Football Transfers reported this week that Premier League rivals, Aston Villa, are looking at Kulusevski as a potential replacement for Moussa Diaby this summer.
It has also been reported by multiple Italian outlets over the past two months that Napoli are indeed interested in the Sweden international (TuttoMercatoWeb and Calciomercato).
Antonio Conte could come into play for Napoli
CalcioMercato now report that Napoli hope to use Antonio Conte’s ‘special relationship’ with Kulusevski from their Tottenham days to sign the winger over the coming weeks.
Napoli transfer chief Giovanni Manna is reportedly looking at Kulusevski as a potential replacement for Jesper Lindstrom, who is about to join Everton on loan.
However, there is no indication that Tottenham would be at all interested in a sale this summer, with Kulusevski having played a part in Postecoglou’s first two pre-season matches.
Spurs Web Opinion:
There is no way Tottenham will even think about selling Kulusevski this summer.
The Swede will likely compete with both Brennan Johnson for the right-wing position and James Maddison for the number 10 creative role. Postecoglou needs that quality of depth.
Darren Ambrose has questioned whether Tottenham Hotspur winger Dejan Kulusevski should be starting for Spurs next season, describing the Swede as a ‘bit slow’.
Kulusevski’s struggles at Tottenham
Kulusevski had a dream start to life at Spurs when he first arrived from Juventus on a loan-to-buy deal in January 2022 (BBC Sport).
With five goals and eight assists in just 18 Premier League appearances, the Swedish international looked the real deal (Premier League).
Unfortunately, the 24-year-old has struggled to live up to his early form at Spurs. In his first full season at Tottenham, Kulusevski only managed two goals and seven assists and while his performances improved last season, he still failed to hit double figures on goals, while getting just three assists (Transfer Markt).
Some supporters have questioned whether Kulusevski would be better suited to the attacking midfield role rather than out wide, which Postecoglou appears to be experimenting with this pre-season.
Ambrose critical of Kulusevski
Darren Ambrose has gone further than merely suggesting a positional change for Kulusevski. He told talkSPORT (27/07/24 at 4:00 pm) that the Sweden international could lose his place in the starting XI altogether this season.
Ambrose said: “The consistency is the keyword there. I think when he [Kulusevski] first arrived, he came with Bentancur, and he really transformed the season.
“But then last season, he has been caught out a few times, ponders on the ball and is a little bit slow.
“Maybe someone that could become an impact player, as supposed to a starting player. Depending on who comes into the team. But would he want that? Would Ange Postecoglou want a player that’s unhappy to be on the substitutes bench?
“If he can get back to the original form when he first arrived. I thought he was fantastic. That’s key, you need to be progressive and to progress you need your best players.”
Leave a Reply