Arnaut Danjuma has thanked his Tottenham teammates for making him feel welcome and stated that he is keen to prove himself at the North London club over the coming months.
Danjuma has joined Spurs on an initial loan deal until the end of the season, with the Lilywhites thought to have the option to make the deal permanent for £21m (Rob Guest on Gold and Guest Talk Tottenham Podcast).
The 25-year-old can play as a centre-forward, off the left or as a second striker, and thus gives Antonio Conte a lot more options upfront.
The Dutchman made a perfect start to life at Tottenham, coming off the bench to score in his debut in the FA Cup fourth-round win over Preston North End.
Ahead of the clash against Manchester City – a game in which Danjuma was an unused substitute – he admitted that he could not have hoped for his spell at the club to have started any better.
When informed that his compatriot Steven Bergwijn also scored in his first game for Spurs, the Netherlands international told Tottenham’s matchday programme (via Football.London): “See, it’s the Dutchness. The Dutch always score on their debuts.
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“It’s the only thing you’re aiming for when you play your first match. You always visualise it. Any minute that you get as a striker, the only thing you’re aiming at is really goals, goals, goals. So, for me, it was the perfect start, the perfect debut.
“The good thing though is I’m still hungry for more and it just sets the tone because that’s just what I try to do; I’m very determined, I’m very ambitious, I really want to try to help the club perform in all competitions.
“I want to prove myself to the club, give the fans something new. Scoring on my debut is a good start and I think, if you have a good start, it’s half the battle.”
Danjuma also remarked that he already feels like a part of the group and that returning to England was like a homecoming for him.
He added: “First impressions wise, it’s difficult to describe really. To try to put it into words, from my perspective, it has been rather enjoyable. The club has given me a warm welcome, my teammates have made me feel part of the group instantly.
“If l look back on my career already, I think there have been a few times where l didn’t really need to adapt to the culture of the club, especially as coming to England for me is like coming home. I speak the language, I’m very used to the culture, I’m familiar with the people.
“Playing my first minutes for the club gave me a good feeling and then, to score on my debut, that is something that you obviously would always like to do.
“For me, I just really came here hoping to be a beacon of light for the fans and try to give them something new, get them enthusiastic, help the team perform better and try to prove myself to the club.”
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There have already been signs over the last two games against Preston and Manchester City that the increased competition for places after Danjuma’s arrival, is having a positive impact on Son’s performance.
So, even if the Dutchman does not start too many games for Spurs, his signing could help get the best out of some of Tottenham’s other attackers.
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