Fabio Paratici is going to have a monumental task on his hands when it comes to Tottenham signing a player in January who can match or better Dejan Kulusevski's enormous impact. Having to wait until the final day of the last January transfer window to bring players in through the door, it turned out that the wait was very much worth it with the Swede and Rodrigo Bentancur making an instant impression in the side.
That is not always the case when it comes to foreign players moving to the Premier League, yet it appeared that Kulusevski had been playing in England for years only a couple of weeks into his Tottenham career. Initially having to make do with appearances off the bench in his first three games, he made everyone sit up and take notice in his maiden start away at Man City.
Opening the scoring after only four minutes with a coolly taken strike, the creative side of his game was there for all to see as he teed up Harry Kane for a last-minute winner with an inch-perfect cross that Tottenham's No.10 headed home. It was a sign of things to come.
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Forming a rapid understanding with Kane and Son Heung-min in attack, the trio forged a devastating partnership that would toy with their opponents in the following weeks and months as they chased a Champions League finish. On song a week after their Man City victory as they hit four against Leeds, Kulusevski was at the heart of it all when they scored five against Everton, five at home to Newcastle, four at Aston Villa and five at Norwich City on the final day of the campaign.
Making Tottenham tick in the final third, Kulusevski's numbers from his first 20 Tottenham games were incredible. Scoring five goals and registering eight assists, his impact was colossal and a key reason for Spurs pipping north London rivals Arsenal to the all-important final Champions League place.
Had Paratici not made the move for his former Juventus man as well as Rodrigo Bentancur then Tottenham may well not be playing in Europe's premier competition this season. Conte himself outlined the importance of the duo to in their top-four quest when speaking to Sky Italia (via HITC) in October, stating that they "guaranteed a big leap in quality" and achieving their Champions League goal was "miraculous" considering where they were in the table towards the end of January.
Starting where he left off last season with a goal and an assist on the opening day in the 4-1 win over Southampton, Kulusevski has added a further four assists in his other eight Premier League appearances in 2022/23. His importance to Conte's Tottenham team was further highlighted during October and the first week of November as he missed ten games through a hamstring injury sustained on international duty.
Bereft of ideas at times in those matches, Tottenham looked a completely different side without the Swede and his absence proved costly as they suffered three Premier League defeats in October. Crying out for the ex-Parma man to return with Spurs' form incredibly mixed, his comeback in the 68th minute of November's contest with Liverpool was greeted by the most incredible of cheers.
Deafening inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium the moment he rose from the substitutes' bench and made his way to the touchline, the noise created was eerily similar to the sound made when Tottenham have scored a vital goal in the dying minutes. The volume was to crank up another few notches just over a minute later with the player making an instant impact as he teed up Kane to reduce the deficit.
Key to Tottenham beating Leeds United 4-3 in their last game before the World Cup after assisting Bentancur for the late winner, the Swede will be looking to make up for lost time once Premier League action finally resumes on Boxing Day. Sensational for Tottenham this calendar year and deservedly one of four nominees for the Tottenham Hotspur Fans' Footballer of the Year award for 2022, 2023 could be a very special year for Kulusevski if the past 11 months is anything to go by.
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