Dear Reader...
Tottenham Hotspur has approved the free signing of Inter Milan's Ivan Perisic.
On Tuesday, May 31, the 33-year-old Croatian international, who can play as a winger, attacking midfielder, second striker, or wing-back, signed a two-year contract with Antonio Conte, becoming one of the Italian manager's first summer recruits.
"When I got in contact with the coach and the sporting director, I told them I had really wanted to come to the Premier League since 2009 when I started playing professional football in Belgium," Perisic said after joining the club.
"Working with a coach like Antonio is a luxury. It was a fantastic year at Inter, and I'm delighted to see him again. He lives football every minute, hour, and day, and he even thinks about it while sleeping.
"I was following the last two or three games and it was clear after the win against Arsenal that Tottenham would qualify for the Champions League, which was excellent for me since I want to play in big games."
Inter Milan chief executive Giuseppe Marotta confesses he tried to persuade Perisic to stay in Milan this summer but was unsuccessful.
On Monday, Marotta stated, "There is regret." "However, he wanted to try something fresh in the Premier League."
"We couldn't make better offers since his decision was predicated on a different future than the one we were now living in. For that, I give him my upmost respect and a heartfelt thank you."
Perisic had been at Inter since 2015, and has 113 caps for Croatia, including a goal in the 2018 World Cup final. After spending the 2019-20 season on loan at Bayern Munich, where he hoisted the Champions League, he won Serie A last season under Tottenham manager Conte.