Tottenham Hotspur’s new signing Dejan Kulusevski could become a better version of one of Antonio Conte’s former stars…
January swoop
The Sweden international signed from Juventus on deadline day, joining in an 18-month initial loan for an £8.3m fee, which has an option to buy set around £29.2m, as per the BBC.
He arrives in north London alongside fellow teammate Rodrigo Bentancur, who joins in a £15.9m permanent deal, which could rise by £5m before the end of his contract in 2026.
The pair would be Spurs’ only two arrivals this winter.
Shades of Eden Hazard
Kulusevski is hardly the sort of player that the Lilywhites were crying out for but he’s still a very exciting young talent who will offer Conte supreme versatility in the final third.
It’s that sort of ‘plug-and-play’ style that the Italian loves to have at his disposal – as we’ve already seen, he considers Steven Bergwijn to be a back-up option to Harry Kane up top, whilst there could be some similarities to Eden Hazard, an out-and-out winger who thrived in the half-spaces as one of two no.10s.
The 21-year-old is certainly capable of playing both roles as displayed during his maiden campaign at the Old Lady. Kulusevski was deployed in as many as seven different positions and he still provided 14 direct goal contributions across all competitions, which is remarkable for his age at a club of Juve’s stature.
Perhaps what is more astonishing was the way in which he dropped down the pecking order under Massimiliano Allegri but his loss is certainly Spurs’ gain.
“He has incredible physical strength. He reminds me of a young [Mo] Salah for the way he shakes off opponents in the first ten metres,” once claimed Italian coach Pierpaolo Bisoli, whilst former Aston Villa and Sweden striker Marcus Allback dubbed Tottenham’s new man “explosive” and “direct” to The Sun.
According to Italian Football expert Nima Tavallaey Roodsari, Kulusevski will become an “absolute monster” under the stewardship of Conte.
Hazard provided 34 goals and 21 assists in 94 appearances under the Conte at Stamford Bridge, and the 52-year-old will be hoping that the £27m-rated dynamo can be a similar sort of attacking threat at Spurs this season.
Given the way in which the Belgian has fallen off in his career and the age that Kulusevski has arrived in N17, the Lilywhites’ new man could well emerge as an even better talent than the former Chelsea star in the future.
AND in other news, Antonio Conte concerns emerge at Spurs amid huge transfer claim…
