There were a few question marks along the way and Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United were lurking in the corner, but Dejan Kulusevski has finally made his loan deal from Juventus to Tottenham Hotspur permanent.
Tottenham announced via Instagram on Saturday that Dejan Kulusevski has signed a five-year deal with the London club after leaving Serie A giants, Juventus.
The 23-year-old always wanted to make a return to north London, after a very encouraging 18-month spell, but in typically Daniel Levy fashion, he was trying to bring the transfer fee down as much as he could.
That started raising questions about whether Spurs would get their man, and then a report suggested that Eddie Howe himself would love him at St James’ Park.
Given Levy’s history with transfers, the money Newcastle now have at their disposal and the fact that they are in the Champions League and Spurs aren’t even in Europe, then their fans took this one seriously.
But, in the end, credit where credit is due because that no-nonsense, every penny counts and tough negotiator Levy secured Kulusevski’s talents for £25 million, around £5 million less than what they were originally going to pay.
Kulusevski’s time to shine
Those first six months in Tottenham colours were eye-opening, outstanding and seriously impressive from Kulusevski, that’s why he was labelled ‘fantastic’ by Antonio Conte.
But when he returned this season, he lacked that spark, those consistent performances and his form went out of the window.
Now and again, he would punch himself and the crowd into life and showcase the potential and quality he has in his locker.
The Sweden international wasn’t helped by the issues that Spurs had to face as the season wore on and the defensive system he was deployed in.
But, come next season, it’s another fresh start, this time under an attack-minded coach in Ange Postecoglou and Kulusevski will now be able to roam forward in an attacking manner.
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