Dejan Kulusevski became a key player for Tottenham, in the second half of the season, despite only making his debut in February. The Swedish international broke straight into Antonio Conte's regular XI, after his loan move on deadline day of the January transfer window.
However, it did not take long for the 22-year-old to settle into playing in the Premier League. Kulusevski scored five goals and registered eight assists in just 18 league appearances and added an extra element of threat to the front three, alongside Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
This helped the Lilywhites secure a place inside the top four, meaning they will return to Champions League football next season. The Swede is currently on international duty with his country, ahead of their Nations League matches, which begin on Thursday.
READ MORE: Dejan Kulusevski gives two-word verdict in response to Tottenham critics amid transfer success
Whilst on duty, Kulusevski has been speaking about how he has found his time in England so far. "Ten out of ten, it could not be better," he admitted, in a translated interview with Sport Bladet.
"I had fun, felt good and all the results went as they should. Everything was perfect. Very good coaches, very good teammates, smart people. Everyone just wants to win and we found each other well."
The Swedish international went on to praise his new coach, whom he has already built a strong relationship with. "He is obsessed with winning and works from morning to night," Kulusevski said.
"He wants to be the best for us players and I like him off the field too, he is an incredible coach." The 22-year-old's initial loan move takes him up to summer 2023 and football.london reported last week that the club are expected to wait until next summer to take up the option of a permanent move.
"I know I will play for Tottenham next season. If they do not buy me this summer, I think it's mandatory the following summer," Kulusevski explained.
Tottenham securing a spot in the Champions League isn't only a boost for the current players in N17, it will also help attract potential new players. This would have also played a part in encouraging the likes of Kane and Conte to stay at Spurs, something the 22-year-old also commented on.
"I think that means everything [Champions League]. It changes the whole season," he admitted. "I do not know if Conte would stay if we did not get to the Champions League, but now we did and everyone is happy. It will be incredibly fun to play the Champions League with Tottenham."
Moving from a foreign league to the top flight in English football, you are always going to have some critics and Kulusevski knows all about this. Italian football writer and broadcaster, Carlo Garganese criticised the Swede before his move to Spurs. The Italian tweeted about Kulusevski's move and claimed "Kulusevski still hasn’t beaten his man for 2 years. God bless [Fabio] Paratici."
The Swede has already proven him wrong and posted an Instagram message on Sunday, hitting back, with a video including the tweet. This then caused a response from Garganese, who tweeted: "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."
In his recent interview, the 22-year-old responded to the social media spat. "It was just a coincidence that it became him, next time it will be someone else. I think he enjoys it a lot now, that everyone is talking about him and he gets his five minutes of fame. He feels good about it," the attacker said.
"Today, everyone thinks they are football experts, but what he wrote must stand for him." Garganese isn't likely to be the only person who doubted Kulusevski and he commented on whether he has proven all of his critics wrong.
"It's both ways. Doubters will always be everywhere," he admitted. "There were many who believed in me too. The important thing is that I feel good. The others can say what they want."
All Spurs fans will hope that the Swede can continue to develop and learn under Conte, to reach his full potential and become even more of a key player for Tottenham in seasons to come.
