Dejan Kulusevski has been a Tottenham player for less than six months, but has made an impact as if he has been playing in the Premier League for years. The Swede made the move to north London on Deadline Day of the January transfer window, alongside his former Juventus teammate, Rodrigo Bentancur.
The duo both slotted into Antonio Conte's regular starting XI and made an immediate impact, unusual for two foreign players who don't have previous experience of English football. Kulusevski joined Harry Kane and Son Heing-min in the front three and the trio have created a dangerous attacking line for opposing teams.
This helped Tottenham score the goals they needed and secure much-needed points, to help in the top four race. Spurs finished in fourth, securing a spot in the Champions League for the upcoming season. Conte is now looking to the summer transfer window, where he will be hoping to welcome more new arrivals who can settle in as well as the winter signings.
READ MORE: Fabio Paratici could solve key Tottenham problem for Antonio Conte after Ivan Perisic admission
Kulusevski scored five goals and registered eight assists in just 18 Premier League appearances, making his debut in February. This highlights his impact and Tottenham legends have provided their verdict on how quickly the 22-year-old has settled in.
"It is very tough to come in, especially from abroad. Normally you would come in, play three or four games because you're a big signing and then come out maybe, if you're not quite cutting it but he's kept his place and I think he's been outstanding," Teddy Sheringham admitted in an exclusive interview with football.london, on behalf of Bookmakers.com.
"I think he's really taken on board what Conte wants as a forward player. I think he should be very, very pleased with his first season in London."
Betfair Ambassador Dimitar Berbatov reiterated this praise and explained that he was a 'little bit surprised' at how well the 22-year-old has settled in. "There is something to have hope that Conte obviously knows exactly what kind of players he wants," the 41-year-old explained in an exclusive interview with football.london.
"Sometimes maybe you don't need the best player ever but maybe you need the right player for your system. In the process, you're going to make them the best and even better than that. They are still young players and they are doing well for the club and lets hope they continue on that road."
However, after making the move to N17, Kulusevski did have his critics including Italian football writer and broadcaster, Carlo Garganese. A couple of weeks after the former Juventus duo made their move, he Tweeted, "Just a reminder. Juventus sold Bentancur and Kulusevski to Tottenham for an eventual £59.5m (€70m.
"Bentancur still loses it 3 times a game to concede a dangerous transition Kulusevski still hasn’t beaten his man for 2 years. God bless [Fabio] Paratici."
Garganese has been very much proven wrong, with both players showing their quality in numerous games throughout the second half of the season and Kulusevski now seems to have hit back at his critic. The Swedish international put a video on his Instagram on Sunday night, showing the best bits of his time at Tottenham so far.
This included the Tweet from the Italian near the beginning of the video and the 22-year-old captioned the video "Tell them @lyricalivo" who is likely to be the artist of the song used in the background of the clip. The lyrics of the song talk about agility, dribbling and include the phrases, "I'm pretty sure they'll remember me" and "I'd be damned if I let somebody come and tell what I built down...it ain't going to happen."
The post has been filled with likes and comments, including from his Tottenham teammates Ryan Sessegnon and Sergio Reguilon. Soon after the video was uploaded, Garganese took to Twitter again, to respond.
"I don’t care if Kulusevski took a dribble at me (he never beats his man anyway) so you Spursy fans can all stop tweeting me. Stand by what I said 100pc.
"Spurs have 2 world class attackers who carry everyone and a genius coach. They’re nothing without them. [Ivan] Perisic is a beast tho."
Kulusevski has already done enough to prove any critics wrong and shown the quality he can bring to Conte's side. Given his age and the fact he made such a big impact in just a few months in N17 means there will be hope that the Swede will only get better and cause even more of a threat to opposing teams next season and beyond.
For more from Betfair Ambassador, Dimitar Berbatov, head to: https://betting.betfair.com/football/
