Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte says the Premier League club have an ‘excellent’ gem in the form of winger Dejan Kulusevski.
The Lowdown: Deki misses Frankfurt win…
The Lilywhites sealed a 3-2 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, taking a major step towards qualification from Group D.
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Spurs, playing in front of a packed out home crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, put on an entertaining spectacle for supporters as Conte’s side edged out a five-goal thriller on the night.
Daichi Kamada gave the German visitors a shock early lead but Son Heung-min’s brace and a Harry Kane penalty gave Tottenham a comfortable comeback lead before half time.
The north Londoners looked to be in cruise control following Silva Melo’s sending off on the hour mark but a late strike from Alidou ensured the final few minutes were nervy for Conte.
Kulusevski wasn’t deployed with Spurs’ head coach claiming he carried a ‘5%’ risk of re-injury.
The Latest: Conte praises Kulusevski…
The Sweden international will have been gutted to miss the European bout but Conte’s refusing to risk the player shows his important to the side.
Speaking to Sky Italia (via Sport Witness) before Tottenham’s win, the former Chelsea boss raved over Kulusevski – calling him a player with a ‘lot of potential’ who is looking to become a crucial figurehead at N17.
“Losing him would be devastating for us. He’s doing great things, he has a lot of potential.
“He aims to become an important player. It was an excellent investment for Tottenham.
“He [Kulusevski] and Bentancur guaranteed us a big leap in quality last season. Coming from Italy they were more tactically prepared, they helped us a lot to hit the Champions League goal, something miraculous if you think from where we started.”
The Verdict: Exciting…
Called a ‘frightening‘ talent by members of the media, Tottenham’s 22-year-old has been truly incredible since joining from Juventus in a loan-to-buy deal.
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According to WhoScored, Kulusevski only ranks behind Son Heung-min and Harry Kane for most shots at goal and key passes made per 90 this season.
As well as this, no Spurs player has completed more successful take-ons in that time – highlighting his dynamic and exciting threat in the forward positions.
Conte has reason to be joyous with the club’s 2022 winter acquisition, and so do supporters.
