Antonio Conte has admitted that he tried to sign Dejan Kulusevski when he was in charge of Inter Milan but the move was thwarted by Spurs managing director of football Fabio Partici, who was calling the shots at Juventus at the time.
Kulusevski showed why there was so much hype about him a couple of years ago in his first start for Tottenham on Saturday
The Swede not only found the back of the net and set up Harry Kane’s match-winner but he was also tactically disciplined and made smart decisions in possession.
Conte admitted that he was well aware of what the 21-year-old would add to the Tottenham squad, having previously tried to take the winger to the San Siro.
When asked if he was surprised by Kulusevski’s performance at the Etihad, the Spurs boss told Football.London: “No, he didn’t surprise me, because I asked for him when I was at Inter from Juventus.
“I opened the idea with Paratici, but he opened the idea to cut [me out of the deal], not to reinforce Juventus, you understand, but to only to damage myself! Because in the transfer market, there is a strategy.
“He tried also with Lukaku, Paratici. To buy Lukaku for Juventus because he knew very well that I like him and wanted him in my team. It was the same for Kulusevski, but at that time, maybe Juventus were stronger than us in the transfer market.”
Conte reiterated that Tottenham need to be careful about the kind of players they pursue given the unique demands of Premier League football.
The 52-year-old insisted that both of the North London club’s January signings were players who were immediately ready to make an impact on the pitch.
He added: “Kulusevski is a young player, 21-years-old, but when you go to sign players here in England, you have to check many aspects.
“I continue to repeat this, because this is the top league and it’s very difficult to play. It’s not for all this league. If you play in this league, you can play in every league, but it doesn’t mean if you play in another league, you can come here to play.
“I think we have to pay great attention [to signings]. Bentancur and Kulusevski are two good signings, two good prospects for the philosophy of the club. Two good players to develop, but players that are ready now. Ready to play and to help us.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Conte’s admission should serve as a lesson to some Tottenham fans, who suggested during the January window that Kulusevski and Bentantcur would not improve our squad.
We should stop second-guessing who Conte’s first choice targets are. Paratici is not likely to pursue any target unless the Tottenham head coach feels that the player in question would be a good fit for his set-up.
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