Reliable Tottenham Hotspur journalist Charlie Eccleshare has dropped an interesting claim on the new arrival in north London, Dejan Kulusevski.
The Swedish international was confirmed as a Tottenham player on Monday after agreeing an 18-month loan deal from Juventus.
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And Eccleshare believes the 21-year-old could prove to be a big member of Antonio Conte’s squad with the qualities he has shown during his time in Italy.
Speaking of his love for the game and desire to improve, the Swede told the club website:
“I hope to bring energy to the team. I love playing football, it’s the best thing in the world, playing, attacking, defending, playing for each other. To win games, score goals, assists… I just want to do it all.”
And Eccleshare believes the young winger has the qualities Conte will love within a player as he shared his excitement to feature under Conte and the Spurs fans.
“In Dejan Kulusevski, Antonio Conte might just have met his match,” said The Athletic reporter.
“Kulusevski has a similar approach and likes to educate himself by watching footage of players, such as Eden Hazard, whom he thinks he can take lessons from.”
When Conte arrived at Spurs, it is reported he felt the players were not up to the required fitness levels which he would demand from his side.
However, Eccleshare claims the 21-year-old will leave Conte excited as one of Serie A’s most hard-working runners off the ball, which was encapsulated during his time with Atalanta under Gian Piero Gasperini.
“Kulusevski has other traits that will leave the demanding Conte purring with excitement.
“One is how exceptionally hard-running he is, regularly topping the distance covered stats in Serie A matches and even being top of the class in that metric while at Gian Piero Gasperini’s notoriously fit Atalanta.”
Kulusevski has only played senior football in Italy with spells at Atalanta, Parma and Juventus, but does have experience of stepping outside of his comfort zone after leaving his homeland at the age of 15.
And with the physical demands Conte looks for from his players, it seems the Swedish ace could prove an instant hit at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
In other news: ‘Conte should be happy with this’ – Jim White buzzes after Spurs development