View: Tottenham need to put an end to Dejan Kulusevski doubt and complete the signing
Dejan Kulusevski has been on loan with Tottenham since January 2022 however has not yet officially been signed by the club.
Tottenham fans would be forgiven for assuming Kulusevski is already part of the squad ahead of next season, however, surprisingly, that is still not the case. Contradicting reports have been circulating on the details of Kulusevski’s current situation.
However, Italian Journalist Fabrizio Romano posted to his official Twitter account (15 June) to provide some clarity on the situation.
“Tottenham are working to find final solution and agreement with Juventus to keep Dejan Kulusevski at the club,” Romano wrote.
“Talks are taking place to reduce €35m (£30million) asking price/buy option with player also keen on staying at Spurs.”
It seems Daniel Levy is once again trying to negotiate a price down, however, if he is not careful, Spurs could lose Kulusevski altogether. This is something the club cannot allow to happen.
Although the Swede did not enjoy the best season personally last year, he is still a young, extraordinarily talented player and there are few wingers of his quality on the market at the £30million reported price, if any at all. The stats support this and prove he should be one of the first names on Ange Postecgolou’s team sheet next season.
As per FBREF, during his debut season in the Premier League after arriving in January, the right-winger registered 0.57 assists per 90 which placed him in the top two per cent of his positional peers in the division. Even this season, despite his struggles and misfortune with injury issues, he was still able to provide seven league assists in a poor Spurs side.
Kulusevski is a fantastic passer of the ball, his 83.1 per cent pass completion rate per 90 put him in the top six per cent of wingers in the league in regard to this particular statistic.
The 23-year-old is brilliant one-on-one with a full-back when carrying the ball toward the box and proved that during his first full Premier League season as he completed 2.18 successful take-ons per 90, placing him in the 87th percentile.
His 2.09 carries into the penalty area per 90 demonstrate his attacking threat from wide areas. With the player still so young, and an attacking coach joining the club next season, Spurs need to keep Kulusevski and allow him to develop under Postecoglou. If they do, he is destined to flourish. If they do not, Levy will live to regret it.
In other Tottenham news, Postecoglou’s arrival may benefit one young full-back.