Ivan Perisic might have already played his final game in a Tottenham shirt
The bad news just keeps coming for Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham as it looks as though Ivan Perisic has already played his final game for the club.
Spurs currently have an unprecedented number of players out injured as they find themselves in a mid-season crisis that threatens to derail the positive start they have made to the current campaign.
Having gone 10 games unbeaten in the league, Postecoglou’s side have now lost their last three on the bounce as the Australian struggles to pull together what he has left of his bruised and battered squad.
Injuries to James Maddison and Micky van de Ven have understandably been the main talking points after the duo’s fantastic start to the season, and Cristian Romero’s three-game suspension has also been a big blow.
Nonetheless, one player who some supporters might have forgotten about is Croatia international Ivan Perisic. Tottenham previously confirmed via their official X platform (20 September) that Perisic had suffered a serious injury which looked set to keep him out long-term.
While some fans might have hoped to see him in action again toward the end of the season, the latest update suggests that might not be a possibility.
According to Dan Kilpatrick, who was writing online via The Standard (29 November), Perisic is not expected to play again this season, and with his contract expiring in the summer, that means it is very likely he has played his final match for the north London side.
The 34-year-old was not a regular starter for Postecoglou during the Australian’s first few games in charge prior to his injury, but his contributions from the bench were proving useful and he will certainly be a big miss between now and the end of the season.
Perisic’s experience and quality were key to helping Tottenham see out 2-0 wins against Manchester United and Bournemouth, with the winger playing a big part in the build-up to Spurs’ second goal against the former.
His ball into the box was diverted into his own net by Lisandro Martinez, and during his brief 20-minute cameo Perisic played two key passes and created one big chance (Sofascore).
Perisic’s only start of the season came in the second round of the Carabao Cup against Fulham at Craven Cottage, where Tottenham were eliminated from the competition via a penalty shoot-out following a 1-1 draw.
Nonetheless, despite disappointment on the night, the former Bayern Munich star provided the assist for Richarlison’s equaliser in normal time, and this was just another example of the way he could help the team, even if it was just as a bit-part player.
As per fbref, the veteran was one of Spurs’ standout performers last season during his debut year in the Premier League. Perisic ranked in the 98th percentile compared to his positional peers in England’s top flight for the number of assists he provided (0.34 per 90), the number of crosses he played into the penalty area (1.02 per 90), the number of carries he made into the penalty area (1.49 per 90) and the total number of touches he made in the attacking third (4.01 per 90).
This all came while playing as a left wing-back under Antonio Conte, and Postecoglou looked set to move the expert crosser into a more advanced role further up the pitch where he could do more damage.
While he wasn’t a first name on the team sheet, he was certainly a big asset for the 58-year-old to have at his disposal, and fans will be disappointed that they never got the chance to see the pair work together, with Perisic’s qualities certainly an ideal fit for postecoglou’s style of play.
In other Tottenham news, the club could look to take a gamble by signing a Premier League defender during January as they look to solve their crisis at the back.