre but at the start we didn’t understand certain things.
“We had new players who joined us and the adaptation process wasn’t really easy. That really weighed down on us.
“We managed to stay up – amid a lot of difficulty. It was really hard.
“But it’s done and today the club stay in Ligue 1 and I’m happy for them even though I’m no longer there.”
