Tottenham new signing Ivan Perisic has revealed he watched Tottenham’s run-in and says it was “obvious” his new club would finish above Arsenal and clinch Champions League football after winning the north London derby on May 12.
Tottenham new signing Ivan Perisic. (Getty Images)
Spurs unveiled Perisic as their first signing of the summer on Tuesday, with the 33-year-old signing a two-year deal after leaving Inter Milan on a free transfer.
“I’m really excited to start with the Spurs family,” Perisic said.
“When I got a call from the coach and sporting director, I said I really wanted to play in the Premier League since 2009 when I starting to play professional football in Belgium. This is the moment and I can’t wait.”
Perisic, who scored eight goals and provided a further seven assists in 35 Serie A appearances for Inter across the 2021-22 campaign, stated he watched Spurs’ run-in as they completed a six-point swing on rivals Arsenal in the final three matches to finish fourth.
“I was waiting [in] the last two to three games, I was watching. After the victory against Arsenal, it was obvious Tottenham would go in the Champions League and it was good for me because I want to play the best games, do a great job in Champions League and Premier League and both cups.
“It was always my dream to play in the best five leagues in the world and the Premier League was a missing puzzle [piece]. Now I’m here and my hope is it’s going to be perfect.”
The Croatia international, who has 113 caps for his country and scored in the 2018 World Cup final, has been at Inter since 2015. He won Serie A last season under Tottenham head coach Conte after spending the 2019-20 season on loan at Bayern Munich where he lifted the Champions League.
Perisic become one of Antonio Conte’s first signings of the summer window with Goalkeeper Fraser Forster announcement imminent after having already completed his medical exams.