Soccer Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Everton - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - March 7, 2022 Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane and Dejan Kulusevski celebrate after Everton's Michael Keane scores an own goal and Tottenham Hotspur's first REUTERS/David Klein EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson has hailed Spurs forward Dejan Kulusevski after Saturday’s loss to Manchester United, making a claim over a potential permanent move for the Sweden international.
The Lowdown: Great start
The 21-year-old joined Spurs in January on an 18-month loan deal which will see him at Hotspur Way until the end of the 2022/23 season.
Whilst Juventus confirmed that Fabio Paratici paid a €10m (£8.4m) loan fee for the winger, more recently transfer insider Fabrizio Romano revealed that Spurs have a €40m (£33m) purchase clause which could potentially become mandatory.
Having scored twice and produced three assists in his opening seven Premier League games, quickly becoming a favourite of manager Antonio Conte, Lilywhites fans will surely be happy to see such a moderate fee for a highly talented youngster.
Despite his tender age, Kulusevski made 74 appearances for the Juventus first team and a further 55 appearances for Atalanta before arriving in north London, so this could signify just how great a deal Tottenham were able to negotiate.
The Latest: Robinson’s comments…
Robinson, who regularly features as a pundit for Sky Sports, has claimed that a £33m deal could prove to be “a real bargain” for Spurs.
Speaking with Football Insider about Kulusevski, the 42-year-old said: “Oh, he’s certainly hit the ground running.
“He looks a real player. He fit the system Conte plays perfectly. Coming in off the right-hand side onto his left foot, he’s such a threat. He has an ability to pick a pass.
“It looks like he is going to be a real bargain for them. I think it was an initial loan deal because he was untried at the top level. He hadn’t played a great amount of regular football before he came to Spurs.
“He has taken his chance with both hands though. When you look at [Heung-min] Son, [Harry] Kane and Lucas Moura. Kulusevski has overtaken Moura the way he is playing.”
The Verdict: Fantastic coup
It seems clear now that Paratici is looking to the future with the signing of Kulusevski.
Given Harry Kane’s transfer saga last summer, which saw him push for a move to Manchester City, it would not be surprising to see the England skipper leave N17 in the near future.
As a result, it is wise of the Spurs transfer chief to start planning for the exit of the England captain – something the Lilywhites should have done when they sold Gareth Bale for a then world-record £85m fee in 2013.
Either way, Kulusevski has already proven to be a fantastic signing for Tottenham, with Garth Crooks hailing him as “pure class”. Considering his age, we could hopefully see him perform in a Spurs shirt for the next decade.
In other news: Tottenham Hotspur: Alasdair Gold drops Conte and Levy claim
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