Former West Ham United striker Frank McAvennie has suggested that Tottenham Hotspur may decide not to take up the option to sign Dejan Kulusevski on a permanent basis.
Kulusevski has been out of action since he suffered a hamstring injury while away on international duty with Sweden in September and has not featured for the north Londoners in any of their last eleven matches in all competitions (transfermarkt).
The 62-year-old has claimed that Tottenham may wait to see if the winger can reach the same levels of performance as he was enjoying before his injury before deciding whether to make his switch permanent.
Fabrizio Romano vhas previously reported that Tottenham will have an obligation to pay £31million for Kulusevski if he plays at least 20 Premier League games this season and Antonio Conte’s side finish in the top four. Even if Tottenham do not qualify for the Champions League, there is an option to buy the Swede.
McAvennie told Football Insider: “It depends how bad his injury is,”
“He was doing alright and now he has got an injury. No club is going to give you a contract if you might not come back the same player. I feel for him because by all accounts he was quite happy when he was playing.
“I know Conte has his ways but he is still a top manager and one that I would like to play for. He demands the highest standards which is great. Conte won’t authorise a permanent deal if he is not fit.
“So it might be a blow for him to go back to his parent club but no club is going to pay money because anything can happen. He could break down again. Conte will know what to do and will give the thumbs up or down.“
SpursWeb Opinion
Tottenham have lacked a creative outlet since Kulusevski has been on the sidelines and the club will have certainly taken every precaution with his comeback considering how risky an early from a hamstring injury can be.
Fans will be hoping that the winger is able to at least take his place on the bench to face Liverpool this afternoon with an appearance from the bench looking to be the most likely option considering his lack of match fitness.