Journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed that Ivan Perisic is a man who Antonio Conte knows and trusts from his time at Inter amid links between the player and a possible move to Tottenham Hotspur.
Perisic has been linked with a move away from Inter in the summer, as his current contract with the Italian giants is set to expire in June. Conte was the manager of Perisic at Inter, so he may be keen on bringing him to the Premier League.
The Croatian has featured regularly for the Nerazzurri this season, making 29 appearances in Serie A, whilst contributing with five goals and five assists. Perisic signed for Inter in 2015 from Wolfsburg and has made 247 appearances in all competitions since.
With Perisic being out of contract in the summer, O’Rourke claimed to GiveMeSport that the versatile man is a player who Spurs boss Conte trusts.
He said: “Perisic has been a real top player for several years now. He’s played all across Europe, Germany, Italy, and everywhere else. He’s been playing left wing-back for Inter Milan this season and has taken to that role without any issues at all.
“He’s got great experience; Conte knows him from his time at Inter Milan as well, so it’s a player that he knows and trusts.”
TIF Thoughts on Pete O’Rourke’s comments…
Perisic is 33 years of age but is still performing at a high level. In Serie A this season, he has the fourth-highest average player rating at the club (7.2), the third-highest amount of big chances created (9) and the fourth-most key passes per game (1.3), as per SofaScore. In comparison, Dejan Kulusevski has created 6 big chances.
Spurs are a side that have improved under Antonio Conte and they remain in contention for fourth place in the Premier League. Conte brought in players that he knew from his time in Italy this winter, with Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur both performing well since arriving in January.
So if Daniel Levy can back Conte in the summer and allow the Italian to bring in his players, it may be an exciting season next year for Spurs if a move for Perisic was to be similarly successful.