Brighton & Hove Albion’s Bissouma joins Kanoute and Traore in hallowed Premier League ranks

Yves Bissouma made his 100th Premier League appearance during Sunday’s Premier League game between Brighton and Hove Albion and Everton.

The 25-year-old signed for the Seagulls in 2018 from French top-flight side Lille and it took him just four seasons to reach this mark.

He has been a regular throughout his spell at Falmer Stadium and he has now become a club centurion thanks to his involvement in his club’s 3-2 triumph at Everton.

Thus, Bissouma becomes the third player from Mali to reach that milestone after Frederic Kanoute (144 appearances) and Djimi Traore (112).

The African star made his English elite division debut against Manchester City on May 12, 2019.

He went on to end his debut campaign with 28 appearances, before adding another 22 to his tally in his second season.

Last term, he played in 36 English elite division matches as Graham Potter's men finished 16th on the log.

With Potter continuing to view him as a key figure, Bissouma has appeared in 14 Premier League matches this season to become a centurion.

In his 100 outings to date, the highly-rated midfielder accounted for 145 interceptions, 265 tackles with an average tackle every 17.9 minutes.

A brace from Alexis Mac Allister and a goal from Daniel Burn helped them seal all three points at Goodison Park.

Bissouma as well as Enock Mwepu – who accounted for two assists – were in action from start to finish.

For Everton, Nigeria international Alex Iwobi, as well as Kenya prospect Tyler Onyango and Cote d’Ivoire’s Jean-Philippe Gbamin, were unused substitutes.

With this victory, Brighton climbed to eighth on the log having accrued 27 points from 19 matches. Unbeaten in their last three matches, they welcome Crystal Palace to Falmer Stadium on January 14.

Prior to that showdown against Patrick Vieira’s men, they will square up against West Bromwich Albion in a FA Cup fixture six days earlier.

Bissouma will be unavailable in both games following his involvement in this month’s Africa Cup of Nations billed for Cameroon as he headlines Mohamed Magassouba’s 28-team squad.

Mali – who are eyeing their first African diadem - are zoned in Group F alongside Tunisia, Gambia and Mauritania.

They begin their campaign against the Carthage Eagles on January 12 at the Limbe Stadium.