Tottenham Hotspur have signed 33-year-old winger Ivan Perisic from Inter Milan on a two-year deal until 2024.
The Croatian international had a medical with the North London outfit on Monday and will join the club on a free transfer after his contract with the Italian side expires on July 1st.
Spurs boss Antonio Conte previous worked with Perisic at Inter when the Italian Head Coach lead the Nerazzurri to the 2020/21 Serie A title.
He said: “It is a privilege to work with a coach like this. I am really happy to see him again.”
Perisic played 49 games across the 2021/21 season in all competitions, scoring 10 goals and providing 9 assists as he helped guide Inter to the Coppa Italia.
Embed from Getty ImagesAt international level, Ivan has made 113 appearances for his country to date, scoring 32 goals. An ever-present for his national team, he played a key role in Croatia’s route to the World Cup final in Russia in 2018 – the first in the country’s history. He scored in the final, but his side finished as runners-up to Hugo Lloris’ France.
The former Wolfsberg and Bayern Munich, where he became a UEFA Champions League winner as well as lifting two Bundesliga titles and a third DFB-Pokal trophy of his career as part of the Bavarian’s treble-winning side.
The winger will be Spurs’ first signing of the summer, with Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster also expecting to sign for the club on a free transfer.
“I am really excited to start with the Spurs family,” added Perisic.
“I was watching the last two of three games and, after the victory against Arsenal, it was obvious Tottenham would be in the Champions League – and it was also good for me because I want to play in the best games.
“I like to work a lot, I like to work for the team. I can play several positions in the system that Tottenham are playing now and I will also bring a lot of experience because I used to play for a lot of great clubs. I can’t wait to start to play and to train and to do my best.”
What Perisic’s signing means for Tottenham
When looking at the type of player Ivan Perisic is, he seems to fit the bill of what Antonio Conte wants in a player.
Conte, who will stay on for the 2022/23 season, said back in February that “You can be good, you can be creative – but at the same time be strong physically, run a lot and be resilient.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Croatian Tottenham’s third signing since the former Chelsea manager has been at White Hart Lane, with Uruguayan Midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur and Sweedish winger Dejan Kulusevski joining in January and proving to be very reliable signings for the club towards the end of last season.
For a team like Tottenham Hotspur to sign a 33-year-old player on high wages, it certainly breaks the norm of what you’d usually expect from the North London outfit.
This would suggest that Chairman Daniel Levy, who is known to have the final say on most operating procedures off the pitch, is putting a lot of trust in the managing director Fabio Paratici and Head Coach Antonio Conte, given their vast knowledge of the Italian transfer market.
As the summer progresses, more signings are expected to be made as Conte looks to revamp his Spurs team to start competing at the top level, including in next season’s Champions League. This also could see the departure of a number of players including Harry Winks, Giovani lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele before the beginning of next season.
