Gianluca Di Marzio has said that no one knew what Dejan Kulusevski’s ideal position was during his time at Juventus, and credited Antonio Conte for getting the best out of the Swede.
Spurs only turned their attention to Kulusevski during the January transfer window after being beaten to Luis Diaz’s signature by Liverpool (The Athletic).
The 22-year-old’s signing was not met with a lot of enthusiasm by the Spurs fan base since he had struggled to even break into Juventus’ starting eleven in the months prior to his move.
However, from the second he set foot on the pitch in North London, Kulusevski has shown his quality and class, adding a different dimension to Tottenham’s attack and quickly establishing himself as one of Spurs’ most important players.
Di Marzio revealed that, unlike Rodrigo Bentancur, who just needed a fresh start, Kulusevski had been completely misused at Juve until Conte offered him role clarity.
The journalist told Sky Sports News (12/08/22 at 8:40 pm): “A player like Kulusevski is playing in an amazing way because Antonio Conte is his coach. At Juventus, he was a mystery.
“At Juventus, Bentancur was playing for too many years and he needed a fresh adventure. But Kulusevski in Italy, he couldn’t express his potential and skills because they didn’t know what’s the role or the way of playing.
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“Then, Antonio Conte says ‘no, he is an offensive winger’ and the intensity of the training is important because you know with Conte, his training is so high and tough. Then, the player runs and runs a lot during the matches.”
Spurs Web Opinion
I can understand why Allegri might have had a hard time identifying Kulusevski’s best position as the Swede is incredibly versatile.
Having said that, it was criminal on Juve’s part to not identify the 22-year-old potential and to let him go as cheaply as they did.
There is no doubt that Spurs have hit the jackpot with Kulusevski, and the fact that we missed on Diaz has turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
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