It will be some time before Yves Bissouma is seen again in a Tottenham shirt after his red card at Nottingham Forest.
The Spurs midfielder was handed his marching orders for a knee-high challenge on Ryan Yates during the second half of Friday night's 2-0 win at the City Ground.
As his second red of the campaign, Bissouma is set to be handed a four-game ban applicable across all domestic competitions.
Tottenham will be without him for the visit of Everton on December 23, as well as Destiny Udogie after his fifth booking of the season at Forest.
Brighton then hosts Spurs on December 28 before Bournemouth head to north London three days later, which Bissouma will also miss.
"These challenges have got to STOP!" ❌ @Gnev2 and @Carra23 react to Yves Bissouma's red card and Spurs' disciplinary issues this season 🟥 pic.twitter.com/Odro4Ltjsw
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 15, 2023
The final game of his ban will likely be served on January 5 when Burnley face Tottenham in the FA Cup third round.
The Mali international is then expected to head off for the Africa Cup of Nations, extending his absence from his club. The West Africans face South Africa on January 16 before further group games against Tunisia and Namibia.
Bissouma can serve the last game of his ban during the Burnley game even if he leaves early for Mali duty, because AFCON will not have begun at that point.
Three teams will qualify from four of the six AFCON groups, raising Mali's hopes of reaching the last-16 which takes place between January 27 and 29. The knockouts then run to the final on February 11.
It means Bissouma's red card could lead to him now not playing for Spurs for over two months. Should Ange Postecoglou's men require cup replays and reach the fourth-round that could tally ten games, with Manchester United, Brentford, the reverse fixture at Everton, and Brighton all on their agenda before the end of AFCON.
"[The ban]'s an issue but it's not so much discipline," Postecoglou said.
"I haven't seen a slowed down version but it's just a desperate lunge more than anything malicious. The guys are having to adapt to learn to play our football without crossing a line but I loved the commitment they showed.
"Unfortunately we paid a price because it's not just this game, he obviously misses a big chunk of football but it is what it is."
