Ibrahim Sangaré: 5 Things to Know About the Ivorian International Midfielder

Little over a year on from completing the signing of Tanguy Ndombele, Tottenham are being linked with another highly-rated Ligue 1 midfielder.

Ibrahim Sangaré was perhaps the only bright spark during a disastrous season for Toulouse, who finished stone dead last with a points per game total of just 0.46.

The 22-year-old's side's calamitous campaign has not put off Spurs though, who - according to Get French Football News - 'have intense interest' in the Ivorian. Thanks to Les Violets relegation, a fee of between €15m-€20m could be enough to get the deal over the line. No wonder the notoriously thrifty Daniel Levy is interested.

Who exactly is Sanagré though? 90min put on its best investigative hat to find out.

He's Versatile

Well, not that versatile. Not James Milner versatile. Heck, not even Fabinho versatile. He can, however, slot in nicely to a variety of central midfield roles.

Over the course of his senior career so far, Sangaré has made 47 appearances as a defensive midfielder and 30 appearances as a more advanced central midfielder. This is evidence of his ability to play in both a three and as part of a more conservative double pivot. The latter is likely to please José Mourinho a great deal.

He also made one glorious cameo as a number ten against SCO Angers back in October 2017, lasting just over an hour before being replaced by former Leeds United winger Max Gradel. Watch out Giovani Lo Celso, there could be new playmaker in town.

He's Played For His Country

That's right, despite his tender years Sangaré is already part of the senior Ivory Coast set up.

The midfielder's international career began when he made his debut for the Under-23s aged just 17. He was part of the young Elephants side that reached the Under-23 African Cup of Nations final in winter 2019, only to be defeated by Egypt after extra time.

This came a few months after he had made his full international debut during the senior AFCON tournament that previous summer, coming on for a ten-minute cameo in a group stage game against Namibia.

He went on to play 78 minutes in the quarter finals against Algeria, only for things to again end in disappointment as Ivory Coast crashed out on penalties.

He's Been Linked With an Eclectic List of Clubs

It's impossible to play well as a young player and not find yourself linked with a move away from your current club - even if not every transfer story is grounded in fact.

Even by modern standards though, Sangaré's list of suitors is just plain weird and shows how the media does not know how to value players from foreign leagues. Newcastle have been mentioned but then again, so have Barcelona.

There's plenty of middling clubs that have been touted as well, including Everton, Rennes and Southampton.

Not forgetting north London rivals Arsenal and now, Tottenham. He's really is a very popular man.

Warning - Stats Dump Incoming

Despite Toulouse enduring a disastrous season, Sangaré has managed to do himself justice by battling his way to the top of several stats tables.

He led Ligue 1 in terms of tackles won against dribblers with 68, and completed the fifth most tackles overall. This combativeness did not come without its risks though with Sangaré collecting eight yellow cards.

It wasn't just in the tackling stakes that he impressed. The Ivorian also showed some mighty fine passing ability. He made the fifth-most passes in the final third (124) and also ranked nicely in shot creating actions - particularly consider he was playing as a nominal defensive midfielder for most of the campaign.

Patrick Vieira is a comparison that has been made. Corr, never heard that one before.

He Loves a Mirror Selfie

A footballer's social media offering is vitally important these days and we won't be convinced otherwise.

Most at the top level are pretty boring though. Usually used to flog incredibly soft garms or vapid brand partnerships, they are far too commercial and slick.

Sangaré refreshingly bucks this trend, treating his 13,000 followers an eclectic collection of daring fashion choices and cringey but brilliant mirror selfies.

Check it out for yourself here. It's like stepping in a time warp back to 2012. Also, why has he got two phones in this photo? The plot thickens.