Tottenham Hotspur’s summer addition Ivan Perisic has hit the ground running behind the scenes at Hotspur Way and is already sharing his experience with the younger players.
This has been suggested by reliable Spurs journalist Alasdair Gold, who has been speaking about the Croatian on his latest YouTube video.
Perisic was the Lilywhites’ first summer signing after joining on a free transfer following his exit from Inter, where he had previously played under Antonio Conte.
The 33-year-old has already spoken of how easy the decision was to reunite with the Italian manager in a recent interview with Sky Sports, saying: “When they reached the Champions League, we spoke and the deal was done in two days, and it was much easier.”
And it seems he has taken little time to assert himself in the Spurs dressing room, with Gold suggesting he has shown similar characteristics to an established member of Conte’s side in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, while recalling what Perisic had recently told fellow new arrival Djed Spence.
Gold said: “So he [Spence] told us, ‘Actually, I spoke to Ivan just then. He told me my chance will come, just be ready, train hard. When you get your chance, do well, and hopefully you’ll stay in the team.'”
“This is another big reason why Conte wanted Perisic as a priority this summer, because not only on the pitch are you getting an incredibly good player, a 33-year-old who has won everything – the Champions League, Serie A, Bundesliga twice with two different clubs, domestic cup wins, I think, with four different clubs – so you know what he brings you on the pitch, but also off the pitch.
“He’s a leader, he’s a mentor, he’s someone that, I’m told, he’s got that similar intensity to the way he speaks that Hojbjerg has. And he really kind of inspires you and drives you on. It can be a little bit, as I said with Hojbjerg, Hojbjerg can be a little bit much for the young players who aren’t used to it, but you know that it’s all for the good of the team and driving people on.”
TIF Thoughts on Gold’s comments…
It is clear from listening to Gold (13:08) just how impressed he was with Perisic and this will be music to the ears of all Spurs fans. Not only is the World Cup finalist arriving off the back of an impressive 2021/22 campaign, but also as a proven winner – and that is what Spurs need in the dressing room. It is no wonder Gold continued to wax lyrical about the new arrival in his latest video.
Is Perisic Tottenham's best summer signing?
Yes
No
There is little doubting some of the quality currently in the Spurs squad with the likes of Son Heung-min and Harry Kane, however, you could certainly question the mentality within the squad having failed to cross the line in terms of winning trophies.
With this in mind, adding a winner like Perisic to the dressing room could be a huge boost if he can instil some of his knowledge through to the squad, and in particular, help out some of the younger players as Gold mentioned.