Why Ivan Perisic will be one of the signings of the summer – opinion

Tottenham has been very busy in the transfer window this summer having already signed 4 excellent players in Ivan Perišić, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma and Richarlison.

Their first signing was Ivan Perišić who reunites with Antonio Conte having played under him at Inter Milan. Many have deemed him as the perfect Conte signing including the likes of Paul Merson and Niko Kranjcar. We will dissect below what all exactly he’ll be bringing into Conte’s team which could make him one of the signings of the summer.

Playing Position:

Ivan Perišić is an extremely versatile player who can play in multiple positions across the pitch, but has played as an out-and-out winger for the majority of his career. However, Conte converted him into a left-wing-back in his title-winning season at Inter Milan, a position he has absolutely mastered. And he is expected to continue playing in the same position in Conte’s 3-4-3 system at Spurs.

Perisic can also play up front in all three attacking positions, which provides Conte with a nice back-up for his existing attacking options.

Key attributes and strengths:

The Croat is not only fast, but extremely athletic and physical. He is also tall and great in the air. This is what José Mourinho said about him to RT during his role as a World Cup pundit in 2018 (via Sports Mole):

“Perisic is the kind of winger that is different to the others. Normally you look at wingers and they are just fast and creative. But he is also physical, very physical. Fantastic in the air. So the way he wins that ball in the air (for the winning goal) and puts the ball into that space is only possible if you are very, very physical and dominant over defenders. So he was amazing by going there and winning that ball in the air.”

Another one of his key attributes is his crossing of the ball. Antonio Conte’s system uses the full width of the pitch, and the style of play is hugely reliant on open play crosses. Spurs delivered the second-highest number of successful crosses from open play last season and Perisic’s addition to the team considerably strengthens this area of their play.

He is also two-footed which makes him extremely unpredictable on the wing as it gives him the ability to cross from the left or cut inside and shoot from his right foot.

Experience and Winning Mentality:

There is no shame in admitting that winning trophies is something Spurs have lacked. But under the management of Antonio Conte and the sort of team he is building, it looks like we will be competing for trophies under him sooner than later. This is where players like Perisic are of huge value. Not only for their quality but their leadership, experience and winning mentality.

The 33-year-old has been an integral part of trophy-winning teams throughout his career. He is a serial winner who has won both domestic and European trophies with the various clubs he has played for, one of the most recently of which was the Serie A under Antiono Conte in 2020/2021.

To conclude, it is fair to say that Antonio Conte has pulled off an extremely cunning signing in Ivan Perisic who will not only strengthen Spurs in a lot of areas but will be the driving force to Spurs’ trophy ambitions. Buckle up, we are in for an exciting season ahead!