Tottenham are amongst the clubs interested in signing Ivan Perisic, according to reports emerging from Italy.
The Croatian international came close to joining Arsenal in January but the move failed to materialise as the Gunners wouldn’t commit to a permanent deal. Now it seems the World Cup finalist will be on the move in the summer and now it’s not just Arsenal who are interested in signing him, with West Ham and Tottenham attributed with interested.
The major downside to Perisic is his age (30). Tottenham and Pochettino are a long term work in progress and so there are positives and negatives in bringing in an older, established player.
First let’s look at the positives. Perisic is a proven winner and has played at the highest level for a number of years. He will bring new fresh ideas and a new dynamic to the Tottenham attack. This season we have seen how Son Heung-min’s attacking variety has given the team much more depth to their attack, and Perisic could add yet another dimension. A front three of Son, Perisic and Kane is certainly exciting and you feel it would get the most out of Kane.
The stats don’t lie and Perisic is a very productive midfielder in the final third. He’s scored 35 goals in 135 games during his time at Inter Milan and has 22 goals for his country in 75 caps.
Unlike most wingers, Perisic is also a real aerial threat standing at 6ft 1’. His bigger than most frame allows for him to hold up the ball well and cut inside with devastating effect at times.
On the negative side, he could disrupt the style of play at Spurs. Perisic has a unique style to his game and so it could create a negative impact on the team as a whole and also certain individuals. Could it kill the growing influence from younger players like Son and Lucas Moura?
With a limited transfer budget, I think Spurs could be more intelligent in spending £20million-£30million (what it would probably take to sign him). Inter are looking to cash in for a reason and that is because the player is a declining asset in terms of value. He has no resale value and therefore will probably not appeal to Daniel Levy as a signing, but if Pochettino wants him, I’m willing to back it.
West Ham are another club said to be interested, and whilst they aren’t able to offer Perisic European football, they would be able to give him first team assurances which could appeal to the player. But should Tottenham come calling I’m sure he would prefer a move to White Hart Lane and to play under Pochettino.
A journeyman to some degree, Perisic is yet to ply his trade in England but has featured for the likes of Bourssia Dortmund and Wolfsburg.