The Croatian winger will join the North London club on a free transfer on 1st July after his contract expires with Serie A giants Inter Milan.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has completed his first summer signing in the form of Ivan Perisic. The Croatian winger will join the North London club on a free transfer on 1st July after his contract expires with Serie A giants Inter Milan. The 33-year-old wide player has agreed to a deal that will run until 2024. Perisic, who can play as a winger or a wing-back on either side of the pitch, is a true team player. He has been praised by coaches and teammates for his incredible work rate on the pitch. His arrival will be a massive boost for the Premier League side in the new season.
READ MORE – Everything to know about Ivan Perisic
“From the first time I was in contact with the coach and sporting director I told them that I really wanted to come here,” Perisic was quoted as saying by the Tottenham website. “Ever since 2009, when I started playing professional football in Belgium, I was so close a few times to coming to the Premier League and, at last, this is the moment. I can’t wait.
READ MORE – A Croatian has won the Champions League for 10 successive seasons
“I’m going to bring, first of all, a lot of hard work. I like to work a lot, I like to work for the team because only like this you can win something important. I can play several positions in the system Tottenham is playing now. I will bring a lot of experience as well, I’ve played for a lot of great clubs and, like I said, I can’t wait to start to play, to train and give my best.”
? “I’m really excited to start with the Spurs family”
Watch Ivan Perišić’s first interview as a Spurs player! ? pic.twitter.com/ktsbfAUEiR
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 31, 2022
Perisic’s move to Tottenham will also see him reunite with Conte, with whom he played in the 2020-21 season at Inter Milan. That season, Perisic was a regular under the now-Tottenham boss, having played 42 times all season. The Croatian cannot wait to work with Conte again. “It’s a privilege to work again with a coach like this,” said Perisic who won the Champions League with Bayern Munich in 2020.
“We did well at Inter, won the league after 10 or 11 years, it was a perfect year. I’m really happy to see him again. I think we’re going to do some good things here in England. He’s living football, every minute, every hour, every day, even when he’s sleeping, he’s thinking about football! He’s so passionate. He wants to win. I like his character and I know we’re going to do a great job here. Like I said, I can’t wait to start, to train, to play in this amazing stadium, I think we will have a great time and we can do a great job here.”
READ MORE – Can Wolverhampton Wanderers fend off Ruben Neves’ interest?
Having made his debut for the national team in 2011, Perisic has been a regular for his side. He represented his country at Euro 2012, 2016 and 2020, as well as the World Cup in 2014 and 2018. He played an instrumental role in helping Croatia reach the 2018 World Cup final before losing to France. Overall, Perisic has played 113 times for his country, scoring 32 goals.
Manchester City vs Liverpool: Talking points from the action-packed draw