Tottenham Hotspur look set to have a busy summer transfer window as Antonio Conte looks to build on his side's UEFA Champions League qualification.
Spurs pipped local rivals Arsenal to a fourth-place finish in last season's Premier League and the Lillywhites have wasted no time in the transfer market, with Croatian international Perisic already at Hotspur Way to complete a medical and finalise what is believed to be a £98,000 a week deal this week. The north Londoners will be getting a top-class player if former Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho is to be believed.
“Perisic is the kind of winger that is different from the others", he said, via Sports Mole , back in July 2018. "Normally you look at wingers and they are just fast and creative.
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"But he is also physical, very physical. Fantastic in the air.
"So the way he wins that ball in the air and puts the ball into that space is only possible if you are very, very physical and dominant over defenders. So he was amazing by going there and winning that ball in the air.”
Conte is of course a huge fan of Perisic too but the veteran coach decided to send him out on loan during their first season together at Inter Milan, with the Italian claiming that the talented wideman initially wouldn't do the defensive duties required to play in his favoured 3-5-2 system. “Perisic did try to do what I asked, but I have negative sensations and I don’t think he can give the team what it needs," he told Football Italia.
"We need to evaluate things carefully. I cannot complain about his effort and dedication, but there are roles to be respected.
"You cannot change the characteristics of a player, even if he tries.” However, Perisic returned 12 months later with a new attitude according to Conte and the pair clinched the Serie A title following a hugely successful 2020/21 campaign.
“We sent Perisic to Bayern because he was not prepared to do the defending work I had asked for," he later added. "He returned with a different mentality.
“I asked him the same things as last season, but he showed that he has extraordinary characteristics and needs to believe in himself more. The moment he started doing that, he started to play. He can be even more decisive.”
