Antonio Conte has hailed the impact that Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski have had since they arrived at Tottenham in January. The duo joined on transfer deadline day from Italian giants Juventus and have already established themselves as key players for the club.
Bentancur arrived in north London on a permanent deal whilst Kulusevski put pen to paper on an 18 month loan which includes an option to buy. The latter has started in Spurs’ last eight matches in all competitions, scoring twice and notching four assists.
Meanwhile, Bentancur has impressed in midfield and has already become an integral part of Conte’s side. Both players have taken little to no time to adjust to the rigours of English football. Something which has impressed their new manager.
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“For sure, to come in in the way that they did, in a short period, was positive for us,” Conte told Spurs’ official website. “It’s important when you sign young players to understand that the Premier League is very difficult and before signing new players you have to check many qualities.
"Players have to be good technically, you can work and be good tactically and you can work to improve, but at the same time they have to be strong physically, fast, with a good engine.
“In these two players we found all the characteristics for this league. Then, they’re very young. Bentancur is only 24 years old but has already played 200 (career) games. Deki is in the starting 11 of his national team.
“Don’t forget they’re arriving from a club where the pressure is already very high. For this reason, they were ready to manage this situation.”
Both players will hope to be selected by Conte once again when Spurs face Newcastle at home on April 3 after the conclusion of the international break.
