Dejan Kulusevski: Everything about Tottenham’s new transfer including struggles at Juventus

It’s no secret that Dejan Kulusevski was not the first option for Spurs, but he is more than capable of turning out to be a blessing in disguise for the North London side.

Tottenham and Fabio Paratici thought they had Adama Traore in the bag, but in the end the player preferred to go back home to Spain and it was Barcelona who got the better of the deal.

But one advantage of having Paratici is that he always has a plan B, and that is where the signing of Dejan Kulusevski came in.

Before signing for Juventus, in a complicated deal that meant he stayed out on loan at Parma for a season, Kulusevski was the best player in the team from Emilia-Romagna that pulled up trees in Serie A.

Why he struggled at Juventus

Kulusevski has had a very difficult path since he moved to Italy.

He was not a regular at Atalanta who decided to loan him to Parma.

At Parma, he instantly became the star of the team, helping them to an impressive 11th placed finish and it shows his importance at the Crociati that they got relegated the season after the Swede left.

Fabio Paratici, then football director at Juventus, was a big fan and was delighted to get a deal across the line to bring Kulusevski to Turin.

At the time Maurizio Sarri was the manager at Juventus, who was also a big fan of his ball carrying ability, but the former Chelsea manager would be sacked just as Kulusevski walked through the door.

Andrea Pirlo took over and requested that the club sign Federico Chiesa from Fiorentina, which instantly changed Kulusevski’s role - making him a subtitute instead of a starter.

The footballing issues in Turin

There was also another reason why he struggled under Pirlo.

The system of play changed and the whole season was a total write off, as the Old Lady failed to win the league and Cristiano Ronaldo left, with chaos ongoing at the club.

At Parma, Kulusevski was that perfect counter-attacking player and had space to run in to, but when the system changed with Juventus dominating the ball, he became less effective.

He will have to work on that aspect of his game, if he is to succeed and turn his loan into a permanent deal at Spurs.

What he brings to Tottenham

He is already one of the best ball carriers at Tottenham, and protects the ball very well on the break, possibly even better than the reliable Son Heung-Min.

Adama Traore might have been an instant hit as he would have needed little time to adapt to the Premier, but Kulusevski will be a better asset long term.

Given that Antonio Conte is a manager who likes to play on the counter, Kulusevski will fancy his chances against Premier league defenders on the break.

He will be a dangerous player for Tottenham once he gets used to the pace and demands of Conte, and the Manchester City game might be the perfect day for him to show the Spurs faithful what has brought him to North London.